Jim Bates

Jim is an associate editor at TSI Network. He is the lead reporter and analyst for The Successful Investor and Wall Street Stock Forecaster and a member of the Investment Planning Committee. Jim has held the Chartered Financial Analyst designation since 1992 and spent more than a decade at the Financial Post DataGroup before joining TSI Network. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

Posts by the author

Value Stocks

Finning International Has a Surging Backlog Amid Mining and Infrastructure Boom

Finning Int’l Inc. has a bright outlook spurred by mining and infrastructure growth.

2 min read

Jim Bates

McDonald's Corp. plans to keep aggressively opening locations to continue to power its sales.

Blue Chip Stocks

McDonald’s Reports Higher Sales Despite Economic Headwinds

2 min read

Jim Bates

Dividend Stocks

T. Rowe Price Group Offers a High 4.8% Yield Enhanced by a Key New Strategic Alliance

1 min read

Jim Bates

Thompson Creek Metals - Arial view of their Endako Mine image

Energy Stocks

This top molybdenum producer could be takeover target

Pat McKeough responds to many personal questions on specific stocks and other investment topics from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. This week, one question from an Inner Circle member wanted Pat’s input on one of the Canadian commodity stocks that depends heavily on one metal, molybdenum. Thompson Creek has seen a drop-off in both molybdenum prices and its own shares, but it is just possible, Pat says, that this could make it an appealing acquisition for a larger firm. ...

3 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

A Reply to Worries About a Real Estate Crash—Pat McKeough on YouTube

A little over three months ago, Pat McKeough responded to the many concerns expressed over a possible real estate crash, especially in Canada’s largest markets. The video drew one of our largest viewing audiences. Today there’s still a great deal of media attention focused on the possibility of a real estate crash. Those fears are undoubtedly heightened by ongoing headlines about the European debt crisis and a slowdown in the global economy. Volatility in the stock market adds a further note of pessimism for many Canadians. That makes it all the more important to keep things in perspective, which makes this an ideal time to replay Pat’s original video. In real estate investments especially, he reminds his viewers, there is a lot of territory between boom and bust. A rising real estate market will always cool down, but that doesn’t mean catastrophe is around the corner....

3 min read

Jim Bates

Fertilizer stock - Vale SA - Taquari-Vassouras Mine, Sergipe state - Potassium warehouse

Energy Stocks

Vale SA makes big push in fertilizer production

Vale SA is one of the world’s largest iron ore producers. The company gets about 59% of its revenue from iron ore. The rest comes from base metals, coal and fertilizer.

3 min read

Jim Bates

Dividend Stocks

The Right Way to Retire on Dividends—Pat McKeough on YouTube

When we go through the many comments we receive from TSI Network readers, the subject that seems to come up most often is dividend stocks. That’s not surprising, perhaps, since the first principle in our 3-part investment strategy is to mainly buy well-established, dividend-paying stocks. Another subject that draws many questions and strong opinions from our readers is retirement planning. And the idea of planning your retirement around dividends is one that appeals to many investors. When Pat replied to a specific question on this strategy two and a half months ago, it became the most watched of the weekly videos he has posted on the network over the past four months. It seems like a good time to have another look at this video, particularly because Pat’s answer holds a word of caution for investors: simply buying and holding dividend stocks may not be quite enough to accomplish your goals....

2 min read

Jim Bates

Growth Stocks

Submarine networks are a key niche for data equipment firm

Pat McKeough responds to many personal questions on specific stocks and other investment topics from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. Our Inner Circle Q&A frequently features questions on tech stocks. This past week, one Inner Circle member asked about a tech stock that has recently had a surge in its share price. Its unique software for submarine networks has helped this stock rise and Pat assesses whether it can sustain its momentum. ...

2 min read

Jim Bates

Wealth Management

The Value of Your Comments—Pat McKeough on YouTube

This is the latest in a series of video interviews in which Pat McKeough will give his advice on a variety of topics. Some will deal with his overall investment philosophy, others on specific investment strategies, and still others will be comments on events that are affecting the markets and the economy. This time, Pat discusses the fact that in his role as investment counsellor, he learns a good deal from his portfolio management clients, Inner Circle members and readers. Successful investors spend a lot of time learning about investments, he adds, and you never know how much you might learn when you start commenting and replying to other investors’ comments.
Investment Counsellor: The Value of Your Comments...

2 min read

Jim Bates

Medtronics' Revo MRI® SureScan® Pacing System image

How To Invest

Medical implant maker aims for growth from acquisitions

Pat McKeough responds to many personal questions on specific stocks and other investment topics from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. As the population ages, many consider medical and biotech firms to be a promising stock market investment. This past week, an Inner Circle member asked Pat about one of the giants in the field, the world’s biggest maker of implantable biomedical devices....

3 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

Your House as a Source of Building Wealth—Pat McKeough on YouTube

This is the latest in a series of video interviews in which Pat McKeough will give his advice on a variety of topics. Some will deal with his overall investment philosophy, others on specific investment strategies, and still others will be comments on events that are affecting the markets and the economy. This time, the subject is real estate investing, as Pat replies to questions that followed his earlier video on the home as an investment. (View the post here: Do You Think of Your House as an Investment?) Several readers insisted that they saw their houses as a good source of building net worth, whether through its intrinsic value or as a source of collateral for buying stocks. Pat has a few words of caution on both of those points.
Real Estate Investing: Your House as a Source of Building Wealth ...

2 min read

Jim Bates

How To Invest

International sales fuel Caterpillar’s growth

Pat McKeough responds to many personal questions on buying stocks and other investment topics from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. This past week, an Inner Circle member asked us about a company that clearly benefits when the global economy is doing well. This American heavy-equipment manufacturer already makes the majority of its sales outside the U.S. and it’s looking to developing economies to fuel even more growth....

3 min read

Jim Bates