oil and gas

Sharp share-price drops due to the coronavirus outbreak will likely encourage activist investors to raise their stake in—and influence on—these three firms (including Sony—see box). However, for reasons outlined below, we advise you to stay on the sidelines, at least for now.


OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP....

A: How soon oil and gas prices will recover is uncertain. That’s especially so considering one of the main drivers of that decline—the COVID-19 pandemic—remains ongoing.

Meantime, low oil prices (and resulting low gasoline prices) could, in fact, lower demand for new renewable power projects....

Corrections have been a routine occurrence throughout stock market history. These periods of volatility and economic uncertainty are challenging for investors to navigate but frequently offer excellent investment opportunities for long-term gains.


However, the market disruption that started in mid-February has been an extraordinary event, both in terms of the speed and magnitude of the market downturn as well as its volatility.


Looking at past trends—which isn’t always an indication of the future—stock markets have probably seen the bulk of their initial adjustment....

The first quarter of 2020 will go down in the history books as one of the most volatile ever recorded. After reaching an all-time high in mid-February, global equities declined precipitously only to bounce at least part way back in late March. At the same time, the price of oil fell to multi-decade lows as Saudi Arabia and Russia disagreed on oil production cuts....

BMO launched seven environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) funds on January 21, 2020; these include a balanced fund, equity funds, and bond funds. Here’s a look at two of them:


Sustainable investing offers some investors a lot of conceptual and emotional appeal....

The cost to stabilize the U.S. economy during the COVID-19 pandemic is going to be enormous. The current fiscal package signed by President Donald Trump carries a price tag of $2.2 trillion but there is already talk of follow-up programs.


Estimates now indicate that the U.S....

The United States has been the world’s leading economy for many decades.


Despite the rapid progression of the Chinese economy and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we think U.S. companies will continue to offer ETF investors unparalleled opportunities.


VANGUARD U.S....

Public trading in the $6 trillion world of global ETFs has generally worked well during the extreme turmoil seen in markets during February and March.


However, not all ETFs continued to trade as investors would have hoped. Numerous inverse or leveraged funds experienced severe price declines, which resulted in their liquidation....

Below, we continue our look at industries and sectors that tend to reward investors in bear markets. That includes utilities, communications services, and healthcare ETFs. While those funds are generally less exposed to the ups and downs of the economic cycle, they also tend to do reasonably well in upward-trending markets....

This issue of Best ETFs for Canadian Investors pinpoints high-quality funds suitable for new buying despite the COVID-19 downturn.


And while the markets will continue to face fallout from the pandemic, I believe the bulk of the damage may already be behind us.


Still, now more than ever, it’s essential that you focus on quality stocks and ETFs....