IA Clarington Tactical Income Fund
Manager Ben Cheng has a great reputation and track record. Before joining Aston Hill he was the lead manager on one of our favourite funds, the CI Signature High Income Fund. With this fund, Ben and his team at Aston Hill, use a team approach that relies heavily on the firm’s research capabilities. The process is best described as “Growth at a Reasonable Price”, which looks for companies that have a strong competitive position, strong balance sheets and a stable management team. When reviewing a company, they review the full capital structure so they understand where the most attractive investment opportunities within that company are, the shares, preferreds, or bonds.
Read MoreFidelity Canadian Growth Company
Since taking over the reins of the fund in March 2011, Mark Schmehl has done a decent job in turning this fund around. For the three years ending January 31, the fund gained an annualized 11.4%, outpacing the S&P/TSX Composite which gained 7.5%. Much of this outperformance can be attributed to the significant U.S. based holdings, which currently sit at approximately 35% of the fund. Still, the fund managed to outperform a blended benchmark that includes U.S. stocks and finish in the top quartile, outpacing its peer group.
Read MoreManulife Yield Opportunities Fund
As the name suggests, this tactically managed fund invests in a wide range of yield producing securities including fixed income, high yield bonds, dividend paying equities, and REITs. It has a go anywhere mandate, and currently nearly half the fund is invested in the U.S., a third in Canada and the balance spread among a wide range of countries.
Read MoreDynamic Power Global Growth Class
Despite posting a more than respectable gain of 7.2% in 2012, the Dynamic Power Global Growth Class lagged both the index and the peer group, finishing in the bottom quartile for the year. In fact, the fund has struggled since early 2011 and has been on a roller coaster ride since late 2007.
Read MoreSentry Diversified Total Return Fund
Fund Company Sentry Investments Fund Type Canadian Focused Equity Rating C Style Mid Cap Growth Risk Level Medium Load Status Optional RRSP/RRIF Suitability Poor TFSA Suitability Poor Manager Michael Simpson since January 2013 MER 3.20% Code NCE 722 – Front End Units NCE 322 – DSC Units Minimum Investment $500 Analysis: In the past couple of years, this is a fund that has undergone some pretty...
Read MoreMackenzie Cundill Canadian Security Fund
The Cundill Funds have long had a reputation as being contrarian, concentrated deep value funds, and this Canadian focused offering is no different. Using a bottom up, team driven approach, they conduct extensive fundamental analysis, looking for high quality, well managed companies that are trading at a significant discount to their estimate of its true value. Typically, this will result in companies that have experienced some negative event that has caused it to fall out of favour with investors.
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