The stock markets were able to leave the banking crisis behind. We moved on to more smooth sailing with markets up about 3-4% for the week. The first quarter was very strong. And growth sectors led the way. Historically, a strong first quarter sets the table for a strong year. That said, the storm clouds […]
Canadian pipeline stocks in focus on the Sunday Reads.
Canadian investors love their pipeline and utility stocks. And mostly, they like the big (and mostly growing dividends). We might consider the stocks as bond proxies. And certainly some capital gains can come along for the ride. I have seen recent reports suggesting that the dividends are not safe in the pipeline space. There can […]
Defensive sectors for retirement.
Defense wins championships say many sports commentators. Defense can be a big winner for retirees as well. In fact, from the massive correction known as the financial crisis (2008-2009 and beyond) using defensive sectors was twice as effective as using bonds. Then, factor in the generous and growing dividends that Canadian retirees embrace, and we […]
Moving in slow motion on the Sunday Reads.
Moving in slow motion might be a fitting description for the success of central bankers in their attempt to cool economies and add more weight to the inflation fight. We might go as far to suggest that rate hikes have had almost no effect on inflation to date. Very robust and shocking employment gains in […]
Jerome Powell calls on the bulls in the Sunday Reads.
South of the border the Fed ratcheted down the rate hikes, and offered a more modest 0.25% hike. Fed Chair Jerome Powell then offered a somewhat confusing or dismissive press conference. Powell had no problem waving his red cape to call out the stock market bulls. And show up they did. U.S. stocks were up […]
The Bank of Canada goes on a rate hike hiatus, on the Sunday Reads.
This week, the Bank of Canada boosted rates by another 0.25% and signalled that they will now pause and evaluate. I’ve been calling that the rate hike hiatus. As I touched on two weeks ago, inflation is moving in the right direction and the consumer is holding up quite well. It’s a Goldilocks scenario, for […]