Companies that pay regular and growing dividends have performed very well over time when compared to the broad market indices.


A strategy such as selecting stocks with a long history of uninterrupted dividend growth—as represented by the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats—has resulted in gains of 11.8% per year over the past 30 years; this compares to 10.9% for the S&P 500 Index....

Global military spending in 2023 reached $2.44 trillion U.S. That was 6.4% higher than the previous year, and the highest level ever recorded; this was also the 9th consecutive annual increase (see graph below).


The world military burden—defined as military spending as a percentage of global gross domestic product—increased to 2.3% in 2023....

This month we highlight the Canadian listing of a very popular U.S. ETF from JP Morgan, as well as another listing of a “quality equity” fund from BMO.


JPMorgan US Equity Premium Income Active ETF $26.61 (Toronto symbol JEPI) invests in the shares of U.S....

The U.S. stock market has performed very strongly over several decades, adding 11.1% per year between 1988 and 2024. At that rate of return, investors would have doubled their money every seven years.


The return generated by the S&P 500 index can be explained partly by the strong growth in the profits of the companies held in the index, and partly by a higher valuation placed on these companies by investors.


Since 1988, the profits of the S&P 500 companies have grown by 6.8% per year—below the growth in share prices.


The difference between the total return of the index and the profit growth is explained by the higher valuation multiple paid by investors—the price-to-earnings multiple doubled over the period.


One other factor to consider is that interest rates (as represented by 10-year government bond yields) declined from almost 9% in early 1988 to the current level of just over 4%....

The U.S. has been the leading economy in the world for many decades, and the stock market has outperformed international markets for the past 15 years. Despite the challenges posed by its big deficits, plus uncertainty posed by the upcoming Trump administration’s policies, top U.S....

Dividend-paying companies have done well over the longer term, although the recent performance of this group lagged the main market indexes. That’s because higher interest rates on fixed-income investments made their dividends less attractive to income investors....

VANGUARD FTSE DEVELOPED ALL CAP EX NORTH AMERICA ETF $35.16 (Toronto symbol VIU; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $4.7 billion) tracks the FTSE Developed All Cap ex-North America Index. The index includes large, medium, and smaller companies listed in developed markets.


Financial Services make up 19% of the portfolio, followed by Industrials (18%), Healthcare (12%), Technology (11%), and Consumer Discretionary (11%)....

BetaPro Equal Weight Canadian REIT 2x Daily Bull ETF $16.88 (Toronto symbol HREU) aims to use a combination of derivatives and debt to offer daily returns that correspond to twice the daily gains of the Solactive Equal Weight Canada REIT Index....

Global military spending reached an all-time high of $2.44 trillion U.S. in 2023, spurred by major regional wars and large-scale investments by several countries. That spending might slow in the coming years as governments are forced to re-examine their military budgets in the wake of massive stimulus spending to deal with COVID-19....

We think investors will profit most—and with the least risk—by buying shares of well-established companies with strong business prospects and strong positions in healthy industries....