canadian

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $21.84, is a buy for safety-conscious investors. The stock (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares o/s: 734.1 million; Market cap: $16.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 4.0%; www.imperialoil.ca) lets you tap Canada’s third-largest publicly traded oil producer, after Suncor (No....

CP Rail is well positioned to weather any COVID-19-related slowdowns or disruptions to its shipping markets. As is Great-West Lifeco, which remains an insurance leader. Note, however, that investor worries about low interest rates and the coronavirus will weigh on Great-West’s investment portfolio and its outlook.


CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $345.32, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CP; shares outstanding: 135.6 million; Market cap: $46.8 billion; Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.0%) operates a 22,000-kilometre rail network between Montreal and Vancouver....

The major Canadian and U.S. stock markets have moved back up since their initial COVID-19 drop. Still, they have yet to regain their 2020 highs. Nonetheless, we think the worst is over for many stocks. We see ETFs as one way for you to profit from that recovery, while cutting your risk.


The best of these funds offer a diversifed group of stocks while charging you low management fees....

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $14.93, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets you tap all 21 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index. Investors pay a MER of 0.61%, and the REIT fund gives you a high 6.3% yield.


The ETF’s...

The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.25% from 1.75% in March. The move was meant to spur the economy after COVID-19 hit. Whether the bank holds that rate steady, or cuts it even further, depends on the country’s economic growth and unemployment levels.


Meanwhile, even for our conservative investors, we caution against investing in bonds....

NortonLifeLock is the new name for Symantec—one of our long-time tech stock favourites. The company changed its name following the sale late last year of its corporate cybersecurity business.

Brokers and traders are inclined to say that the asset sale gives the company’s investors exposure to the leading “pure-play” provider of consumer cybersecurity and identity-protection software....

Diversification, RRSPs/RRIFs, and compounding are important topics for investors looking forward to retiring in Canada.

Canadian Utilities and its parent company ATCO offer investors two ways to profit from the same high-quality assets. In fact, both stocks now pay the same dividend per share. However, income seekers should stick with Canadian Utilities. It’s focus on regulated businesses cuts its risk....

A: The Desjardins Alt Long/Short Equity Market Neutral ETF, $21.15, symbol DANC on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 11.9 million; Market cap: $251.7 million; www.fondesjardins.com), holds a portfolio that consists primarily of pairs of Canadian stocks in the same sector, one of which is a long position and the other a short.

For instance, the ETF recently held a 1% long position in the pipeline utility Enbridge Inc., offset by a similarly sized short position in Pembina Pipeline.

This strategy is aimed at neutralizing market exposure by being long and short in the exact amounts in the same sector when possible....

Your best portfolio pick will almost always come from a high-quality stock with a history of paying dividends