investment

We continue to recommend investors spread their money across most if not all of the five main economic sectors—Manufacturing & Industry, Resources & Commodities, Consumer, Finance and Utilities.

Some investors are reluctant to commit funds to Resources stocks right now, due to uncertainty about the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy....

The U.S. Federal Reserve recently announced that it is, under certain conditions, prepared to let inflation run well above its long-established target of 2%. The decision implies that U.S. interest rates will remain low. And, in fact, a recent survey of Fed officials showed the group expects rates to remain at or near zero through 2023.


Most of the other major central banks, including the Bank of Canada, plan to keep interest rates low for a long time even if inflation starts to rise....

Diversification is a key way to reduce portfolio risk and volatility, but there are other strategies aimed at cutting portfolio risk and volatility. Those other methods include moving investments into risky assets at regular intervals and buying stocks gradually over time....

Some ETF managers were quick to establish ETFs that benefit from changes in consumer behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a look at two of them:


The DIREXION WORK FROM HOME ETF $56.36 (New York symbol WFH) aims to provide investors with diversified exposure to firms involved in cloud technologies, cybersecurity, online project coordination, document management, and remote communications.


These companies can be located anywhere in the world, but over 90% of the portfolio is currently invested in U.S....

The Canadian economy ranks among the top 10 globally and has performed better than most of its large, developed peers over the past decade. The country is also among the top 15 most-competitive economies in the world; to date, it has fared relatively well at containing the COVID-19 pandemic....

RioCan’s units have suffered as COVID-19 prompts more consumers to shop online instead of at its malls. However, most of its tenants provide essential products and services. That strengthens the reliability of their rental payments and will let RioCan maintain its current distribution rate.


RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $14 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 317.7 million; Market cap: $4.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 10.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) owns 221 shopping centres and other properties across Canada, including 15 projects under development....

Canada’s Big Five banks continue to set aside large amounts for any rise in loan losses because of COVID-19’s economic impact. Regulators have also ordered the banks to freeze their dividends to preserve capital.


However, most borrowers continue to pay their loans on time....

Recently a friend asked, “Any ideas re how I can get smarter about SPACs in Canada and how they vary from the U.S. versions?”

My short answer(s): “No and no.” In fact, I can’t imagine a situation where I’d buy or recommend a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company), U.S....

Best retirement advisor tips for maximizing your savings, including the use of an RRSP

A robo-advisory may be better than a bad broker, but there are still downfalls