The U.S. debt ceiling standoff stole most of the headlines the past week. And “this just in” as they say on the nightly news – the Democrats and Republicans have potentially reached a deal. The debt ceiling will be increased and there will be no U.S. default. Phew! Of course most knew how this game […]
Checking in on our U.S. stocks on the Sunday Reads.
Eight years ago, I bought 15 U.S. dividend growth stocks as a real-life portfolio demonstration. More than a demonstration, it was the total value of our U.S. holdings in our retirement accounts. The strategy was to create a more defensive and retirement-ready portfolio. The portfolio slants to quality, profitability and business moats. The 15 stocks […]
Building the Canadian stock portfolio on the Sunday Reads.
It is so easy to build a simple but very effective Canadian stock portfolio. Canadian self-directed investors will often hold a few financials, telcos, utilities and pipelines. At times they will also (wisely) add some of the lower yielding stocks, including the railways and grocers. Other favourite picks are Alimentation Couche-Tard, Canadian Tire, Restaurants International […]
Making sense of it all, on the Sunday Reads.
It was quite the week, and I was back at MoneySense (filling in for Kyle Prevost) – Making Sense of the Markets. For MoneySense readers I reiterated my take (somewhat borrowed from my favourite economists and market analysts) that economic forces are in play, but we are moving in slow motion. Central bankers weigh killing […]
The rate hike hiatus continues in Canada, on the Sunday Reads.
It was an easy call, that The Bank of Canada would hold rates (again) and the rate hike hiatus was still in play in the Great White North. Though we did have a wonderful heatwave this week. Not so white, not so cold. We are in wait and see mode on the inflation-fighting front. The […]
Smooth sailing, on the Sunday Reads.
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 […]