Dave Paterson’s Top Funds Report is published on a monthly basis and highlights the best funds that were reviewed in the past month. This is an invaluable tool that provides you with indepth, expert analysis on a wide range of mutual funds and ETFs.
You can browse through our previous editions below. You can also view our recent Mutual Fund Reviews here.
If there is a fund that you would like to see reviewed in a future edition, please send your request to feedback@paterson-associates.ca.
Top Funds Report – January 2013
Download the PDF Version of this report 2013 Market Outlook Expect 2013 to be very similar to 2012 – modest returns and potentially high volatility. With 2012 in the books, now is a great time to take a look at what we expect for the coming year and offer up some ideas on how to position your portfolio. Looking at the economic and investment environment, we expect that 2013 will look a lot like 2012. Many of the key issues of 2012 remain in play this year. For example, Central Banks in Canada and the U.S. are expected to keep...
read moreTop Funds Report – December 2012
PDF Version of this Issue Special Offer & Monthly Commentary Since taking over the Mutual Fund and ETFs Database a little more than a year ago, I have talked to a number of members like you, and one theme that was repeated quite often was that they wanted more current and timely information. We listened. In response, we have completely overhauled the database and I believe it is now the best of its kind anywhere. I invite you to check it out for yourself. When you do, you will see that this new super database now includes detailed...
read moreTop Funds Report – November 2012
Despite data showing that U.S. manufacturing continued to expand pushing GDP growth higher than expected, reducing unemployment, it was concern over the impending “fiscal cliff” which weighed on U.S. markets in October and since the November election.
The fiscal cliff is the combination of the expiration of Bush era tax cuts and a slew of massive spending cuts that are slated to take effect in the new year. Unless a compromise is reached, many economists expect that the impact of this will be an increased tax burden of about $3,500 per family. This will have devastating consequences for the U.S. economy, likely pushing it back into recession.
read moreTop Funds Report – October 2012
As was widely expected, central banks in the U.S. and Europe stepped up to announce aggressive bond buying programs designed to inject much needed liquidity into the economy. Markets reacted positively showing gains in September, pushing all markets, except for Japan into positive territory for the third quarter.
read moreTop Funds Report – September 2012
Those who adhered to the old adage of selling in May and going away for the summer may have been sorry that they did. Global equity markets were again higher in August, their third month in a row of gains. This time around, it was Canadian equities leading the way higher, as our three main sectors, financials, energy, and materials, all enjoyed decent gains. The S&P/TSX Composite rose more than 2.4% in the month. The energy and financial sectors matched the gains of the broader index.
read moreTop Funds Report – August 2012
Global markets got a boost following the July 26 comments made by the European Central Bank’s president Mario Draghi. In his remarks, Mr. Draghi stated that the ECB would “do whatever it takes” to ensure that the Euro remained intact. Investors took this as a sign that the ECB would take immediate simulative action in an effort to shore up the European economies, bidding stock prices higher.
read moreTop Funds Report – July 2012
After a relatively tame first-quarter, volatility returned to the global equity markets with a vengeance, whipsawing stocks with a ferocity that was reminiscent of 2008. Despite a modest rally in June, the S&P/TSX Composite Index still lost 5.67% on the quarter. Global markets seemed to hold up a little better, with the S&P 500 shedding 1.0% and the MSCI EAFE Index dropping 5.0% during the quarter. Not surprisingly, fixed income fared well, gaining 2.2% as investors flocked to bonds on their safe haven appeal.
read moreTop Funds Report – June 2012
Whoever said that April was the cruelest month likely didn’t have any money invested in the global equity markets in May. Markets were hit particularly hard, with the MSCI EAFE Index dropping by more than 7% during the month. The S&P 500 lost 6% in U.S. dollar terms, while closer to home, the S&P/TSX Composite Index dropped by 6.1%.
read moreTop Funds Report – May 2012
After posting strong gains in the first quarter of the year, equity markets retreated in April as investor concerns over the European debt crisis returned. The MSCI Europe Index dropped by nearly 3% after credit ratings agencies downgraded Spain’s debt with a negative outlook, hinting that further rating cuts may be coming. Spain paid a heavy price for this downgrade with the MSCI Spain Index plummeting by more than 13% in the month.
read moreTop Funds Report – April 2012
For the past year, market sentiment has been dominated largely by the debt crisis that continues to boil over in Europe, causing fear and panic among investors. In the first quarter of 2012, this situation was merely simmering, allowing investors to focus on the economic recovery that appears to be well underway in North America
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