canadian

Physical gold and silver have been stellar performers over the past two decades—including beating the S&P 500—and with gold hitting an all-time high in February 2025.


Here we look at four ETFs that aim to benefit from the long-term positive trends in precious metals (see the supplement on page 40 for more information).


SPROTT PHYSICAL GOLD AND SILVER TRUST $39.07 (Toronto symbol CEF; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $7.8 billion) invests in physical gold and silver bullion held in the vaults of the Royal Canadian Mint....

Bridgemarq Real Estate Services Inc. offers a very high yield in the volatile Canadian housing market as it continues growing revenues.

Retaliatory tariffs by Canada would push up the prices of U.S.-made products. However, they would likely have little impact on these two supermarket operators, as consumers would probably switch to Canadian-made products, including their popular private-label brands.


LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD....

Shopping mall operator RioCan REIT cut its monthly distribution by 33.3% in February 2021 as retailers shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the restrictions eased, the trust has resumed annual distribution increases. Investors should also benefit from RioCan’s high-quality tenants and rising cash flow.


RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $19 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 300.5 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.5; Distribution yield: 6.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 178 shopping centres and mixed-use properties with a net leasable area of 32.2 million square feet....

Utility stocks like Fortis (see page 31) remain solid choices for investors looking to lower tariff-related risk.


Here are three more utilities that we feel are excellent choices for most portfolios. All of them are expanding their rate-regulated businesses, which will help them profit from increasing demand for electricity to power EVs and AI datacentres....

CANADIAN TIRE CORP., $146.20, Toronto symbol CTC.A, is a buy.

The company operates 502 Canadian Tire stores, which sell automotive parts and services, and household and sporting goods; franchisees run most of the locations. The company’s other operations also enrich its outlook....

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, $165.38, Toronto symbol RY, is a buy.

With the February 2025 payment, Royal raised your quarterly dividend by 2.9%. Investors will then receive $1.48 a share instead of $1.42. The new annual rate of $5.92 yields 3.6%.

The bank continues to benefit from its March 2024 purchase of the Canadian operations of U.K.-based HSBC Holdings plc (New York symbol HSBC) for $15.5 billion.

HSBC operates 130 branches that mainly cater to businesses in industries that trade and bank internationally....

NEWMONT CORP., $43.85, remains a buy for long-term growth and as a hedge against inflation. The company (New York symbol NEM; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $48.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 2.3%; www.newmont.com) reports that in 2024, gold accounted for 84% of its revenue, followed by copper (7%), silver (4%), zinc (3%) and lead (2%)....

Loblaw and Imperial Oil are leading competitors in their respective markets; look for that to cut your ongoing risk. We see both as attractive buys.


LOBLAW COMPANIES, $187.43, is a buy. The retailer (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 301.0 million; Market cap: $56.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.1%; www.loblaw.ca) operates 1,131 supermarkets under several banners, including Loblaws, Zehrs, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills....

TD BANK, $84.99, is a buy for patient income-seeking investors. The lender (Toronto symbol TD; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $153.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.9%; www.td.com) now plans to sell its entire 10.1% stake in Charles Schwab Corp....