investment
An investment is an asset or property acquired to generate income or gain appreciation. Appreciation is the increase in the value of an asset over time. It requires the outlay of a resource today, like time, effort, and money, for a greater payoff in the future or for generating a profit.
An investment involves using capital in the present to increase an asset’s value over time.
Investments may include bonds, stocks, real estate, or alternative investments.
Investments can be diversified to reduce risk, though this may reduce the amount of earning potential.
In business contexts, investments are financial; however, consider how some people spend time to make higher incomes in the future (i.e. invest in a college education).
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Birchcliff Energy will cut spending on oil exploration and development by 45% to protect cash flow in this down market
In the early 1970s, word began circulating in Toronto about a local character who had begun appearing in the Toronto subway system, belting out Elvis Presley songs without any instrumental accompaniment. Early on, somebody christened him “Subway Elvis,” and the name stuck. It was several years before I learned his real name, Mike McTaggart. By then, he had graduated to paid engagements in Toronto bars and clubs. Subway Elvis developed a following, but nobody expected him to equal the experience you’d get from a performance by the real Elvis. Some performers can fill a local tavern, and others can fill a sports stadium. The fans know the difference. Elvis-level success is a unique phenomenon. Of course, that’s true of any significant achievement. Your identical twin could not duplicate your success, even with a lifetime of trying. The raw material needed for achievement goes far beyond genetics. It also demands determination, the right mindset, and a great deal of favourable circumstances—being in the right place at the right time to learn what you need to learn and meet the people you need to meet....
The Direxion iBillionaire Index ETF, $21.51, symbol IBLN on New York (Units outstanding: 1.4 million; Market cap: $30.1 million; www.direxioninvestments.com), is designed to profit from copying the moves of billionaire investors such as Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn, Daniel Loeb and David Tepper.
The ETF began trading on August 1, 2014. Its MER is 0.65%—lower than most mutual funds, but high for an ETF.
The Direxion iBillionaire Index ETF selects up to 10 billionaire investors from a pool of 50, based on their personal net worth, source of wealth, stock turnover and performance over time. It then selects stocks from their investment firms or hedge funds.
Each of the companies in the index is equally weighted (3.33% each) and rebalanced quarterly. That’s because the ETF’s managers aim to ensure that each stock’s contribution to the fund’s performance is identical.
The fund’s managers select stocks by looking at Form 13F, a publicly available document that institutions, such as banks, hedge funds and investment firms, must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Form 13F discloses long positions, or stocks held with the intention of profiting if their prices go up.
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The ETF began trading on August 1, 2014. Its MER is 0.65%—lower than most mutual funds, but high for an ETF.
The Direxion iBillionaire Index ETF selects up to 10 billionaire investors from a pool of 50, based on their personal net worth, source of wealth, stock turnover and performance over time. It then selects stocks from their investment firms or hedge funds.
Each of the companies in the index is equally weighted (3.33% each) and rebalanced quarterly. That’s because the ETF’s managers aim to ensure that each stock’s contribution to the fund’s performance is identical.
The fund’s managers select stocks by looking at Form 13F, a publicly available document that institutions, such as banks, hedge funds and investment firms, must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Form 13F discloses long positions, or stocks held with the intention of profiting if their prices go up.
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Dream Global REIT (formerly Dundee International REIT), $7.65, symbol DRG.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 113.0 million; Market cap: $885.0 million; www.dream.ca/global), is a Canadian real estate investment trust that focuses on investing outside the country. It aims to grow by acquiring different types of properties in certain European countries, starting with Germany.
The REIT first sold units to the public in August 2011. Initially, it sold 27 million units for $10 each to raise $270 million. It raised a further $140 million in an issue of debentures.
The trust used the total proceeds of $410 million to help buy a $1-billion portfolio of properties in Germany from Deutsche Post, Europe’s largest postal company. These buildings are located in major cities and towns, often on a central square near the main train or bus station. Deutsche Post now leases back much of the space.
In the first nine months of 2015, Dream Global sold a 50% stake in eight properties to a joint venture partner. It also sold 100% of 54 other properties.
As of September 30, 2015, it owned 214 commercial properties that contain a total of 13.2 million square feet, all in Germany. These buildings had an 86.8% occupancy rate.
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The REIT first sold units to the public in August 2011. Initially, it sold 27 million units for $10 each to raise $270 million. It raised a further $140 million in an issue of debentures.
The trust used the total proceeds of $410 million to help buy a $1-billion portfolio of properties in Germany from Deutsche Post, Europe’s largest postal company. These buildings are located in major cities and towns, often on a central square near the main train or bus station. Deutsche Post now leases back much of the space.
In the first nine months of 2015, Dream Global sold a 50% stake in eight properties to a joint venture partner. It also sold 100% of 54 other properties.
As of September 30, 2015, it owned 214 commercial properties that contain a total of 13.2 million square feet, all in Germany. These buildings had an 86.8% occupancy rate.
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Fission Uranium, $0.66, symbol FCU on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 483.9 million; Market cap: $338.8 million; www.fissionuranium.net), is focused on its Patterson Lake South uranium discovery just south of Saskatchewan’s Athabasca basin.
Fission aims to build a profitable mine on the property, which it believes holds one of the world’s largest uranium deposits. It is now investing $7 million in a winter drilling program at Patterson to prepare a prefeasibility study on the economics of building the mine.
Last year, Fission rejected a $483-million merger with Denison Mines, symbol DML on Toronto. However, in December 2015, China’s state-owned CGN Mining bought 97 million Fission shares at $0.85 per share, giving it a 19.99% stake. CGN and Fission also plan to finalize an agreement for CGN Mining to buy all uranium production from Patterson if a mine is built.
The arrangement stays within Canadian foreign investment restrictions on strategic resources; Foreign companies are only barred from owning more than a 49% share in any producing uranium mine.
Anti-nuclear sentiment remains high following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that released radiation at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan. This sentiment has curtailed plans for some new nuclear plants, especially in the U.S. However, regulators in that country are moving toward loosening regulations on nuclear plants. That could eventually revive nuclear plant construction in the U.S.—and uranium demand. But this nuclear revival, if it comes at all, will be a slow process.
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Fission aims to build a profitable mine on the property, which it believes holds one of the world’s largest uranium deposits. It is now investing $7 million in a winter drilling program at Patterson to prepare a prefeasibility study on the economics of building the mine.
Last year, Fission rejected a $483-million merger with Denison Mines, symbol DML on Toronto. However, in December 2015, China’s state-owned CGN Mining bought 97 million Fission shares at $0.85 per share, giving it a 19.99% stake. CGN and Fission also plan to finalize an agreement for CGN Mining to buy all uranium production from Patterson if a mine is built.
The arrangement stays within Canadian foreign investment restrictions on strategic resources; Foreign companies are only barred from owning more than a 49% share in any producing uranium mine.
Anti-nuclear sentiment remains high following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that released radiation at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan. This sentiment has curtailed plans for some new nuclear plants, especially in the U.S. However, regulators in that country are moving toward loosening regulations on nuclear plants. That could eventually revive nuclear plant construction in the U.S.—and uranium demand. But this nuclear revival, if it comes at all, will be a slow process.
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Asset allocation funds aim to improve returns and/or reduce risk by switching back and forth among stocks, bonds and cash. We think they are likely to hurt your portfolio returns rather than enhance them.
WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $16.29, symbol WJA on Toronto, reported lower revenue and profits in the latest quarter. Weakness in the Alberta market offset the benefit of 25% lower fuel prices. Fuel typically accounts for a third of the airline’s operating expenses. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, WestJet’s revenue fell 3.6%, to $958.7 million from $994.4 million a year earlier. Earnings fell 30.1%, to $63.4 million, or $0.51 a share. A year earlier, they were $90.7 million, or $0.71 a share. Aside from the revenue drop, higher costs, including maintenance and salaries, contributed to the earnings decline. The latest quarter also included a pre-tax foreign exchange loss of $10.0 million. Since the end of the quarter, though, the company’s load factor has improved—it rose to 80.1% in January 2016 from 79.5% in January 2015. (Load factor is the percentage of seats occupied by paying passengers.)...
BCE INC., $58.16, Toronto symbol BCE, continues to benefit from strong demand for its wireless, high-speed Internet and Fibe TV services. That’s offsetting weaker revenue from traditional telephone services. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, the company’s earnings rose 0.8%, to $615 million from $610 million a year earlier. Per-share profits were unchanged at $0.72 on more shares outstanding. These figures exclude unusual items, such as costs related to acquisitions and early debt repayments. On that basis, the latest earnings matched the consensus estimate....