Scott Clayton

Scott is an associate editor at TSI Network. He is the lead reporter and analyst for Dividend Advisor, Power Growth Investor and Canadian Wealth Advisor and a member of the Investment Planning Committee. Scott began his investment and financial career working with Pat McKeough at The Investment Reporter in the 1980s. Subsequently, he worked at the Financial Post Corporation Service for 10 years. He joined TSI Network in 1998. He is a Bachelor of Economics graduate of York University, and he also has an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business.

Posts by the author

ETFs

The Best Income Funds for Retirees - What you need to know

Here are some key tips to ensure that your investment portfolio holds the best income funds for retirees. Keep reading for the full story.

5 min read

Scott Clayton

How To Invest

Theme Investing: Trendy stocks will often lead you into losses

4 min read

Scott Clayton

Dividend Stocks

Our Top LNG and Natural Gas Infrastructure Picks

5 min read

Scott Clayton

Dividend Stocks

Income trust Chemtrade expands operations with huge acquisition

CHEMTRADE LOGISTICS INCOME FUND (Toronto symbol CHE.UN; www.chemtradelogistics.com) is one of North America’s largest providers of removal services for resource firms, such as oil refineries and base-metal processors. These companies’ activities create sulphur, acid and other by-products that Chemtrade converts into useful chemicals, like sulphuric acid. The trust also offers a range of environmental services through its Marsulex subsidiary, such as improving air quality and handling and treating industrial waste. Chemtrade’s revenue rose 30.4% in the three months ended March 31, 2014, to $273.9 million from $210.0 million a year earlier....

2 min read

Scott Clayton

Mining Stocks

These two stocks aim for rapid growth as new mines come into production

IAMGOLD (Toronto symbol IMG; www.iamgold.com) owns 41% of the Sadiola mine and 40% of the Yatela mine, both located in Mali; 90% of its Essakane gold mine in Burkina Faso; 100% of the Doyon mine in Quebec; and 95% of the Rosebel mine in Suriname, South America. In addition, IAMGold has a 1% royalty interest in the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories. It also owns the Niobec niobium mine in Quebec. When used as an additive, niobium makes steel stronger, more heat-resistant and easier to weld. In the three months ended March 31, 2014, IAMGold’s revenue fell 8.5%, to $279.3 million from $305.3 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share dropped to $0.17 from $0.31. The declines were mostly due to 21.2% lower gold prices and an 8.5% production decrease....

3 min read

Scott Clayton

Energy Stocks

Higher natural gas prices boost two high-yielding energy stocks

PEYTO EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT CORP. (Toronto symbol PEY; www.peyto.com) produces and explores for oil and natural gas in Alberta. Its average daily production of 72,209 barrels of oil equivalent is 90% gas and 10% oil. In the quarter ended March 31, 2014, Peyto’s cash flow rose 53.6%, to $1.06 a share from $0.69 a year earlier. That’s because the company raised its production by 30.4%. Gas prices also gained 27.5%, to an average of $4.45 per thousand cubic feet from $3.49, while oil prices rose 6.1%, to $80.49 a barrel from $75.88. Peyto plans to spend $625 million on exploration and development in 2014, which will let it drill 110 to 125 wells. To put that in context, the company spent $578 million to drill 99 wells in 2013....

2 min read

Scott Clayton

How To Invest

Chipotle, Ruby Tuesday pursue different recipes for success

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL (New York symbol CMG; www.chipotle.com) is a Denver-based Mexican restaurant chain. It charges slightly higher prices than fast food companies, but it offers better quality food, including naturally raised meat, and superior decor and service. In the three months ended March 31, 2014, Chipotle’s sales rose 24.4%, to $904.2 million from $726.8 million a year earlier. The company’s restaurants attracted more customers during the quarter, which pushed up same-restaurant sales by 13.4%. Chipotle also opened 44 new outlets and now has a total of more than 1,600. In all of 2014, it aims to open 180 to 195 locations....

3 min read

Scott Clayton

Energy Stocks

Different risks, different rewards for 2 stocks in resource services

PASON SYSTEMS (Toronto symbol PSI; www.pason.com) is trading near all-time highs as it continues to gain from the boom in U.S. shale oil and gas drilling. Pason rents equipment for monitoring and managing oil and gas rigs. It also sells communication technology, such as its satellite system, which companies use to remotely collect data from their drilling operations. Pason serves oil and gas producers and drilling contractors throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Australia....

2 min read

Scott Clayton

investing for beginners stock market profits

ETFs

Resource rebound is key for these 2 South American ETFs

We think most conservative investors could hold up to 10% of their portfolios in foreign stocks. One way to do that is to buy carefully chosen exchange traded funds (ETFs) that have an overseas focus. The best ETFs offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks. Today we examine two international ETFs covered regularly in Canadian Wealth Advisor....

2 min read

Scott Clayton

Energy Stocks

Staying home in U.S. benefits these 2 energy stocks

DEVON ENERGY CORP. (New York symbol DVN; www.dvn.com) is one of the largest U.S.-based oil and natural gas explorers and producers. Its production mix is 57% gas and 43% oil. In 2011, Devon sold all of its international and Gulf of Mexico properties, which it saw as risky and expensive to develop. The company aimed to focus on its North American projects, which include conventional production, Texas shale oil and Alberta oil sands....

2 min read

Scott Clayton

Energy Stocks

Rebounding natural gas prices a plus for 2 high-dividend producers

Natural gas prices are now at $4.72 U.S. per thousand cubic feet, up 159% from their low of $1.82 in April 2012. The best low-risk way to profit in natural gas is to invest in companies that are steadily increasing their production and cash flows. Here are two producers we cover in our newsletter on safety-conscious investing, Canadian Wealth Advisor. Note: ARC Resources has just released its first-quarter results and these will be reviewed in an upcoming issue of Canadian Wealth Advisor....

2 min read

Scott Clayton

Mining Stocks

2 Canadian juniors ramp up production despite lower gold, copper prices

AURICO GOLD (Toronto symbol AUQ; www.auricogold.com) operates the El Chanate gold mine in Mexico, which produced 71,864 ounces in 2013. The company’s Young-Davidson gold mine in Northern Ontario reached full production in 2013, with total output of 120,738 ounces. The project’s output should rise to over 152,000 ounces this year....

2 min read

Scott Clayton