News & Commentary

On June 24, Fitch Ratings cut Canada’s AAA credit rating1 by one notch to AA+, saying the downgrade reflected “the deterioration of Canada’s public finances in 2020 resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.” Is this the harbinger of more rating cuts, and what impact will this downgrade have on your finances? Click here to read rest […]

The U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”), the most influential and powerful central bank in the world, was instrumental in helping the equity market find a floor on March 23. The Fed’s actions announced on that date contributed to the about-turn in investor sentiment that enabled markets to stage a historic rebound in ensuing weeks. However, […]

The ferocity of the “Coronavirus Correction” has been matched by the velocity of the subsequent rebound, bringing the markets full circle in record time of just about 16 weeks. What comes next?On June 8, the S&P 500 briefly turned positive for the year (Figure 1), no mean feat considering it was down as much as […]

The Nasdaq’s 45% surge from its March 23 low is the epitome of a V-shaped rebound (Figure 1). Overly optimistic investors who are banking on a similar economic recovery may be in for a disappointment. There are a growing number of signs that risk appetite is back in a big way, judging by the ease […]

Market & Economic Environment: Global markets advanced for the second month, as U.S. indices posted one of their fastest-ever rebounds from a bear market. Investor optimism over reopening of economies around the world overshadowed a continued run of weak economic data, a steady increase in global coronavirus cases, and deteriorating relations between the U.S. and […]

The big investment theme this week has been the rotation to value stocks from technology, the quintessential growth sector. What does this mean for your portfolio? Most stocks can be classified as value or growth, depending on certain characteristics or “factors.” Index leader S&P Dow Jones Indices uses three factors each to measure growth and […]