OPEC and Russia (together accounting for about 40% of the world’s oil production) recently agreed to extend their current production cuts until the end of 2023, and likely into 2024. That has helped lift oil prices from about $67 U.S. a barrel in June to around $76 U.S.


We feel Imperial will move steadily higher given the company should benefit from the start up of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion in the first quarter of 2024....

ETFs in brief


Exchange-traded funds are set up to mirror the performance of a stock-market index or sub-index....

One key factor in successful investing—apart of course from picking good stocks (or ETFs that invest in those stocks)—is to diversify your portfolio.


Our main suggestion would be to make sure that your holdings are always well-balanced among most if not all of the five economic sectors—Manufacturing, Consumer, Utilities, Resources, and Finance.


That way, you avoid overloading yourself with stocks that are about to slump simply because of industry conditions or changes in investor fashion.


By diversifying across the sectors, you also increase your chances of stumbling upon a market superstar—a stock that does two to three or more times better than the market average....

Online commerce exploded for 2020 and 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic limited consumers’ access to shopping malls and other traditional shopping outlets. However, as shoppers returned to physical stores in 2022 the rapid growth rate of online shopping slowed. Still, estimates indicate that the strong uptrend of online shopping has resumed in 2023 and will continue in the years ahead.


Growth slowed after pandemic boost


Global e-commerce retail sales (which includes all products and services ordered using the Internet, excluding travel, events, and money transfers) jumped by 50% between 2019 and 2021 to $5.0 trillion according to estimates from consulting firm eMarketer.


However, as shoppers returned to physical stores in 2022, e-commerce growth slowed globally to 6.5%....

This month we feature a very high-yielding financial services ETF from Hamilton Capital Partners, and a top-performing North American value equity ETF from RBC.


HAMILTON CANADIAN FINANCIALS YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF $13.12 (Toronto symbol HMAX) invests in the top 10 Canadian financial services companies as measured by their total market value....

Sovereign wealth funds are state-owned investment funds that taps into a country’s cash reserves—and the number of sovereign wealth funds globally has grown steadily over the past two decades, from 62 funds in 2000 to 176 in 2023. During that time, assets under management jumped from $1 trillion to $11 trillion.


The largest of these wealth funds is the Norway Government Pension Fund with $1.5 trillion of assets.


Other funds among the top 10 are the China Investment Corporation, the Kuwait Investment Authority, and the Saudi-based Public Investment Fund....

The United Arab Emirates is a small country in a potentially volatile region, with neighbours like Yemen and Iran nearby. Still, it has used its oil riches wisely to diversify the economy and become a major commercial hub in the Middle East.


Here’s an ETF that provides exposure to the top companies listed in the UAE.


ISHARES MSCI UAE ETF $14.66 (New York symbol UAE; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $35.0 million) tracks the performance of the largest publicly listed UAE companies.


Financial Services account for 39% of its assets, while Telecommunications (18%), Real Estate (21%), Industrials (10%), and Energy (5%) are other key segments.


The ETF has a portfolio of 40 stocks; the top 10 holdings make up a high 74% of its assets....

We think that most Canadian investors should hold the bulk of their portfolios in high-quality, dividend-paying Canadian stocks (or ETFs that hold those stocks). We also feel that virtually all Canadian investors should have, say, 20% to 30% of their portfolios in U.S....

DIREXION DAILY AMZN BEAR 1X ETF $18.71 (New York symbol AMZD) holds short positions in the shares of only one company—Amazon.com. The ETF launched in September 2022 and has just $3.0 million in assets under management.


The objective of the ETF is to generate a return equivalent to the inverse of the daily return on the shares of Amazon....

Online commerce grew steadily for a decade before the onset of COVID-19. It then took off in a major way. Still, as consumers returned to physical stores and workers returned to the office, that rapid growth slowed. Regardless, the long-term trend remains firmly positive, and the online transactions should continue to rise for years to come.


Here are two ETFs that include companies with a strong online presence....