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ENERPLUS CORP. $17.05 (Toronto symbol ERF; Shares outstanding: 200.3 million; Market cap: $3.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.3%) produces an average of 90,037 barrels of oil equivalent a day (54% gas and 46% oil).

The company’s properties are mainly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., North Dakota and Montana, as well as the Marcellus Shale, which passes through Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

In the three months ended June 30, 2013 Enerplus’s cash flow per share rose 37.8%, to $1.02 from $0.74 a year earlier. Production increased 9.6%, oil prices gained 11.6% and gas prices jumped 79.6%.
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ARC RESOURCES $26.49 (Toronto symbol ARX; Shares outstanding: 312.4 million; Market cap: $8.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Dividend yield: 4.5%; www.arcresources.com) produces oil and natural gas in Western Canada. The company’s average daily output of 93,436 barrels of oil equivalent (including gas) is weighted 61% to gas and 39% to oil.

In the three months ended June 30, 2013, cash flow per share rose 14.0%, to $0.65 from $0.57. Production fell slightly, but a 91.6% rise in gas prices more than offset the lower output.

ARC’s long-term debt is $755.0 million, or a low 9.2% of its market cap. It trades at 10.3 times its forecast 2012 cash flow of $2.56 a share.
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ISHARES AUSTRALIA INDEX FUND $25.47 (New York symbol EWA; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that holds the 70 largest Australian stocks. Its MER is 0.50%.

The fund’s top holdings include Commonwealth Bank of Australia, 10.7%; BHP Billiton, 10.6%; Westpac Banking Corp., 9.4%; Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, 7.8%; National Australia Bank, 7.5%; Woolworths, 4.0%; Wesfarmers, 3.8%; CSL Ltd., 2.9%; Rio Tinto, 2.5%; Woodside Petroleum, 2.3%; and Westfield Group, 2.1%.

Australia benefits from its stable banking and political systems. It is also rich in natural resources, and it’s close to key Asian markets with vast potential, including India and China.
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MANITOBA TELECOM $32.55 (Toronto symbol MBT; Shares outstanding: 67.8 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.2%; www.mts.ca) has paid an undisclosed sum for privately held EPIC Information Solutions.

Winnipeg-based EPIC provides computer and networking services to over 700 businesses in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Its expertise will help Manitoba Telecom offer more communication services to its business clients, particularly in the fast-growing field of cloud computing.

EPIC’s existing management and staff will remain with the company, which will operate as a separate, wholly owned subsidiary of Manitoba Telecom.
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IBM $184.96 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $204.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.1%; www.ibm.com) recently paid an undisclosed sum for U.K.-based Daeja Image Systems. This company’s products make it easier to view digital images in hundreds of different computer file formats without first installing the program that created the original image.

This is key for businesses that need to manage huge volumes of information, and access data from multiple devices, such as PCs, tablets and smartphones.

Daeja’s products also help businesses mask sensitive information on computer images, and restrict access to certain files.
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ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $48.89 (New York Exchange symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers) is an exchange traded fund that is designed to track the Brazilian stock market.

Top holdings are Petrobras (oil and gas), 11.8%; Vale do Rio Doce (mining), 9.6%; Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 7.5%; Banco Brandesco preferred, 6.1%; Cia de Bebidas das Americas (beer and beverages), 5.7%; and BRF SA (food), 4.0%.

The ETF was launched on July 10, 2000. It has an expense ratio of 0.62%.
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ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $51.39 (New York Exchange 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 are mainly traded on the Santiago Stock Exchange.

The fund’s top holdings are S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 9.2%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 8.5%; Enersis AS (electricity), 8.3%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 6.7%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 5.9%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 5.5%; LATAM Airlines SA, 5.1%; Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 4.4%; Banco de Chile, 4.2%; and Quimica y Minera de Chile (mining), 3.7%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is: Utilities, 24.4%; Financials, 17.9%; Consumer Staples, 13.3%; Materials, 11.2%; Consumer Discretionary, 10.9%; Energy, 8.5%; Industrials, 8.2%; Telecommunications, 3.0%; and Information Technology, 2.1%.
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ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $28.10 (New York Exchange symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) tracks the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index.

This index aims to replicate 85% of the total 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), 8.9%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 8.7%; BASF (chemicals), 8.0%; Daimler (autos), 6.8%; Allianz (insurance), 6.6%; SAP (software), 6.2%; Deutsche Bank, 4.3%; Deutsche Telekom, 3.7%; and Linde AG (industrial gases), 3.3%.
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ISHARES MSCI SOUTH KOREA INDEX FUND $62.49 (New York Exchange symbol EWY; buy or sell through brokers) is an exchange traded fund that aims to track the MSCI Korea Index.

The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 21.3%; Hyundai Motor Co., 6.2%; Posco (steel), 3.4%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 3.2%; Shinhan Financial, 3.0%; Kia Motors, 2.8%; SK Hynix Semiconductor, 2.5%; Naver Corp. (Internet content), 2.5%; LG Chemical, 2.1%; and KB Financial, 2.2%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Information Technology, 31.4%; Consumer Discretionary, 19.0%; Financials, 14.2%; Industrials, 13.8%; Materials, 10.5%; Consumer Staples, 5.1%; Energy, 2.6%; Utilities, 1.5%; Telecommunication Services, 1.0%; and Health Care, 0.8%.
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ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $41.73 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) is an exchange traded fund that aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Its geographic breakdown includes China, 18.6%; South Korea, 15.7%; Brazil, 11.6%; Taiwan, 11.3%; South Africa, 7.4%; Russia, 6.2%; India, 5.8%; Mexico, 5.2%; Malaysia, 3.7%; and Thailand, 2.5%.

The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.7%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 2.3%; China Mobile, 1.8%; China Construction Bank, 1.5%; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 1.5%; Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.4%; Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), 1.4%; and America Movil (Brazil: wireless), 1.0%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 26.8%; Information Technology, 14.8%; Energy, 11.7%; Materials, 9.8%; Consumer Staples, 8.8%; Consumer Discretionary, 8.8%; Telecommunication Services, 7.6%; and Industrials, 6.4%.
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ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.81 (New York Exchange symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an exchange traded fund that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan index.

The ETF’s top holdings include Toyota, 6.6%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 3.1%; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 2.4%; Softbank Corp., 2.4%; Honda Motor, 2.3%; Mizuho Financial Group, 1.9%; Japan Tobacco, 1.5%; Takeda Pharmaceutical, 1.4%; Canon, 1.3%; and Hitachi, 1.2%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 21.4%; Consumer Discretionary, 21.1%; Industrials, 19.6%; Information Technology, 9.6%; Consumer Staples, 6.3%; Materials, 6.2%; Health Care, 5.9%; Telecommunication Services, 5.1%; Utilities, 2.8%; and Energy, 1.2%.
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ENBRIDGE INC. $42.55 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 825.7 million; Market cap: $35.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 3.0%) invested $23.8 million in 2010 for a 20% interest in the 35-megawatt Neal Hot Springs facility in Oregon, which was then under construction. U.S. Geothermal (New York symbol HTM) owns the other 80%.

The plant, which taps into heat from below the earth’s crust, has now started up.

The renewable energy facility is a small one for pipeline operator Enbridge, which also owns 12 wind farms and four solar plants. But these should help deflect criticism from environmentalists opposed to some of its pipelines, as well as let it steadily diversify into power generation.
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ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $32.50 (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units outstanding: 68.2 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.2%; www.alliedpropertiesreit.com) owns 134 office buildings, mostly in major Canadian cities. These mainly Class I properties contain over 9.5 million square feet of leasable area.

Class I refers to 19th- and early-20th-century light industrial buildings that have been converted to retail space. They usually feature exposed beams, interior brick and hardwood floors.

The trust bought $400 million worth of properties in 2012. In the first half of 2013, it added a further $170.2 million worth. Allied has a 92.0% occupancy rate.
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RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $24.19 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 300.7 million; Market cap: $7.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.8%; www.riocan.com) is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT), with interests in 348 shopping malls containing over 83 million square feet of leasable area. That total includes 50 U.S. malls with over 13.7 million square feet.

Earlier this year, RioCan ended its joint venture with Retail Properties of America (New York symbol RPAI). As a result, RioCan now holds 100% of eight malls in Texas, including the dominant shopping centres in Austin and San Antonio.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2013, RioCan’s revenue rose 9.7%, to $272 million from $248 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit increased 8.1%, to $0.40 from $0.37. The units yield 5.8%.
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LOBLAW COS. $45.67 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 282.1 million; Market cap: $12.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.1%; www.loblaw.ca) has transferred the bulk of its real estate holdings to a new, publicly traded real estate investment trust called Choice Properties REIT, $10.10, Toronto symbol CHP.UN.

Loblaw sold a 16.9% interest in the REIT to the public in July 2013 as a new issue at $10. It kept 83.1% of Choice Properties’ units.

Choice owns 425 properties, including 415 supermarkets and shopping centres, nine warehouses and one office building. Ontario accounts for 43.2% of its earnings, followed by Quebec (17.8%), Alberta (13.1%), B.C. (7.7%), Saskatchewan (5.1%), Nova Scotia (4.6%), New Brunswick (3.9%), Manitoba (2.5%), Newfoundland (1.7%) and P.E.I. (0.4%).
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BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $59.16 (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $71.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Div. yield: 4.2%, www.scotiabank.com) is the third-largest of Canada’s five big banks, with assets of $742.6 billion.

In its fiscal 2013 third quarter, which ended July 31, 2013, the bank earned $1.30 a share, up 12.1% from $1.16 a year earlier.

Higher loan demand and an increase in deposits pushed up the Canadian banking division’s earnings by 13.2%. That includes the contribution from ING Direct, which Bank of Nova Scotia bought for $3.1 billion late last year. ING Direct offers a wide variety of no-fee banking services, mainly over the Internet. It has 1.8 million customers and $30 billion of deposits.
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WYNDHAM WORLDWIDE (New York symbol WYN; www.wyndhamworldwide.com) is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, with 7,440 franchised hotels worldwide. Its business originated with the Howard Johnson and Ramada chains which opened their first hotels in 1954. The company subsequently added such well-known brands as Days Inn, Super 8, Knights Inn and Travelodge hotels....

Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice about buying stocks as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. 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. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle....

Natural gas prices are now at $3.58 U.S. per thousand cubic feet. That’s down from their high of almost $4.40 in April 2013 but well above the low of $1.82 in April 2012. Here are two high-yielding producers that we follow on behalf of the readers of Canadian Wealth Advisor....

TEMPUR SEALY (New York symbol TPX; www.tempursealy.com) is the world’s largest bedding provider. The company completed its $1.3-billion purchase of rival Sealy in March 2013. In May the company announced that shareholders had approved a change in its name, from Tempur-Pedic to Tempur Sealy....

HOME CAPITAL GROUP INC. (Toronto symbol HCG; www.homecapital.com) gets 90% of its revenue by making residential mortgage loans to borrowers who don’t meet the stricter standards of larger, traditional lenders, like banks. These clients include recent immigrants with limited credit histories, and self-employed individuals....

Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice on stocks as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. 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. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle....

ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST (Toronto symbol AP.UN; www.alliedpropertiesreit.com) owns 134 office buildings, mostly in major Canadian cities. These mainly Class I properties contain over 9.5 million square feet of leasable area....

PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V. ADRs $33 (New York symbol PHG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 913.9 million; Market cap: $30.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.philips.com) gets 43% of its revenue by making health care products, such as X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. It also makes lighting (37% of revenue) and consumer electronics, such as appliances (20%).

In the quarter ended June 30, 2013, revenue rose 1.5%, to 5.65 billion euros from 5.57 billion euros a year earlier (1 euro = $1.40 Canadian). Philips earned 317 million euros, or 0.35 euros per ADR (each American Depositary Receipt represents one Philips common share). That’s up sharply from 102 million euros, or 0.11 euros per ADR, a year ago.

If you exclude restructuring costs and other unusual items, gross profits as a percentage of revenue improved to 9.4% from 7.3%.
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