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THOMSON REUTERS INC. $50 (www.thomsonreuters.com) plans to sell its intellectual property and science information businesses. It would probably apply the expected proceeds of $3 billion—equal to 8% of its $38.2-billion market cap—on share repurchases. Buy.

A well-diversified stock portfolio should be tailored to your personal investment goals and temperament.

High U.S. dollar zips sales, earnings for Xylem Inc., but global trends should protect long-term demand

Conservative investors have many opportunities to profit from aggressive investments. Here are some tips.

Strong cash flow for Tupperware Brands Corp. should protect its dividend yield despite lower revenue because of unfavourable exchange rates.

BCE Inc. continues to grow revenue, earnings, dividends by investing in networks and keeping long-term debt manageable.

Gold mining stocks are the best investments for investors looking to hold gold in their portfolios.

The Global X Social Media ETF offers low-MER, easy access to social media stocks like Yahoo!, but too many are overvalued and speculative.

Penny stock investing is for gamblers. We think you are better off using these alternative financial planning tips to prepare for the long haul.

Dun & Bradstreet Corp. boosted its dividend for the tenth year in a row after selling some operations and buying back a former holding.

Energy sector stocks can round out any well balanced portfolio—and there is a crucial role they can play

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $57.75 (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $69.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.0%, www.scotiabank.com) is the third-largest of Canada’s five big banks. In the three months ended January 31, 2016, the bank earned $1.81 billion. That is up 5.1% from $1.73 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share increased 5.9%, to $1.44 from $1.36, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose 8.6%, to $6.4 billion from $5.9 billion. Earnings at the Canadian banking division (50% of the total) rose 7.4%, mostly due to higher fee income and steady loan and deposit growth. The international division (30% of earnings) reported 21.0% higher profits, thanks to strong loan, deposit and fee growth in Latin America. However, earnings at the securities-trading division (20%) fell 9.4% on lower earnings at its U.S. investment-banking operations....

BCE INC. $57.77 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 865.4 million; Market cap: $50.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.7%; www.bce.ca) continues to benefit from strong demand for its wireless, high-speed Internet and Fibe TV services. That’s offsetting weaker revenue from traditional telephone services. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, the company’s revenue rose 1.4%, to $5.60 billion from $5.53 billion. Per-share profits were unchanged at $0.72. During the quarter, the company added 91,308 wireless subscribers under long-term contracts. That’s down from 118,120 a year earlier, mainly due to strong competition over the winter holiday. However, smartphone users now account for 78% of these customers, up from 76% a year earlier. That’s good news, as smartphones generate higher monthly fees than regular cellphones....

BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE ENERGY PARTNERS L.P. $37.27 (Toronto symbol BEP.UN; Units outstanding: 265.2 million; Market cap: $10.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.6%; www.brookfieldrenewable.com) owns 207 hydroelectric generating stations, 37 wind farms and five natural gas-fired plants. In all, it has over 7,284 megawatts of generating capacity. Roughly 24% of that capacity is in Canada, with another 50% in the U.S., 13% in Latin America and 8% in Europe. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Brookfield’s cash flow per share rose 2.2%, to $0.46 from $0.45 a year earlier....

INNERGEX RENEWABLE ENERGY $12.84 (Toronto symbol INE; Shares outstanding: 103.9 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield 5.0%; www.innergex.com) operates 27 hydroelectric plants, six wind farms and one solar power facility in Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and Idaho. The company gets 77% of its power from hydroelectric plants, 22% from wind and 1% from solar. In contrast to Brookfield, Innergex is growing slowly, mostly by building its own hydroelectric and wind facilities, rather than through acquisitions. Right now, the company has four projects under construction. But like Brookfield, Innergex makes sure it has firm long-term power-purchase contracts in place before it starts building new plants....

ENBRIDGE INC. $46.75 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 867.6 million; Market cap: $40.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 4.5%; www.enbridge.com) has agreed to sell 56.6 million common shares at $40.70 a share to several major brokerage firms to raise $2.3 billion. Enbridge will put that cash toward $18.2 billion in spending on new pipelines, wind farms and other projects between 2016 and 2019. The company has already secured shipping commitments from oil producers and other clients. That should cut the risk for these new projects. The extra cash flow from the new operations will allow Enbridge to increase its dividend by 10% to 12% a year through 2019; the current annual rate of $2.12 a share yields 4.5%. However, the stock is somewhat expensive at 21.0 times its projected 2016 earnings of $2.23 a share....

IBM $136.30 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 970.1 million; Market cap: $130.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.ibm.com) will buy Truven Health Analytics, a private firm that provides hospitals and pharmaceutical companies with analytic data services. Truven will become part of IBM’s Watson Health business. It uses advanced artificialintelligence technology to process and analyze large volumes of data, including patient records, drug information and insurance claims. That helps hospitals and clinics reduce errors and cut their costs. IBM will pay $2.6 billion for Truven when it completes the purchase later this year....

PENGROWTH ENERGY $1.18 (Toronto symbol PGF; Shares outstanding: 543.0 million; Market cap: $564.8 million; TSINetwork Rating: Average; No dividends paid; www.pengrowth.com) produces oil and natural gas, mostly in Western Canada. This includes its Lindbergh oil sands project in Alberta. Pengrowth has suspended its $0.01-a-share quarterly dividend in response to the sharp decline in oil prices. It will also reduce its capital spending to between $60 million to $70 million in 2016, from $184 million in 2015. The company also laid off workers. That should save it $25 million in 2016. In addition, Pengrowth aims to sell $600 million of less important properties. These funds will probably go toward paying down its $2.1 billion debt. That’s now 3.7 times its depressed market cap....

ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $31.82 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The fund’s geographic breakdown includes China, 24.0%; South Korea, 15.3%; Taiwan, 12.8%; India, 8.0%; South Africa, 6.4%; Brazil, 5.7%; Mexico, 4.6%; Russia, 3.7%; Malaysia, 3.5%; Indonesia, 3.0%; Thailand, 2.3%; and Turkey, 1.5%. Its top holdings are Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.8%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 3.4%; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 2.9%; China Mobile, 2.0%; China Construction Bank, 1.5%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet), 1.5%; Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.1%; and Hon Hai Precision (Taiwan), 1.0%....

ISHARES MSCI SOUTH KOREA INDEX FUND $48.28 (New York symbol EWY; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Korea Index. The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 21.2%; Hyundai Motor, 3.7%; SK Hynix Semiconductor, 2.9%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 2.8%; Shinhan Financial, 2.7%; Naver (Internet), 2.6%; Korea Electric Power, 2.5%; LG Chemicals, 2.3%; Posco (steel), 2.2%; Kia Motors, 2.0%; AmorePacific Corp. (cosmetics), 2.0%; KT&G Corp. (tobacco), 1.9%; KB Financial, 1.9%; and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, 1.7%. The iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund was launched on May 9, 2000. Its expense ratio is 0.64%....

ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $24.22 (New York symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) tracks the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index. This index aims to replicate 85% of the market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership. The ETF’s top holdings are Bayer (diversified chemicals), 8.8%; SAP (software), 7.5%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 7.4%; Allianz (insurance), 6.8%; Daimler (automobiles), 7.3%; BASF (chemicals), 6.1%; Deutsche Telekom, 5.4%; Munich Reinsurance, 3.3%; BMW AG, 2.7%; Linde AG (industrial gases), 2.6%; Fresenius (health care), 2.6%; Deutsche Bank AG, 2.4%; and Deutsche Post AG, 2.3%....

ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $34.42 (New York symbol ECH; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index, which consists of stocks that mainly trade on the Santiago Stock Exchange. The fund’s largest holdings are Enersis SA (electricity), 10.3%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 9.0%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 7.9%; S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 6.5%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 5.8%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 5.8%; Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 4.7%; Colbun SA (utility), 4.6%; and Banco de Chile, 4.3%. The ETF’s industry breakdown consists of Utilities, 31.9%; Financials, 19.5%; Materials, 13.0%; Consumer Staples, 9.7%; Energy, 8.2%; Consumer Discretionary, 8.0%; Industrials, 4.4%; Telecommunication services, 2.5%; and Information Technology, 2.1%....

ISHARES MSCI AUSTRALIA ETF $18.36 (New York symbol EWA; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that holds the 73 largest Australian stocks. The fund’s top holdings include Commonwealth Bank of Australia, 11.2%; Westpac Banking Corp., 8.8%; National Australia Bank, 6.0%; Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, 6.0%; BHP Billiton, 4.7%; CSL Ltd., 4.4%; Wesfarmers, 4.2%; Woolworths Ltd., 2.6%; Scentre Group, 2.2%; and Transurban Group, 2.1%. The ETF’s industry breakdown consists of Financials, 54.8%; Materials, 12.1%; Consumer Staples, 7.7%; Health Care, 6.5%; Industrials, 6.1%; Energy, 4.7%; Utilities, 2.6%; Consumer Discretionary, 2.4%; and Telecommunications, 2.3%....

ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $22.11 (New York symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that’s designed to track the Brazilian stock market. Its top holdings are AmBev SA (beer and beverages), 10.8%; Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 10.0%; Banco Brandesco SA, 7.1%; Petrobras (oil and gas), 5.3%; BRF SA (food), 4.3%; Cielo SA (payment processing), 3.6%; Ultrapar SA (gas distribution and petrochemicals), 3.1%; and Itausa Investimentos SA (financial services), 2.9%. iShares launched the ETF on July 10, 2000. It has a 0.64% expense ratio....

MARKET VECTORS VIETNAM ETF $14.25 (New York symbol VNM; buy or sell through brokers) holds Vietnamese companies and foreign firms that get a significant amount of their revenue from Vietnam. The ETF’s top holdings are Vincom Corp. (real estate), 7.8%; Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 7.5%; Masan Group (a food, resources and banking conglomerate), 6.5%; Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank, 6.3%; and Baoviet Holdings (insurance), 6.1%. The ETF cuts risk by investing part of its assets in firms that are based outside of Vietnam but still do business there. That’s a better approach than adding thinly traded or illiquid shares of smaller Vietnamese firms....