index etf

The Bank of Canada increased its benchmark interest rate in July 2018 from 1.25% to 1.50%. That rate could rise further later this year on stronger economic growth and low unemployment. Inflation has also moved up steadily, sitting at 3.0% in July 2018.


We continue to caution against investing in bonds....

An investment mania usually begins as a mass attraction to a specific investment, or investment area. It often ends up including a range of investments that bear only a passing resemblance to the original investment area.


The mania for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies over the last couple of years—which we think will end badly for most investors—is grounded in several factors....

For most investors, we still think large-cap companies, or the ETFs that hold them, should form the core of their stock portfolios. However, while a lot of investors look to add a few small companies with high growth potential, many overlook medium-sized companies, or “mid caps"—regardless of their profitability and prospects....

The six ETFs we update below mainly hold high-quality stocks that are widely traded on Canadian and U.S. exchanges. Each fund tracks the performance of a major stock market index. That’s different from ETFs focused on narrower indexes or themes such as cryptocurrencies or biotechnology.


Of course, you pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell these investments....

The Bank of Canada increased its benchmark interest rate in January 2018 from 1.00% to 1.25%. That rate could rise further later this year on stronger economic growth and low unemployment. Inflation has also moved up, sitting at 2.3% in March 2018.


We continue to caution against investing in bonds....

An investment mania usually begins as a mass attraction to a specific investment, or investment area. It often ends up including a range of investments that bear only a passing resemblance to the original investment area.


The recent mania for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies—which we think will end badly for most investors—is grounded in several factors....

Most Canadian investors focus on stocks traded in this country and the U.S. That “home country bias” reflects their preference for familiar company names, but also the regulatory protections of Canadian and U.S. stock markets. However, we continue to recommend foreign holdings of as much as 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio.

Investors that are prepared to broaden their horizons can expect to encounter great opportunities to enhance their portfolio returns and lower their risks....

These two ETFs scored well at the annual Thomson Reuters Lipper Fund Awards. That reflects their performance over the last three years, along with their scores in other key areas.

However, we continue to recommend investors limit their ETF selection to funds that track established indexes and steer clear of niche approaches such as relying on active management, sector rotation or other trading strategies....

Africa’s fifth largest nation by population, South Africa is the continent’s third biggest economy by gross domestic product. But weak commodity prices have slowed its economic growth and the controversial leadership of former president Jacob Zuma has zapped business confidence....

Almost half of the world’s stocks trade on exchanges outside of North America, where the economic and political climate can increase risk. However, even in developed countries with stable markets, price-to-earnings ratios are generally more attractive than they are in the U.S....