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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TRANSCANADA CORP. $46.23 (Toronto symbol TRP; Shares outstanding: 707.0 million; Market cap: $33.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.0%; www.transcanada.com) plans to build a new 200-kilometre crude oil pipeline that will connect Edmonton to the storage hub at Hardisty, Alberta. From there, TransCanada will pump the oil to refineries in the U.S. Midwest through its Keystone pipeline (and link up later with its Keystone XL pipeline if it’s built).
The $900-million project also includes a new oil-storage facility. The company already has long-term contracts from producers, which cuts the risk of this investment. The new line should begin operating in the second half of 2015.
TransCanada is a buy....
The $900-million project also includes a new oil-storage facility. The company already has long-term contracts from producers, which cuts the risk of this investment. The new line should begin operating in the second half of 2015.
TransCanada is a buy....
ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $56.48 (New York Exchange symbol ECH; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index, which consists of stocks that are mainly traded on the Santiago Stock Exchange.
The fund’s top holdings are Enersis AS (electricity), 8.0%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 7.4%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 7.2%; S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 6.6%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 6.2%; LATAM Airlines SA, 5.7%; Quimica y Minera de Chile (mining), 5.0%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 4.4%; and Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 3.9%.
The fund’s industry breakdown is: Utilities, 24.8%; Financials, 17.2%; Consumer Staples, 13.6%; Materials, 12.6%; Industrials, 9.3%; Consumer Discretionary, 8.3%; Energy, 7.4%; Telecommunications, 3.2%; and Information Technology, 2.5%.
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The fund’s top holdings are Enersis AS (electricity), 8.0%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 7.4%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 7.2%; S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 6.6%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 6.2%; LATAM Airlines SA, 5.7%; Quimica y Minera de Chile (mining), 5.0%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 4.4%; and Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 3.9%.
The fund’s industry breakdown is: Utilities, 24.8%; Financials, 17.2%; Consumer Staples, 13.6%; Materials, 12.6%; Industrials, 9.3%; Consumer Discretionary, 8.3%; Energy, 7.4%; Telecommunications, 3.2%; and Information Technology, 2.5%.
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ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $25.89 (New York Exchange symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) tracks the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index. This index aims to replicate 85% of the total market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership.
The ETF’s top holdings are BASF (chemicals), 8.7%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 8.6%; Bayer (diversified chemicals), 8.6%; Allianz (insurance), 6.9%; SAP (software), 6.7%; Daimler (autos), 5.7%; Deutsche Bank, 4.6%; Linde AG (industrial gases), 3.5%; and Munich Re (reisurance), 3.3%.
The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Consumer Discretionary, 19.3%; Financials, 17.2%, Materials, 15.4%; Industrials, 13.7%; Health Care, 13.1%; Information Technology, 7.9%; Utilities, 4.7%; Consumer Staples, 4.3%; and Telecommunication Services, 3.1%.
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The ETF’s top holdings are BASF (chemicals), 8.7%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 8.6%; Bayer (diversified chemicals), 8.6%; Allianz (insurance), 6.9%; SAP (software), 6.7%; Daimler (autos), 5.7%; Deutsche Bank, 4.6%; Linde AG (industrial gases), 3.5%; and Munich Re (reisurance), 3.3%.
The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Consumer Discretionary, 19.3%; Financials, 17.2%, Materials, 15.4%; Industrials, 13.7%; Health Care, 13.1%; Information Technology, 7.9%; Utilities, 4.7%; Consumer Staples, 4.3%; and Telecommunication Services, 3.1%.
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Pat McKeough responds to many requests for specific advice on the best stocks to invest in and other questions on investment strategy and the economy from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle. This week, we received a question from an Inner Circle member about a stock that may not be well known to Canadian investors, but has a product which has made headlines. Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems has seen its profits rise thanks to the sale of unmanned air vehicles, or drones. Pat looks at the company’s overall outlook and how much emphasis investors should put on one ‘hot’ product like drones....
We think conservative investors could hold up to 10% of their portfolios in foreign stocks. One way to do that is to buy carefully chosen exchange traded funds (ETFs) that have an overseas focus. The best ETFs offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks. Here are two international ETFs that we follow regularly. ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND (New York Exchange symbol ECH; us.ishares.com; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index, which consists of stocks that are mainly traded on the Santiago Stock Exchange....
TIM HORTONS INC. $54 (Toronto symbol THI; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 153.4 million; Market cap: $8.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.timhortons.com) is the largest fast-food company in Canada, with 3,453 outlets that mainly serve coffee and donuts. The company also has 808 U.S. stores.
The stock has moved up lately in response to demands from Highfields Capital Management, a U.S.-based activist investment firm that owns 1.5% of Tim Hortons’ shares. Highfields has proposed several ways to boost shareholder value, including slowing Tim Hortons’ expansion in the U.S., where it faces intense competition from larger chains like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.
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The stock has moved up lately in response to demands from Highfields Capital Management, a U.S.-based activist investment firm that owns 1.5% of Tim Hortons’ shares. Highfields has proposed several ways to boost shareholder value, including slowing Tim Hortons’ expansion in the U.S., where it faces intense competition from larger chains like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.
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CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $77 (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 399.8 million; Market cap: $30.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 5.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cibc.com) is the fifth-largest Canadian bank, with $397.7 billion of assets.
CIBC has the highest exposure to Canada of all the big five banks: its domestic operations now supply 85% of its revenue. Its international businesses mainly consist of wealth management services in the U.S. and retail banking in the Caribbean.
In the three months ended April 30, 2013, CIBC earned $876 million, up 4.3% from $840 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 6.0%, to $2.12 from $2.00, on fewer shares outstanding. These figures exclude several unusual items, mainly losses on securities the bank holds.
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CIBC has the highest exposure to Canada of all the big five banks: its domestic operations now supply 85% of its revenue. Its international businesses mainly consist of wealth management services in the U.S. and retail banking in the Caribbean.
In the three months ended April 30, 2013, CIBC earned $876 million, up 4.3% from $840 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 6.0%, to $2.12 from $2.00, on fewer shares outstanding. These figures exclude several unusual items, mainly losses on securities the bank holds.
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ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $59 (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $82.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 4.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.rbc.com) is Canada’s largest bank, with $867.5 billion of assets.
Royal recently paid $3.7 billion for Ally Financial’s Canadian operations. This business mainly provides car loans through over 1,600 dealerships across the country. It also offers no-fee savings accounts and consumer and business loans.
If you exclude unusual items, such as the cost of integrating this business, Royal earned $2.0 billion in the quarter ended April 30, 2013. That’s up 13.4% from $1.7 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 14.2%, to $1.29 from $1.13, on fewer shares outstanding. The Ally business contributed $12 million to Royal’s latest earnings. As well, more of Royal’s borrowers are repaying their loans on time. The bank set aside $288 million for potential bad loans, down 17.2% from $348 million a year earlier.
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Royal recently paid $3.7 billion for Ally Financial’s Canadian operations. This business mainly provides car loans through over 1,600 dealerships across the country. It also offers no-fee savings accounts and consumer and business loans.
If you exclude unusual items, such as the cost of integrating this business, Royal earned $2.0 billion in the quarter ended April 30, 2013. That’s up 13.4% from $1.7 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 14.2%, to $1.29 from $1.13, on fewer shares outstanding. The Ally business contributed $12 million to Royal’s latest earnings. As well, more of Royal’s borrowers are repaying their loans on time. The bank set aside $288 million for potential bad loans, down 17.2% from $348 million a year earlier.
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BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $56 (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $67.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield: 4.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.scotiabank.com) is Canada’s third-largest bank, with assets of $754.2 billion.
The bank has recovered strongly from the 2008 financial crisis. Revenue rose 65.9%, from $11.9 billion in 2008 to $19.7 billion in 2012 (fiscal years end October 31). Earnings gained 98.6%, from $3.0 billion in 2008 to $6.0 billion in 2012. Due to more shares outstanding, earnings per share rose at a slower pace of 71.1%, from $3.05 to $5.22. Without a one-time gain on the sale of real estate, it would have earned $4.61 a share in 2012.
Much of this growth is due to acquisitions. In the past six years, Bank of Nova Scotia has spent over $14 billion buying smaller financial services firms. It purchased most of these assets from banks that wanted to exit certain markets, so it probably got many of them at bargain prices.
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The bank has recovered strongly from the 2008 financial crisis. Revenue rose 65.9%, from $11.9 billion in 2008 to $19.7 billion in 2012 (fiscal years end October 31). Earnings gained 98.6%, from $3.0 billion in 2008 to $6.0 billion in 2012. Due to more shares outstanding, earnings per share rose at a slower pace of 71.1%, from $3.05 to $5.22. Without a one-time gain on the sale of real estate, it would have earned $4.61 a share in 2012.
Much of this growth is due to acquisitions. In the past six years, Bank of Nova Scotia has spent over $14 billion buying smaller financial services firms. It purchased most of these assets from banks that wanted to exit certain markets, so it probably got many of them at bargain prices.
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Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a beginning or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific investment advice. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental piece of stock market advice, and shows you how you can put it into practice right away. Today’s tip: “Base your investment decisions of the value and quality of the stocks you’re considering, not stock price flip-flops.”...
