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Tax-loss selling (or tax-loss harvesting) occurs when you deliberately sell a security at a loss in order to offset capital gains in Canada. You can then use these losses to offset your taxable capital gains.
For example, the 2008 deadline for tax-loss selling on the Toronto Stock Exchange was December 24, 2008. If you sold at a loss on or before …read more »
Uranium prices peaked at 1979 to $43 U.S. a pound, on fears of production shortages. Many nuclear power plants then began hoarding uranium. However, supply disruptions never materialized. As operators used up their uranium inventories in subsequent years, the price of uranium fell to as low as $7.10 U.S. a pound in December 2000. Prices moved up steadily after that, …read more »
Cautious investors wonder if they own enough different stocks, or perhaps even too many.
The right number of stocks for investors to own for portfolio diversification depends, in part, on where they are in their investing careers.
When they’re just starting out, most people have modest amounts of money to invest. Even so, it generally pays to invest at least several …read more »
Ethanol is a liquid alcohol obtained from fermenting sugar, or starch converted to sugar. In Canada and the U.S., fuel ethanol is made from grains, such as corn, wheat and barley. Small quantities have been made on an experimental basis from low-cost agricultural cellulosic biomass, like trees and grasses. This has led to two different groups of companies amongst ethanol …read more »
ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $7.22 (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through a broker) holds the 11 Canadian real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index. The weight of any one REIT is limited to 25% of this index’s value.
RioCan REIT makes up 23.3% of the index’s total value; Canadian REIT, 14.1%; Boardwalk REIT, 11.3%; …read more »
BCE $24.79 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 791.6 million; Market cap: $19.6 billion; SI Rating: Above Average) earned $1.8 billion in 2008, down 3.9% from $1.9 billion in 2007. Earnings per share fell 3.8%, to $2.25 from $2.34 on more shares outstanding. Revenue fell 0.3%, to $17.7 billion from $17.75 billion. These figures exclude restructuring charges, mainly job cuts, and …read more »
Now more than ever we think you need to invest in only the highest-quality mutual funds. Here are some keys to building a sound portfolio with these mutual funds.
Diversify. Spread your portfolio out over several funds that practice a variety of investing styles. Vary your exposure to each style to reflect your individual financial circumstances, temperament and goals.
Invest in just …read more »
TORSTAR $4.30 (Toronto symbol TS.B; Shares outstanding: 78.9 million; Market cap: $339.3 million; SI Rating: Above Average) has cut its quarterly dividend by 50%, to $0.0925 a share from $0.185. The new annual rate of $0.37 yields 8.6%. The lower dividend should save the company around $29 million this year.
The dividend cut came after Torstar reported 2008 earnings of $50.3 …read more »
PENGROWTH ENERGY TRUST $6.82 (Toronto symbol PGF.UN; Shares outstanding: 256.5 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; SI Rating: Average) has cut its monthly distribution by 41.2%, to $0.10 a unit from $0.17. The cut will let it conserve cash until oil and natural gas prices rebound. Despite the reduction, the new annual rate of $1.20 still yields a high 17.6%.
The lower …read more »
TEMPLETON EMERGING MARKETS FUND $7.87 (New York symbol EMF; CWA Fund Rating: Speculative) is a closed-end fund that invests in equities from emerging economies. Franklin Templeton manages the fund.
Templeton Emerging Market Fund’s holdings are spread around the world. Although volatile, the fund gives investors access to countries like Brazil, China, India and others that still have strong growth prospects.
The $187.6-million …read more »
