commodity

Most experienced investors understand the idea that “A rising stock market climbs a wall of worry”, because they’ve seen it happen many times. Worrisome news items and developments come along in an irregular pattern. Many are serious enough to raise worries about how they will impact the stock market....

Companies involved in the production of carbon-based energy have generally underperformed for investors over the past several years (see table at right).


Volatile commodity prices are nothing new to the industry, with both oil and natural gas prices now at about half the highs reached in mid-2014....

The year started with a bang as market volatility spiked. The killing of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani by U.S. forces, the rocket attack on a U.S. military camp in Iraq, the signing of a Phase 1 trade deal between the U.S. and China, and the rapid spread of a coronavirus originating from China’s Wuhan all contributed to the increase in volatility.


The Chinese stock market, commodity producers, shipping companies, airlines, and luxury goods sellers all came under heavy pressure as investors started to factor in the negative impact on companies affected by the virus outbreak in China....

Investors in Chile have benefited from the success of Latin America’s best-performing economy for the past two decades. During this time of rapid expansion, poverty levels fell (while consumer spending rose) and healthcare and education improved substantially....

We continue to assess the merits of ETFs that have underperformed for investors over the past 3 years: Below we give you a snapshot of funds focused on global energy stocks, copper miners and U.S. telecoms. Each faces industry pressures that impact your returns....

Here are short answers to a couple of issues you may have wondered about lately.

This economic statistic deserves a closer look.

We look at lots of economic statistics, but rarely find any worth talking about. Most stats represent random fluctuations in economic data, without revealing any meaningful shift in economic trends.

However, last Friday’s release of U.S....

Our key ETF definitions will help you better understand ETF investing

The best Canadian gold companies will generate positive cash flow even with low gold prices

We think foreign stocks can safely make up 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio. One way is through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus.


The best of those ETFs charge you very low management fees yet offer you well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks.


Here’s a look at four international ETFs we see as well- suited for new buying and two others your portfolio will continue to benefit from holding.


ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS ETF $43.93, is a buy for aggressive investors. The fund (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) is designed to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index; it gives you access to some of the world’s fastest growing markets.


The ETF’s geographic breakdown is as follows: China, 34.2%; South Korea, 11.7%; Taiwan, 11.5%; India, 9.0%; Brazil, 7.3%; South Africa, 4.6%; Russia, 4.0%; Saudi Arabia, 2.6%; Mexico, 2.5%; Thailand, 2.4%; Indonesia, 2.0%; and Malaysia, 1.8%.


Your biggest stock exposure through the fund is Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 5.9% of assets; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 4.6%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 4.3%; Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.8%; China Construction Bank, 1.2%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet), 1.2%; Ping An Insurance Group (China), 1.1%; Reliance Industries (India: conglomerate), 1.0%; Housing Development Finance Corp....

To find the best metal to invest in, consider your temperament and how you might profit from an array of metals, including copper or gold