MCDONALD’S CORP., $271.92, New York symbol MCD, is your #1 Conservative Buy for 2022.

The company is the world’s largest fast-food chain with 40,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It serves a wide variety of food but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries....

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE, $58.52, Toronto symbol CM, remains a buy for long-term gains.

The stock has dropped 10% since the start of December, mainly due to concerns that rising interest rates will slow demand for new residential mortgages and refinancing....

CI FIRST ASSET TECH GIANTS COVERED CALL ETF $13.95 (Toronto symbol TXF) invests in what it sees as 25 of the most innovative U.S. technology companies. These include Apple, IBM, Salesforce, Nvidia, Adobe and Intel.


First Asset Tech Giants has a very high 13.6% yield....

The traditional bear market threshold is a 20% drop from a market peak. And although, in our view, looking at past market movements is no guide to what happens next, it’s interesting to note that stocks have always bounced back from market downturns.


12 bear markets in 70 years for the S&P 500


A variety of factors cause markets to fall, and the main cause is not always clear, except in hindsight....

Some investors today feel highly uncertain about the stock market outlook, mostly because of the surprise results of the recent U.S. Presidential election. A handful feel tempted to “go into cash,” as the saying goes—that is, sell some or all of their stocks, and hold the proceeds in cash until the uncertainty subsides and the stock-market outlook is clearer.


However, going into cash in reaction to uncertainty is rarely a good idea....

This month we highlight two ETFs from Harvest that use leverage and call-option writing in an effort to enhance the returns of their portfolios.


HARVEST BRAND LEADERS ENHANCED INCOME ETF $10.36 (Toronto symbol HBFE) invests indirectly in large U.S....

One of the best methods of building wealth over time is to zero in on the shares of quality companies with a consistent history of sales and earnings (or the ETFs that hold them). Solid balance sheets and a strong hold on a growing clientele are also pluses.


Here are two ETFs that focus on selecting high-quality companies with strong fundamental value....

The Vietnamese stock market, as measured by the FTSE Vietnam 30 Index, has done very well over the longer term, gaining 436% over the 10 years ending December 2021. This was considerably better than most developed and emerging equity markets over that same period.


However, since its peak in the first week of 2022, the index has declined by 48% making it one of the worst-performing stock markets in the world.


There are likely several reasons for this weak performance.


First, the very strong performance of Vietnamese stocks during the peak COVID-19 period pulled a large, short-term focused investor base into the market....

Vietnam is now emerging from the pandemic, with tourism leading the way. Longer-term, it should also continue to attract foreign manufacturers looking to steer clear of any China-U.S. trade issues. Meanwhile, the country’s free-trade pact with the European Union came into effect in August 2020....

Traditionally, the price of most stocks, and the ETFs that hold them, drop during bear markets like the one we saw in 2022. However, certain segments generally perform better than the overall market during downturns—and bounce back faster, including during the 2000-2002 and 2008-2009 bear markets.


Below, we highlight three ETFs focused on resilient market segments: value stocks, military defence and healthcare....