Investments

Alt Assets: Name raiders

(March 2006) You use domain names every time you visit a website or google a term to find more information. But do you know what gives value to a name? Do you know how to assess that value? What you don’t know actually spells opportunity. Just as in financial markets, there are primary and secondary […]

By Pierre Saint-Laurent |March 10, 2006

4 min read

Foreign equity funds set to rebound?

(March 2006) After several years of poor performance — both in terms of sales and investment returns — foreign mutual funds appear to be levelling off, as total assets under management stabilize, according to research from Investor Economics. “Though currently out of favour, we believe this theme will reassert itself,” reads the latest issue of […]

By Steven Lamb |March 10, 2006

3 min read

Perfect storm for U.S. mortgage-backed investors

(March 2006) Investors seeking yield were well compensated when interest rates fell; they received capital gains that in many instances gave them better returns than equities. In a rising rate environment, however, income investors find it more difficult to make an adequate return. Not only do rising rates usually result in lower bond valuations, but […]

By Michael Barrett |March 1, 2006

7 min read

Oil to remain strong in the near-term

(February 2006) Investors who enjoyed the massive upside to the energy rally were more than a little disappointed this past week, as the price of crude oil plummeted from over US$66 a barrel to $62, slashing 400 points off of the energy-heavy TSX Composite index. Is the party over for the energy sector? It’s hard […]

By Steven Lamb |February 10, 2006

4 min read