investment

These two retail-focused REITs continue to benefit as many of their tenants remained open despite COVID-19 shutdowns. Those steady cash flows continue to support their distributions.


CHOICE PROPERTIES REIT $15 is a top pick for 2021. Canada’s biggest REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 723.1 million; Market cap: $10.8 billion; Distribution yield: 4.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.choicereit.ca) creates value for investors through its 717 retail, industrial, office space, and residential properties....

Intel, unlike rivals Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia, prefers to make its own computer chips instead of outsourcing its designs to other manufacturers. In fact, new CEO Pat Gelsinger recently announced a new strategy under which Intel will increase its ability to make chips for other companies....

Some experts say that today’s flood of government deficit spending is bound to push up interest rates, inflation or both. They say this rise is inevitable, and will have the predictable effect of dragging down the stock market. It’s easy to find historical examples that support this line of thought.

Many of these same experts are also worried about the rise in prices of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies....

While activist investors have a spotty record of success, it’s still worth keeping an eye on them given their focus on finding hidden value. Here are two companies now being targeted by activists. That should benefit all investors. Still, we see just one of the picks as right for your new buying.


CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO....

The Covid-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated the importance of healthcare services. But meantime, the demand for healthcare products and services has been growing for decades.


The aging of the population


A combination of declining fertility rates and increasing life expectancy is resulting in a rapidly aging global population, mainly in the developed world but also increasingly in the developing world.


According to the latest UN World Population Prospects report, by 2050, 16% of the world’s population will be over age 65, up from 9% in 2019....

Exchange-traded funds are well suited to index-tracking investment strategies. And compared to mutual funds, they generally offer investors much lower fees and higher liquidity.


It is therefore not surprising that the total amount of assets held in index ETFs globally are rapidly catching up with index-tracking mutual funds....

The current supply shortfall in the global semiconductor industry is creating major problems for many manufacturers of vehicles, computers, and other connected devices. While the imbalance will resolve itself as the supply chains return to normal and demand stabilizes, the longer-term demand trend for computer chips remains strong....

For most investors, Canada’s Big Five banks account for most of their exposure to the Finance sectors. Even so, we continue to recommend investors add more specialized firms, such as the three we analyze below, to balance their risk. However, not all of them are suitable for new buying.


GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC....

A: Globalstar Inc., $2.54, symbol GSAT on New York (Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $3.7 billion; www.globalstar.com), provides mobile satellite services including voice and data communications via satellite....

A: BlackRock Inc., $921.04, symbol BLK on New York (Shares outstanding: 152.2 million; Market cap: $140.8 billion; www.blackrock.com), is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms.

The company manages $9.5 trillion of assets on behalf of institutions and individuals through a variety of equity, fixed-income, cash-management, alternative-investment and advisory products.

BlackRock’s global ETF (exchange-traded fund) and stock-index investing business accounts for 63% of its overall assets under management (AUM)....