Three keys to safety

Many investors fear that today’s market turmoil indicates that we are headed for a new dip in economic activity — the second part of the widely predicted “double dip” recession.

However, while a renewed economic slide is a possibility, I don’t expect to see it happen… Read More

Need for credit ratings still strong

Right now, the U.S. credit-rating industry is dominated by three firms: Standard & Poor’s (which is owned by McGraw-Hill, below), Moody’s and Fitch. However, Standard & Poor’s recent downgrade of U.S. Treasury bonds has drawn new attention to the entire industry. This increased scrutiny makes… Read More

Aim to cut your risk

Today’s market turmoil is making many investors wonder if we face a replay of the 2007-2009 market plunge.

However, I strongly doubt that we’ve set off on a new multi-year market decline. More likely, we are in a short-term setback — a “correction.” But nobody can… Read More

Call it an aftershock

Today’s market turmoil is making many investors wonder if we face a replay of the 2007-2009 market plunge. I see some key differences between the two.

The 2007-2009 bear market mostly came about because of the collapse of the U.S. housing boom and everything that… Read More

Putnam will pay off for Great-West

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $24 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 944.7 million; Market cap: $22.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 5.1%; SI Rating: Above Average) is Canada’s largest insurance company, with $340.7 billion of assets under management. It also offers… Read More

Look beyond banks in Finance sector

These four financial companies tend to be more volatile than Canada’s big-five banks. But they are all leaders in their niche fields, and offer strong growth prospects, particularly as the economy begins to recover.

We feel that conservative investors should diversify their finance-sector holdings with… Read More