Sweeping up after the 1929 Crash

Today, many investors might not immediately recognize the name of master investor John Templeton. In the final quarter of the last century, however, Templeton was as famous and highly regarded as Warren Buffett is today.

Templeton’s investing strategy focused on value, not negative predictions

Templeton got his start as an investor during the 1930s Depression. …read more »

One of the trends in Canadian investing in recent years has been for companies to expand internationally. This strategy can diversify a company’s customer base and add revenue. But it can also add risk.

Linamar Corp. (Toronto symbol LNR; www.linamar.com) makes engines, transmissions and other precision-machined parts for the North American, European and Asian car and truck markets. The company …read more »

Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” investment advice series. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you our specific advice on successful investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental piece of investing advice and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.

Tip of the week: “Not all …read more »

Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” investing advice series. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you our specific advice on successful investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental piece of investing advice and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.

Tip of the week: “Covered-call writing …read more »

Gennum Corp., Toronto symbol GND, designs chips and other electronic equipment that lets television broadcasters store, edit and transfer video signals without losing picture quality. It also designs chips that make computer networks faster.

In its third quarter, which ended August 31, 2011, Gennum’s sales rose 6.6%, to $36.7 million from $34.4 million a year earlier (all amounts in U.S. dollars). …read more »

McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., New York symbol MHP, rose 17% the week of September 12 after it announced that it will split into two separate, publicly traded companies.

One of these new firms, McGraw-Hill Markets, will sell a variety of financial-information products. This business will include Standard & Poor’s, which provides credit ratings on bonds, and McGraw-Hill’s J.D. Power market-research firm. …read more »

Faced with a slow economy, the highly cyclical airline industry finds itself looking at a number of challenges. Here’s how one of the prominent Canadians stocks in the field has been coping.

WestJet Airlines Ltd., symbol WJA on Toronto, reported that its load factor rose to 83.3% in August 2011 from 82.2% in August 2010. Load factor is the percentage of …read more »

Campbell Soup Co., New York symbol CPB, is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. It is the world’s largest maker of canned soups. It also makes Prego canned pasta and sauces, Pepperidge Farm cookies and V8 vegetable juices.

In the year ended July 31, 2011, Campbell’s earnings fell 4.6%, to $805 million from $844 million a year earlier. …read more »

Demand for medical devices and supplies will undoubtedly continue to grow as the population ages. Even in an uncertain economic climate, our stock market advice is that this is a positive trend for the industry, but only for the best companies making these devices.

C.R. Bard Inc. (New York symbol BCR; www.crbard.com) makes medical devices in four main areas: vascular products, …read more »

Transcontinental Inc., Toronto symbol TCL.A, is the largest commercial printer in Canada, and the fourth largest in North America. It also publishes newspapers and magazines, and has over 1,000 web sites.

In the three months ended July 31, 2011, Transcontinental’s revenue rose 2.3%, to $492.6 million from $481.3 million a year earlier. The company has won a number of new printing …read more »