It was invevitable. Bell Canada (BCE) was paying a massive dividend with money it did not produce from operations. Paying an unsupported dividend, and most would say irresponsible dividend, was not good for the balance sheet. It was not good for investors either. As many of us had begged – do the responsible thing and […]
Checking in on Canadian portfolios on the Sunday Reads.
Canadian stocks are hanging in there, all considering. In the early stages of a global trade war with Canada as a main target, the Canadian equity market is outperforming U.S. stocks, and the Canadian Dollar is outperforming the U.S. Dollar in 2025. With international equities outperforming U.S. equities it’s no suprise that we can make […]
Calling on the Dividend Aristocrats on the Sunday Reads.
Given that the S&P 500 moved into correction territory this past week, it’s not surprising that every other article or podcast subject matter focuses on defensive stocks. A correction is a 10% decline from the previous peak. The growth oriented Nasdaq 100 was down about 14%. One article that caught my eye focuses on the […]
Playing defense with Canadian utility stocks and ETFs.
The utility sector is known for its defensive qualities, providing a stable investment option in times of market uncertainty. By overweighting defensive sectors, investors can lower the volatility (risk) of their portfolios. Many will refer to Canadian utilities as ‘bond proxies’ due to their steadiness. However, the true strength lies not in the dividends they […]
Why are most dividend ETFs underperforming? Plus, the Sunday Reads.
Canadians are sitting on a mountain of cash. Higher rates for savings accounts and GICs were too juicy too resist. But with rates coming down, these income lovers have been moving funds back to struggling dividend ETFs and their favourite dividend stocks. After a brief period of catch up outperformance, many dividend ETFs are lagging […]
iShares U.S. Quality Dividend ETF is crushing SCHD in 2024, on the Sunday Reads.
The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is very popular with dividend and total return investors alike. The fund enjoyed a solid period of outperformance but has slipped in recent years, relative to the S&P 500. That’s no slight on SCHD as most everyone has underperformed the tech-heavy U.S. stock market. And as we enter the […]