Pat McKeough

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.

As early as 1980, Pat was recognized as #1 in the world of published investment advice by the Washington, DC–based Newsletter Publishers Association, and he was the first multi-year winner of The Globe and Mail’s stock picking contest.

Both CBS MarketWatch and The Hulbert Financial Digest recognized Pat as one of North America’s top stock analysts. The Wall Street Journal called him “one of only four investment newsletter advisors who have managed to serve their readers well over the long haul.”

A best-selling Canadian author, he wrote Riding the Bull, his 1993 book that predicted the stock-market boom of the last half of that decade. Through his many television appearances, he is well-known to investors for his insightful analysis and his candid, unpretentious style.

Bottom line: Pat’s conservative, reduced-risk strategy is a proven approach to safe investing.

Posts by the author
To determine when to buy an ETF, some investors use technical analysis and other tools. But you need to dig deeper.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) give you a low-cost, flexible alternative to mutual funds. Here are five ETFs we recommend and one to sell.
LOBLAW COMPANIES $70.28 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 410.2 million; Market cap: $28.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.5%; www.loblaw.ca) currently operates over 1,100 supermarkets and 1,300 Shopper Drug Mart pharmacies across Canada. In the three months ended March 26, 2016, Loblaw earned $338 million, or $0.82 a share. That’s up 12.3% from $301 million, or $0.72, a year earlier. Sales rose 4.8%, to $13.9 billion from $13.6 billion. Excluding gas station revenue, same-store sales rose 2.6% at Loblaw. They rose 6.3% at Shoppers Drug Mart. The company now plans to spend $1 billion to open 50 new locations and renovate 150 stores. Choice Properties REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN) will contribute an additional $300 million to the construction projects. Loblaw owns 83.0% of the REIT, which gets 91% of its rental revenue from its supermarkets and drug stores....
MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES $37.43 (Toronto symbol MBT; Shares outstanding: 78.3 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.5%; www.mts.ca) has attracted a $3.1 billion takeover offer from BCE Inc. (see page 38). Under the deal, Manitoba Tel shareholders can choose either $40 in cash or 0.6756 shares of BCE for every MBT share they hold. However, BCE plans to limit its overall cash spending, so most Manitoba Tel investors will likely receive 55% of their payout in stock and the remainder in cash....
ISHARES S&P/TSX GLOBAL GOLD INDEX FUND $13.31 (Toronto symbol XGD; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) aims to mirror the performance of the S&P/TSX Global Gold Index, which is made up of 35 gold stocks from Canada and around the world. The ETF began trading on March 23, 2001. Its MER is 0.61%. The fund’s top holdings are Barrick Gold at 14.6%; Newmont Mining, 12.4%; Goldcorp, 11.2%; Franco-Nevada, 8.7%; Agnico-Eagle Mines, 6.8%; Randgold Resources (ADR), 6.2%; Kinross Gold, 4.5%; and AngloGold Ashanti (ADR), 4.4%. iShares S&P/TSX Global Gold Index is a hold.
GLOBAL X SILVER MINERS ETF $32.963 (New York symbol SIL; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) tracks the Solactive Global Silver Miners Index. That index includes 21 international firms that mine, refine or explore for silver. It was developed by Germany-based Structured Solutions AG. Canadian firms make up 50.5% of the fund’s holdings, but it also includes miners in the U.S. (22.0%) and Mexico (21.0%). Its MER is 0.65%. The ETF’s top holdings are Tahoe Resources Inc. at 11.5%; Silver Wheaton, 11.1%; Fresnillo plc 10.7%; First Majestic Silver, 7.7%; Industrias Penoles, 7.3%; Coeur Mining, 6.0%; Pan American Silver, 5.7%; Hecla Mining, 5.1%; Fortuna Silver Mines, 4.7%; Alamos Gold, 4.7%; Mag Silver, 4.4%; and Silver Standard Resources, 3.8%....
GLOBAL X COPPER MINERS ETF $15.44 (New York symbol COPX; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) tracks the Solactive Global Copper Miners Index, which includes 20 to 40 international companies that mine, refine or explore for copper. Germany-based Structured Solutions AG created this index. Canadian firms make up 36.6% of the ETF’s holdings. They also include companies based in Australia (14.2%), Peru (5.1%), Mexico (5.0%) and China (4.5%). The fund’s MER is 0.65%. Its top holdings are Teck Resources at 7.7%; Oz Minerals, 7.0%; CST Mining Group, 6.5%; Glencore plc, 5.8%; First Quantum Minerals, 5.8%; Capstone Mining, 5.6%; Kaz Minerals plc, 5.5%; Lundin Mining, 5.0%; Southern Copper, 4.8%; Freeport-McMoran, 4.7%; Sandfire Resources, 4.5%; and Grupo Mexico, 4.5%....
PEYTO EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT CORP. $30.95 (Toronto symbol PEY; Shares outstanding: 159.2 million; Market cap: $4.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.3%; www.peyto.com) produces and explores for oil and natural gas in Alberta. Its average daily production of 97,028 barrels of oil equivalent is 93% gas and 7% oil. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Peyto’s cash flow fell 15.9%, to $0.95 a share from $1.13 a year ago. It raised its production by 16.5%, but that was offset by lower oil and gas prices. Its realized oil price year over year fell 28.1%, and natural gas prices fell 20.9%. The company has cut it’s original 2016 capital spending of $600 million to $650 million down to between $500 million and $550 million. It spent $594 million in 2015....
BONAVISTA ENERGY $2.76 (Toronto symbol BNP; Shares outstanding: 214.0 million; Market cap: $626.1 million; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.4%; www.bonavistaenergy.com) explores for oil and gas in Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. Its output is 68% gas and 32% oil. In the quarter ended December 31, 2015, Bonavista’s cash flow per share fell 30.2%, to $0.44 from $0.63 a year earlier. Most of that drop came from lower oil and gas prices, but also because of falling output. It declined 6.9%, to 79,862 barrels of oil equivalent per day from 85,810 barrels. Like many producers, the company will cut its exploration and development. In 2016, it plans to spend $145 million to $190 million. That’s a reduction from Bonavista’s initial announcement of $210 million, which is down from the $283.4 million it spent in 2015. It spent $639.6 million in 2014....
CENOVUS ENERGY $18.88 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 833.2 million; Market cap: $15.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.1%; www.cenovus.com) owns oil sands operations and conventional wells in Western Canada. It ships its oil to its 50%- owned refineries in Illinois and Texas. Due to low oil prices, Cenovus has shrunk its workforce by 31% since the start of 2015. These cuts will save it $200 million this year. They should also help expand its cash flow when oil prices recover. In the first quarter of 2016, the company’s cash flow was just $26 million, or $0.03 a share, Meanwhile, the balance sheet is strong: Cenovus holds cash of $3.9 billion, or $4.68 a share. Long-term debt of $6.1 billion is a manageable 38% of its market cap....