The past week offered more Canadian bank earnings. As expected we saw more softness, but the banks are hanging in there. I’ve updated last week’s Sunday Reads to include the recent earnings reports. And the big news of the week might have been the unexpected second quarter of negative growth for the Canadian economy. Is […]
Why retirees own bonds, cash and GICs.
Imagine retiring, and then you have to head back to work, or you cancel your planned trips and greatly curtail your lifestyle. That’s what happened to too many who retired at or near the recesssions created by the dot com crash and the financial crisis. Risk in retirement is perhaps the flipside of risk in […]
The balanced portfolio journey on The Sunday Reads.
The balanced portfolio had a terrible 2022. In fact, it was just about the worst ever. Stocks were down and bonds had a rough ride delivering negative returns thanks to the rising yield environment. As rates go up, bond prices go down. Inflation was the culprit. Central bankers created a rising rate environment to cool […]
U.S. banks are breaking on the Sunday Reads.
On Friday, due to a sudden increase in deposit outflows and a failed attempt to raise equity, Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by US regulators. It’s called a bank run. Depositors literally “run” to the bank to take out their money. It might be a little faster these days in the digital age. How […]
Rate hikes and how to prepare your portfolio for 2023 on the Sunday Reads.
In Canada, the headlines and airwaves were focused on the Bank of Canada and their rate hike decision. As you likely know, the BoC increased rates by 50 basis points or 0.50%. Many were expecting a 25 bps hike, but recent GDP growth put a nail in that coffin. In the U.S., good news was […]
Are we there yet? Plus, the Sunday Reads.
This past week, U.S. stocks (S&P 500) were within a whisker of entering an official bear market. That bear market definition is a decline of 20% or more. But on Friday, the market got off the mat, dusted itself off and offered a one-day relief rally. The S&P 500 was up 2.8% while the tech-heavy […]