Medium-sized companies are often overlooked as investors tend to focus their attention on large, stable companies or high-growth smaller companies. However, market research suggests that mid-cap stocks offer an attractive combination of stability and growth, providing interesting opportunities for investors who are prepared to do their homework.




Mid-cap stocks fall between large-cap stocks and small-cap stocks, but the size of mid-cap companies varies from country to country.



The index provider, S&P, ranks all U.S. listed stocks by market capitalization and then considers the top 500 to be large-cap, the next 400 as mid-cap, and the rest as small-cap. In the U.S., mid-cap stocks generally have market capitalizations between $2 billion and $20 billion. In the smaller Canadian market, mid-cap stocks mostly have market values between $1 billion U.S. and $6 billion U.S.

This month, we highlight a new ETF from BMO that invests in collateralized corporate loans. Our second ETF relies on a mix of stocks and fixed-income investments.


BMO BBB CLO ETF $30.05 (CBOE symbol ZBBZ) invests in the BBB-rated, collateralized loan obligations of issuers based outside of Canada, mainly in the U.S.



Collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) are financial products that pool together corporate loans for sale to investors in different risk and return categories called tranches.

Despite the occasional political challenges, the trade relationship between China and Australia has grown considerably over the years as both countries have found it mutually beneficial.


As China’s economy developed rapidly, it needed large quantities of natural resources for its infrastructure development and manufacturing expansion. Australia was a ready supplier. The relationship got a further boost when the two countries signed a free trade agreement that came into effect in December 2015.

The Australian economy has rebounded strongly in the wake of the pandemic. In fact, it’s now hitting all-time highs. In the near term, though, it faces challenges from still-high inflation, which is hurting consumer spending; as well, it must contend with uncertain global growth amid still-elevated interest rates. Still, global demand for commodities will boost exports. That should help to offset risks such as the ongoing tension between the U.S. and China, as well as a shortage of skilled workers and the service industry’s generally high labour costs.


ISHARES MSCI AUSTRALIA ETF $27.23 (New York symbol EWA; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative; Market cap: $1.5 billion) tracks the performance of a basket of Australian listed companies.



Financial Services account for 41% of its assets, while Basic Materials (20%), Healthcare (8%), and Consumer Cyclicals (8%) are other key segments.

FIDELITY CANADIAN HIGH QUALITY ETF $45.93 (Toronto symbol FCCQ; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative; Market cap: $483.9 million) tracks the Fidelity Canada High Quality Index. That index includes stocks that rank highly based on criteria such as stability of profits and cash flow, and return on invested capital.


Holdings are classified as Financials (26%), followed by Energy (20%), Basic Materials (20%), Information Technology (14%), Consumer Staples (7%), and Industrials (5%).



The ETF holds 58 companies, with 40% of the assets allocated to the top 10 stocks. Those top holdings include Shopify (6.7%), Royal Bank (5.7%), Enbridge (4.4%), Agnico Eagle (4.0%), TD (3.8%), Barrick Mining (3.3%), Canadian Natural Resources (3.1%), Wheaton Precious Metals (2.9%), Alimentation Couche-Tard (2.9%), and Dollarama (2.8%).

Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index ETF $47.29 (Toronto symbol VA; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $132.5 million) tracks the FTSE Developed Asia Pacific Index. Stocks are weighted based on their market caps.


The fund’s geographical distributions favour Japan (60% of assets), above Australia (18%), South Korea (12%), Hong Kong (5%), and Singapore (4%).



Financial Services make up 21% of the portfolio, followed by Industrials (20%), Consumer Discretionary (17%), Technology (9%), Basic Materials (7%), and Healthcare (6%).

GLOBAL X Gold Producer EQUITY COVERED CALL ETF $52.00 (Toronto symbol GLCC) invests in an equal-weighted portfolio of North American-listed gold mining companies. The portfolio currently holds 10 stocks with all the top producers such as Barrick Mining and Newmont Corp. represented.


The ETF yields a high 6.8%. However, the dividend income that the fund receives from its own portfolio is insufficient to cover its distribution to its unitholders. To make up the difference, it has to make a profit on trading its portfolio. The ETF also aims to raise its returns by writing call options on the portfolio’s securities.

MANULIFE MULTIFACTOR CANADIAN SMID CAP ETF $58.06 (Toronto symbol MCSM; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $390.8 million) tracks the John Hancock Dimensional Canadian SMID Cap Equity Index. That index is made up of companies that fall outside the 74 largest publicly listed companies in Canada. Stocks are weighted according to their market capitalizations, although the manager also favours stocks with lower valuations and higher levels of profitability.


The fund’s main segment allocations are Basic Materials (35%), Energy (18%), Consumer Discretionary (9%), Utilities (9%), Financial Services (8%), Industrials (8%), and Real Estate (6%). The large weights in materials and energy increase the risk profile of the fund.

You Can See Our Portfolio for Aggressive Growth For November 2025 Here.


If you’re like most investors, you should invest the major portion of your money in stocks from our Conservative Growth Portfolio. But you may want to add some stocks from our Aggressive Growth Portfolio, which we update in this issue.

CGI INC. $127 (www.cgi.com) remains a buy for long-term gains. The company is Canada’s largest provider of computer outsourcing services. The stock is down roughly 20% since the start of 2025, as the slowing economy has prompted businesses to cut their spending. However, CGI’s large order backlog of $30.58 billion as of June 30, 2025 (1.97 times its annual revenue), helps cut your risk. The company is also incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into its software products, which should give it a competitive advantage. CGI is a buy.