Mutual Fund Focus List – June 2019
Heading into the second quarter, the consensus was that the next moves from global central banks was going to be a hike in interest rates. That changed about two-thirds of the way into the quarter as the friction caused by the trade wars started to have a real impact on the economic numbers, and with no end in sight, created real uncertainty about the future. This caused a complete 180 and the consensus shifted that the next move was going to be a cut by central banks, with the only real debate being how big of a cut. In this environment, we saw yields move lower. In Canada, the yield on the benchmark five year Government of Canada Bond fell from 1.52% to 1.39%, after peaking in mid-April at 1.66%.
Read MoreMarch 2019 ETF Focus List Review
Last time around, I noted that I continue to favour the Invesco Senior Loan ETF (TSX: BKL.F) for exposure to the leveraged loan space largely on the higher quality portfolio it offers. During an extremely challenging period for credit markets, this ETF held up better than the other floating rate ETFs, gaining 1.10%. This narrowly outpaced the Mackenzie Floating Rate Income ETF. I continue to follow the Mackenzie offering closely and am looking to see how it continues to perform in a challenging environment.
Read MoreRecommended List of Funds – October 2015
Download the PDF Version of the report here List Changes Additions There were no funds added to the list at this update. Deletions Manulife Monthly High Income Fund (MMF 583 – Front End Units, MMF 483 – DSC Units) – I added this high quality Canadian balanced fund to the Recommended List in December 2015. It is managed by the team of Alan Wicks and Jonathan Popper, with an equity approach that...
Read MoreNew Fund Rating System Launched in 2015
When I first started providing a rating on mutual funds back in 2002, I developed a formula that considered a number of key performance and risk metrics. It looked at absolute return, relative return, volatility and relative volatility. It also took into account the length of track record of a fund when determining the rating for a fund. It seemed to work very well over the years, but its...
Read MoreETF Focus List – June 2014
Welcome to our inaugural edition of our ETF Focus List. The goal of this list, like our Recommended List of Funds, is to help you narrow your focus on what we believe to be the best ETFs available in a wide range of asset classes. This first edition is focused solely on Canadian traded ETFs, but over time will grow to include ETFs that also trade in the U.S. You can download your copy of this...
Read MoreRecommended List of Funds – March 2013
Please download the full report here. During the quarter, we made a number of changes to our list. They are: Dynamic Advantage Bond Fund – During the quarter we removed the Dynamic Canadian Bond and replaced it with the Dynamic Advantage Bond Fund. In reviewing the two funds, it is our opinion that the Dynamic Advantage Bond Fund is better positioned for the current environment. First, it...
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