Top Funds Report – February 2017
Equity markets continued to celebrate Trump’s victory, with the S&P 500 continuing its charge higher, gaining nearly 2% in U.S. dollar terms. Currency markets were not in such a celebratory mood, as traders worried Trump’s protectionist agenda would hurt global trade. Adding to their pessimism was the view that the new administration wants to talk the dollar down to help make U.S. exports more competitive. It worked, with the U.S. dollar losing ground against many currencies, giving up more than 3% on the loonie. For Canadian investors, this meant that any unhedged U.S. currency positions lost ground. In Canadian dollar terms, the S&P 500 was lower by 1.3%.
Read MoreTop Funds Report – January 2017
In the days since his inauguration, he has taken aim at a number of policies, including the formal withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, and continues to talk about tearing up NAFTA. Other talk and actions have a very protectionist, “America First” tone, of which the markets, at least for now seem to approve. This month, I highlight some of the best and worst performers from 2016…
Read MoreTop Funds Report – December 2016
Download a PDF Copy of this report Equity Markets Surprise with strong 2016 Outlook for 2017 more challenging with new President and likely Fed moves… To say that 2016 was an interesting year, would be a bit of an understatement. It was a year that gave us Brexit, the death of a number of beloved celebrities, the election of a celebrity President in the U.S., a hike in U.S....
Read MoreTop Funds Report – November 2016
Download a PDF Copy of this report Trump Wins!?!?!? American election surprises pundits and markets… I’ll be honest, I didn’t see Trump winning. Obviously, I was wrong. But, looking at the millions of disenfranchised people living the rust belt of middle America, who have been hurt badly by globalization, and the carving out of the American manufacturing sector, and it starts to...
Read MoreTop Funds Report – October 2016
Download a PDF Copy of this report Third Quarter Finishes Higher Despite uncertainty over Brexit, markets remained calm, rewarding patient investors with gains… With the Brexit vote results fresh in the minds of investors, we entered the third quarter with concern that market volatility would be higher than normal. Fortunately, much of this worry was overblown, and the markets were...
Read MoreTop Funds Report – September 2016
Download a PDF Copy of this report Markets Take a Holiday in August After a strong July, markets paused in August. Attention focused on Fed… The dog days of summer were alive and well in August, with market activity rather subdued in the month. The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 0.3%, as a rise in energy and financials was largely offset by a selloff in materials and real...
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