Author name: Shawn

On Thursday the S&P 500 was about unchanged while Toronto was up 0.3%. CN Rail was up 3.5% to $171. Canadian Tire was up 1.8% to $196. Sometimes boring stocks are good to hold. AutoCanada was up 5,1% to $23.40. Hope springs eternal that it will f...

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.1% while Toronto was down 0.55% pulled down by the oil / energy sector. Toll Brothers was up 6.7% after an analyst upgraded it saying that the luxury home segment was strong even as the outlook for lower price...

Genesis Land Development (GDC on Toronto) is added to the site rated (higher) Buy at $3.33. It is a very small company, a micro cap with an equity market cap of about $188 million. That makes it riskier and means that it will get very little to no at...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was down 1.4% and Toronto was down 0.2%. But Couche-Tard rose almost 12% and Constellation Software bounced up 3.3%. Oil this morning is at $71 which is good for the markets in general but not for the oil companies or Alber...

S&P futures suggest the S&P 500 will open down a bit over one percent at the open (1.3%). That's not a big drop considering where the market sits. Mag 7 stocks taking a hit apparently. I was hoping for a nice gain on Couche-Tard today but the...

On Monday the S&P 500 was down 0.4% although it had briefly been positive this morning. The NASDAQ was down 1.3%. But the Toronto Stock Exchange was up 0.4%. lululemon slipped 5.7% as I await its potential turnaround. I'm on their email loyalty l...

As we get ready for a new day and a new week of trading in North American stocks the price of West Texas Intermediate oil (priced at Cushing Oklahoma) is $74.67, down 1.6% since the previous close. The U.S. ten year bond yield is 4.45% which is lower...

Genesis land Development Corporation is a small developer of residential land and home builder in Alberta. I am going to add it to our list partly to compare it to Melcor Developments. The stock has not been a strong performer but with dividends it h...

Melcor Developments just had what appears to be a bit of a staff Kumbaya. They do indeed build fine communities and it's nice to celebrate. But I want to see some focus on making a higher return on capital and getting the share price up a lot closer ...

Edmonton and Winnipeg home prices were up in the past year while they fell in almost all other cities in Canada. This is based on a home price index that attempts to track same properties over time so is not impacted by people simply buying smaller o...

Canada's population has decreased for three quarters in a row according to the best available estimates. This is driven by non-permanent residents leaving while fewer non-permanent residents are allowed to arrive. But even Statistics Canada is unsure...

The source table from Stats Can is not in a great format but if you choose the seasonally adjusted view you can see that most forms of personal debt continue to rise month after month. Realistically, it will only ever decrease if there is a significa...

"Core retail sales fell 0.7% in April, posting their second consecutive monthly decline." With higher gasoline prices, consumers cut back on core items including groceries. Core retail sales fell 0.7% in April, posting their second consecutive monthl...

U.S. markets are closed for the June teenth holiday. The Canadian market is on its own today. The TSX is about unchanged at the minute. I just bought 100 shares of Stantec. It looks attractive at the recent price....

I received the following good questions: "Is there a big advantage to investing in Visa US vs Visa Can. Why the big difference in price. Are they treated as two different divisions?" *************************************** A number of big U.S. compan...

On Thursday the S&P was up 1.1% while Toronto was down 0.4%. Toll Brothers was strong with a 4.0% gain. Stantec was down 2.6% to $96 and is a stock that I would definitely consider buying or adding to at this time. There are never any guarantees ...

Markets had a somewhat rare down day on Wednesday after the new FED chair apparently signaled that the FED might raise rather than lower interest rates. But the U.S. ten year bond rose only modestly to 4.46%. Some shorter term interest rates had a bi...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 ended the day down 0.6% while Toronto managed a 0.3% gain despite oil being down to $76. The U.S. ten year bond rate is down to 4.43% as the market hopes that the new Fed Chair will do Trump's bidding and lower interest rat...

Another eventful day in the markets as markets reacted positively to the pending Memorandum of Agreement between Iran and the U.S. The S&P 500 was up 1.7% and Toronto was up 1.0%. West Texas Oil is down to $81 and the ten year U.S. treasury bond ...

Great West Life was out today with a new perpetual preferred share issue paying 5.7%. The market considered this to be attractive and it sold out quickly. On our list we have a similar issue that originally paid only 4.5% on $25.00. It now trades at ...

Oil is down to about $81 with the news that USA and Iran have apparently agreed to a ceasefire with terms to be signed on Friday. Straight to open etc. 60 day negotiation period regarding nuclear issues. Hard to say where oil will head but I might gr...

Dollarama is updated and rated Weak Buy / Hold at $191. I REALLY like the idea of owning shares in Dollarama. If you are in one of their stores it would be hard not to want to own a piece. Every time I update Dollarama I want to see it as a Buy but i...

The big excitement on Friday was the SpaceX IPO. Overall, the S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto was up 0.8%. SpaceX will become part of the NASDAQ index within about two weeks apparently after they changed their rules to accelerate the entry. But S...

This SpaceX IPO strikes me as a crazy valuation at a reported $1.77 trillion dollars. On top of that the early indication is that it may start trading at about $175 or 30% higher than the IPO price of $135. If that is the case it would create an addi...

Once again this proves to be a hard market to keep down. After Trump called off the bombing and claimed once again  that a deal with Iran is at hand the markets rose on that optimism with the S&P 500 up 1.75% on Thursday and Toronto up 1.0%. Tran...

Stock futures suggest a positive opening to trading despite the heated up war in Iran - which, the market seems to consider to be old news at this point I guess. Oil is at $89 which does not seem very high given the blockade of the Straight of Hormuz...

The S&P 500 was down 1.6% and Toronto was down 0.8% The recent decline in the S&P 500 seems pretty minor given its recent gains adn it high valuation. Cameco, which I mentioned earlier today, was down 7.1%. Constellation Software was up 5.6% ...

Cameco is down 4.5% to about $136 which is back to the price at the start of this year. Still a LOT higher than what it was in 2025. Might be worth nibbling on for those who think Uranium has a great future. But this is a volatile commodity and a tou...

S&P 500 down 0.3% and Toronto down 0.2%. Oil is at $89 and earlier today was down to $88 despite the war heating up including a U.S. helicopter shot down by Iran. Toll Brothers was strong with a 5.1% gain probably based on analyst optimism....

With the strong gains in TFI International, I decided to sell my position just now. They are predicting a gain in EPS in Q2 the first one in a while and the outlook has improved. But I decided to sell. Normally I would sell half. But it was not a ver...

On Monday markets showed resilience (or maybe willful blindness) in the face of the escalating Iran /USA / Israel war. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and Toronto rose 0.4%. This morning futures markets suggest that markets will open a little higher once a...

The report on CN Rail is updated and rated Weak Buy / Hold at $168 Canadian or U.S. $120. CN is up 24% in 2026 to date but that did come after about four years of weakness. It peaked at about $180 in the Spring of 2024 and and then fell through the r...

I've had a poor track record with lululemon. But, undaunted, I view it as quite attractive after its price crash of the past couple of years and especially the most recent decline. It is updated and rated (higher) Buy at U.S. $112. It closed Friday a...

On Friday the S&P 500 was down 2.6% and Toronto was down 2.3%. This was due to lower prices for various "technology" stocks as the NASDAQ was down 4.2%. Cameco (uranium miner and nuclear-related) was down 9% to $144. I'd like to accumulate at low...

As of end of the trading day Thursday, markets continue to be strong S&P 500 up 0.4% to 7584 and Toronto up 1.3% to 35,217. Constellation Software was up 5.5% to $2902 after announcing some acquisitions. The price of oil continues to bounce aroun...

I’m on a train from Edmonton to Toronto and later on to Montreal and Moncton. lots of CN freight trains slowing us down so that’s good for CN and the economy. Via Rail with sleeper accommodation is a nice way to travel. looks like the market is doing...

I notice the province of Alberta was out with a ten year bond issue this morning. It's already sold out but if you are interested there is always more of these coming but you need to register for alerts from your broker. This one paid 3.75%. But it w...

The S&P 500 is up 0.1% this morning and oil is about unchanged at $89 and the ten year U.S. bond yield has edged down to 4.45%. So basically a holding pattern today as the market hopes for some kind of peace deal. Actually all that is in the offi...

With more talk of an imminent peace deal (or at least a 60 day truce to negotiate and with the Straight of Hormuz) oil is down to $88 and the U.S. ten year bond is down to 4.45% from a recent 4.65% or so. Today's levels are progress but the oil and i...

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 was essentially unchanged on the day and Toronto was down 0.7% with the lower oil prices. Several banks reported strong earnings today but Bank of Montreal and Bank of Nova Scotia rose only very modestly and National Ban...

With oil down close to 5% this morning I though there must be an Iran peace deal of some kind but apparently not. On this news I decided to add to my Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) position which is currently down 2.3% to $63.25. It will likely dro...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was up 0.6% (recall it was closed yesterday) and Toronto was down 0.5%. Oil is at $93 and the U.S. ten year bond has come back down to 4.49%. Constellation Software was down 3.2%. There is no need to be a frequent trader in...

U.S. markets were closed today for the Memorial Day holiday. Toronto was up 1.0% Oil was down 6.5% to $90.30 as a deal with Iran was said to be imminent - although Iran said that's not so. Futures markets suggest that the S&P 500 will open about ...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up 0.4% while Toronto was up 0.2%. Linamar was up 3.9%. Over the weekend Trump (once again) claimed that a sort of interim peace deal with Iran was imminent. Final peace terms to be negotiated within 60 days after that. ...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up 0.2% while Toronto was up 0.7%. There were no particularly notable moves in the stocks on our list. Oil is at $98. I plan some company updates next week. lululemon will likely be my next update and I suspect it will...

Markets bounced higher on Wednesday with the S&P 500 up 1.1% and Toronto up 1.25%. Oil was down to $97 and long-term interest rated were down modestly from their recent highs. Toll Brothers was up 9.8% after reporting earnings. Its earnings were ...

Markets are lower this morning with the S&P 500 down 0.9% and Toronto down 0.3%. Oil is down moderately  at about $104 according to Yahoo Finance although BNN television is showing it down moderately to $107. Oil is priced on futures contracts ab...

Canadian markets were closed for the holiday. The S&P 500 edged down 0.1%. The ten year U.S. bond yield moved a little higher at 4.62% as the bond market seems considerably more worried about where things are headed than does the stock market. Oi...

At Friday's close the S&P 500 and the Toronto stock exchange index were each down about 1.25% as the investors begin to worry more about the higher inflation and the lack of progress on ending the war with Iran. Cameco was down 4.1% to $148. Stan...

Markets are down this morning although not down as much as they were earlier this morning. Oil had jumped but has now retreated but is still at $100. It seems that the stock market still wants to be optimistic which surprises me. I grabbed some more ...

As I mentioned this afternoon, markets remained strong today. But meanwhile oil is at about $103 and inflation is accelerating. The markets seem to be counting on a resolution to the war with Iran. Tomorrow should be a good day Alberta as the Prime M...

Stantec is updated and rated (higher) Buy at Canadian $100 or U.S. $73. The stock fell 6.6% today after releasing earnings. The stock is down about 20% in the past week. I could blame this steep  fall that started about a week ago on a leak of its ea...

It's another strong day in the markets with the S&P 500 and Toronto both up another 0.6%. TFI International is up a strong 6.8%. This appears to be based on an analyst upgrade. There is no news from the company itself. Stantec is down 4.6%. I sus...

The S&P 500 pushed another 0.6% higher while Toronto was down 0.7%. Wholesale inflation in the U.S. hit 6% according to a new report and, all else equal, that could lead to higher interest rates. The ten year U.S. bond was up slightly to 4.48%. I...

The report on Enbridge Inc. is updated and rated (lower) Buy. This is a huge company. Although it strives to operate in a low risk manner it is also complex and does face risks including including that some of its pipes are on First Nation lands and ...

Today the S&P 500 edged down 0.2% while Toronto was up 0.4% as oil was at about $102. AutoCanada was down 4.1% to $21.75. I'm not tempted to buy unless it happens to go down closer to $18 at which point I might add a little to my position. It has...

As expected, given the lack of a deal with Iran, the S&P 500 is moderately lower this morning, down 0.5%. Toronto is down 0.2% despite oil being up 4.1% to $102. I'm reducing my position in the Enbridge rate reset preferred shares. While the yiel...

On Monday, the markets remained confident with the S&P 500 and Toronto each up 0.2%. Constellation Software was down 6.1%. It reports Q1 earnings tomorrow. It may be that its outlook will be far more important than the actual earnings. The concer...

Last week markets pushed higher and oil retreated after the U.S. proposed a an initial peace deal with Iran to open the Straight of Hormuz. On Thursday and Friday the U.S. was waiting for a response from Iran. Iran's response finally came on Sunday a...

RioCan Real Estate Trust is  rated Buy at $22.10. RioCan with 168 properties holds some of the best open-air  "big box" type shopping centers in Canada. Its properties are almost all in the six largest cities in Canada and with just over half of its ...

On Friday, the markets spent a second day waiting for Iran to hopefully agree to a deal or at least agree to a 30-day negotiate period that would meanwhile open the Straight of Hormuz. The market is assuming that this will happen. The S&P 500 ros...

Markets jumped on Wednesday on reports that the Iran war soon would be settled with a deal and the Straight opened. The S&P 500 was up a hefty 1.5% and Toronto was up 1.2% despite lower oil prices. Some notable moves included: Cameco up 8.0%. Wes...

After languishing for about 16 years! Aecon Group started to rise in 2023 and 2024  as it started to put certain problematic contracts behind it. In the past 13 months it has really soared - more than tripling and is well into all-time high territory...

The S&P 500 set another all-time high record today as it was up 0.8%. Toronto was down 0.2% as the price of oil dipped but is still at about $101 for West Texas. Cameco was down 3.1% after releasing earnings although it had been up earlier in the...

Markets were down modestly on Monday with the S&P 500 down 0.4% and Toronto down 0.7%. West Fraser Timber was down 4.6% and Toll Brothers was down 3.4%. The U.S. ten yar bond yield has risen modestly to 4.45% and that's negative for home building...

Friday was another positive day for the S&P 500 which was up 0.3% to a new record high. Toronto was down 0.2%. Shopify was up 5.2%. There has been trouble in the world of "private credit". Also certain non publicly traded investment funds have su...

I'll have more to say later but here's link to a replay of today's Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. I listened to a lot of it already and I consider it to be required listening for investors. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/02/warren-buffett-berkshire...

Markets were strong on Thursday with the S&P 500 up 1.0% and Toronto up 1.9%. The great majority of stocks on our list were higher. Linamar jumped 8.2% Couche-Tard was up 6.0%. Enbridge rose a 3.2% increase. Cameco (always a more volatile name) w...

At the close on Wednesday, the S&P 500 was about unchanged and Toronto was up 0.8%. Visa was up 8.3% as mentioned earlier today. Starbucks was up 8.45% to $105.50. It's done better than I expected. My concern has been valuation. A guest on Busine...

The S&P 500 is about flat this morning while Toronto is down 0.7% despite oil having jumped up to $105. Bank of Canada left interest rates unchanged. CN Rail is down 6% to $148. CN is a good long-term hold. If it happens to drop below $140 and ce...

Before getting into today's comment, I'm wondering if anyone has feedback on how easy it is to access these daily comments. Does your browser  save your username and password to make it easier? Or do you just keep a browser page open for multiple day...

Another interesting day in the markets... Oil is at $100 (yikes!) The S&P 500 and Toronto are each down a modest 0.5% ("what me worry?", says the market) I'm a bit shocked to see TFI International up 7.25% after posting lower earnings. But the ea...

Oil is up several dollars to close to $97. But the S&P 500 remains calm and rose 0.1% today while Toronto was down 0.25% Restaurant Brand was down 2.8% giving back some of its recent gains. After the close, TFI International reported lower profit...

If any of you subscribers run a business I'm always interested in sharing any business experience or knowledge. If you care to share with me what business you are in and how things are going, I'm interested in that. You can email me with this link or...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up 0.8% to 7165 and a new record closing high. (Showing no fear regarding the war with Iran). The Toronto stock exchange index was about unchanged. Oil closed down modestly at $94.40. As of Saturday Trump decided not to ...

Markets edged down on Thursday with the S&P 500 down 0.4% and Toronto down 0.1% Oil is back up to (ouch!) $97.21. It seems to me that the oil market is taking this war more seriously than is the S&P 500. lululemon got spanked down 13.3% as th...

Showing no fear, markets pushed higher on Wednesday with the S&P 500 up 1.0% and Toronto up 0.35%. This despite the "shooting war" in the Straights of Hormuz. Oil edged up to $92.65. Cameco was strong with an 8.3% gain. AutoCanada was up 3.7%. Wi...

The report on the Boston Pizza Royalties units is updated and rated (lower) Buy at $24.80. The 6.0% yield is attractive and distribution will likely grow slowly over the years. But there are risks that some restaurants could close. And when there is ...

Markets are optimistic this morning with the S&P 500 up 0.65% and Toronto up 0.8%. Oil is up modestly to close to $92. AutoCanada is up almost 4% to $23.14. But a new report out this morning shows that across the auto dealer industry in Canada in...

By the end of the day Tuesday the markets had started to pay at least a little bit of attention to the Iran war situation. The S&P 500 was down 0.6% and Toronto was down 0.6% and Toronto was down 1.6% as oil briefly dipped but is now at $90. Most...

North American stock markets are relatively calm again today despite uncertainty about the Iran war situation The S&P 500 is down 0.3%. Toronto is down 1.o% despite oil up 3% to $90. This may have something to do with gold being down modestly. Th...

Markets remained calm on Monday with the S&P 500 ending the day down just 0.2% and Toronto about unchanged. AutoCanada was up 4.6%. TFI International was up 3.0%  ...

I have updated the rating on the U.S. 20 year treasury ETF that trades as symbol TLT. This offers an attractive interest rate on U.S. dollars invested and will rise in price if U.S. long-term interest rates decline. Trump certainly wants U.S. long te...

I'm surprised how calm markets are this morning given the breakdown in the efforts to get a deal to end the war in Iran. The S&P 500 and Toronto are both essentially unchanged versus Friday's close. Oil is up modestly to $86 for West Texas. Like ...

Markets rose on Friday as the Straight of Hormuz was declared open by Iran. The S&P 500 was up 1.2% and Toronto was up 0.9%. Almost every stock on our list was up - mostly in the range of 1 to 3%. Toll Brothers was notable with a 5.6% gain. Oil s...

The big news this morning is that Iran has declared the Straight of Hormuz completely open - for the duration of the ceasefire. This comes after Israel agreed to stop bombing Lebanon - which Iran thought was part of the ceasefire. I hate to pooh-pooh...

Markets were mixed on Thursday with the S&P 500 up 0.3% and Toronto down 0.3%. It was good day for those holding RioCan which was up 3.9% to $21.27. The reason for the gain was that a somewhat similar retail oriented REIT, First capital REIT is b...

Markets are higher this morning and the S&P 500 is back above 7000. RioCan is notable with a 4.35% gain to $21.36. This is likely based on an "analyst upgrade". With a 98% occupancy level it has seemed somewhat under-valued to me and and also a c...

Wednesday was another interesting day in the markets. The S&P 500 (apparently ignoring the Iran war risk) rose 0.8%. Toronto was up 0.2%. Linamar was down almost 13% to about $78. This was likely triggered by Bombardier Recreational Products' nos...

Markets are (perhaps irrationally?) optimistic about the Iran War situation. West Texas Oil is back down to $91. The S&P 500 was up 1.2%. Toronto was up 0.7%. I did not expect the recent stock market gains but I'm happy enough to go along for the...

With oil up, the Straight closed and no end in sight for the Iran war it was surprising to see the S&P 500 gain 1.0% on Monday. Toronto (which partly benefits from higher oil prices) was up 0.5%. Constellation Software was up 6.4%. Shopify was up...

With the failure of Iran / USA negotiations over the weekend West Texas Intermediate oil is up more than $5.00 to about $102. The S&P 500 has reacted calmly and is actually up 0.1%. I would not count on the S&P 500 holding up as the Iran war ...

Markets are calm this morning with the S&P 500 up 0.2% and Toronto up 0.8%. Oil is calm at $97.40. For your cash and fixed income investing I see that the TD Web Broker is offering a (potentially five year) 1 year extendible note from TD bank pay...

Even as oil prices rose to about $98, stock markets remained fairly optimistic about the cease fire. The S&P 500 was up 0.6% while Toronto was down 0.4%. I expect continued volatility in the markets. CN rail was up 2.0% to $152 and has had a stro...

Markets today reacted to the two week (and hopefully to become permanent) ceasefire. Stocks came out of the gate strong and held onto most of those gains all day. Similarly oil was about 16% lower at the outset and held in pretty well all day trading...

Based on the two week ceasefire and the hoped for more permanent end to the war stocks are up 2 to 3% on average and West Texas oil is down about 16% to $94. Given the fragility of this deal (witness the bombing in Lebanon), I'd be more inclined to t...

Markets were relatively quiet during the trading day on Tuesday ahead of Trump's big deadline. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Linamar was down 3.2% and Constellation Software was down 2.6%. Toll Brothers was down 3.4%. A two wee...

Markets on Monday were in a bit of a holding pattern as we await a potential settlement in the Iran war or Trumps threatened massive bombing campaign. The S&P 500 ended the day up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Starbucks was strong with a 4.9% gai...

I decided to take some risk off the table this morning. I like the idea of having more cash for stability aad to provide funds for bargains and ultimately hold a higher proportion in fundamentally strong companies as long term holds. First I trimmed ...

The reports for the two rate reset preferred shares BPO.PR.A at $20.30 and BPO.PR.G at $21.81 are updated and rated Speculative Buy. These two have done very well since I updated them in April last year at $15.12 and $15.55 and not bad since the upda...

On Thursday (which now seems like a long time ago), the S&P 500 was up 0.1% and Toronto was up 0.5%. Restaurant Brands was up 2.3% to $106.71 and has done very well since I rated it a (higher) Buy at $94.20 on February 21. I won't be adding at th...

AutoCanada is updated and rated Speculative Weak Buy / Hold. It's been interesting and informative to follow this company over the years. This company has been a poor and volatile investment ever since mid 2014 when it had rocketed up to about $92 be...

Markets edged higher on Wednesday on faith that the Trump / Iran war would soon end. (I'm skeptical of that). The S&P 500 was up 0.7% and Toronto was up 0.6%. Most of the stocks I track were higher on the day. Notably, Linamar was up 3.0%. Oil wa...

Tuesday was a banner day in the markets after Trump suggested that the war with Iran would soon end. That's probably wishful thinking but it lit a fire under the markets. The S&P 500 was up 2.9% and Toronto was up 2.6%. Almost all the stocks on o...

On Monday, markets started out somewhat higher but moved lower during the day. The S&P 500 was down 0.4% on the day while Toronto was down 0.1%. Restaurant Brands was up 3.6%....

The province of Ontario in the last few minutes is out with a ten year bond that will pay a yield to maturity of 4.0%. The coupon is 3.9% but it is priced at $98.805 which adds the extra 0.1% annually over the life as it will mature at $100. Dependin...

My last update for West Fraser Timber was back on December 24, 2024 and I rated it Sell at Canadian $125 and U.S. $87. That worked out well given that the price now is $89 Canadian and $64 U.S. West Fraser is a very cyclic company. It's currently pro...

On Friday, the S&P 500 was down  1.7% while Toronto was up 0.2%. Starbucks was down 4.8% to $86.81 and may be worth considering. It seems to "catch a bid" when it gets below about $85 lululemon was down another 3.7% to $146 and has certainly had ...

Markets have drifted lower this Friday morning. That can't be a surprise to anyone given the ongoing war in the middle east. The question is how long will this last and will the market settle lower due to higher interest rates and more focus on risk....

On Thursday the S&P 500 ended the day down 1.7% and Toronto was down 1.5%. Nobody knows how bad the war in Iran is going to get and how much disruption and inflation it is going to cause. The market is bouncing around trying to remain somewhat op...

S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto up 1.4%. A good day in the markets! Oil keeps bouncing and is currently at $91. The five year government of Canada Bond yield is at 3.13%. That's a sharp increase from 2.7% a month or so ago. The various perpetual ...

Tuesday was another interesting day in the markets. The S&P 500 was down 0.4% while Toronto was up 0.2%. Dollarama got pushed down 9.6% after posting lower same-store-sales in its Q4 and indicating that its new Australia operations will be a drag...

Dollarama is down 7.6% to $172 after reporting weaker same-store sales growth in Q4. I really like this company but my last rating on it was only Weak Buy Hold at $187 dated August 30. I noted it was expensive on a P/E basis (over 30) but it generall...

On Monday, markets were soothed by Trump's backing down on his threats to take out Iran's pwer plants. The S&P 500 was up 1.15% and Toronto was up 1.8%. Most stocks on out list moved higher. Trucker TFI International was notable with a 5.7% gains...

The report on Melcor is updated and rated (lower) Strong Buy at $17.71. Reviewing its Q4 closely it was better than I initially thought. In my note on March 11 I indicated that there was a special dividend of 35 cents but I wrongly said that the regu...

Markets were weak on Friday with the S&P 500 down 1.5% and Toronto down 1.7%. The S&P 500 is now down 7.1% since peaking just above 7000. I don't consider that to be a surprising drop at all considering it started from a lofty valuation in re...

Thursday's session ended with the S&P 500 down 0.3% and Toronto down 1.4%. Oil is at $94.60 and, let's see, the U.S. ten year bond is at 4.28% and has increased modestly since the new Iran war started. AutoCanada got spanked down 15% to $17.00 to...

Wednesday ended with the S&P 500 down 1.4% and Toronto down 1.9%. It's not surprizing to see markets down with this hot war in Iran and far higher gasoline prices that will logically slow the economy somewhat. The surprise has been how well the m...

Markets are modestly lower today. The Bank of Canada held its interest rate unchanged today. The 5 year Canada bond yield initially fell on the news but is now slightly higher at 2.99%. This suggest that 5 year mortgage rates will  not be coming down...

Tuesday was apparently a relatively uneventful day in the markets. The S&P 500 was up a modest 0.25% and Toronto was up an even more modest 0.2%. Aecon Group was up 3.25%. I've said it a few times - I gave up on that company too early. CN Rail wa...

Monday's session saw the S&P 500 and the Toronto stock index each up 1.0%. Most of the stocks on our list were up. Toll Brothers was up 4.0%. CMHC released the housing starts date for February. For details, see the download link and see Table 1 f...

On Friday the S&P 500 was down 0.6% and Toronto was down 0.9%. Trump's war on Iran is not going nearly as smoothly or as fast as he expected (what they did not immediately surrender unconditionally?? he may be asking). Obviously market can slide ...

Canadian building permit data for January has been released. See the details here. Note that the headline figures are always month over month seasonally adjusted. I focus on the year over year change. Residential permits in Alberta are down 6% year o...

On Thursday with oil tankers getting bombed by Iran, the market got a bit more worried and the S&P 500 was down 1.5% and Toronto was down 0.8%. West Texas Oil is back up to $97 and it's anyone's guess where it will be in the next week and month. ...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was down 0.1% and Toronto was down 0.45%. Oil is at &90.43 and the U.S ten year bond yield is up to 4.21%. A higher bond yield indicates fear of inflation. At times the U.S. yield goes down when it is considered by Am...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was down 0.2% while Toronto was up 2.25%. AutoCanada was down 5.1% to $20.78. I wonder if bad news about its upcoming Q4 report has (illegally) leaked out. Leaks are illegal but basically nothing is ever done about it. Oil ...

So at the end of the day Monday markets recovered with the S&P 500 up 0.8% and Toronto up o.3%. And oil is down to $87. It's definitely hard to keep up and predict where things are headed....

Markets have settled down somewhat. The S&P 500 is down a relatively modest 0.65% and Toronto is down 0.85%. West Texas Oil is at $95 and The U.S. ten year bond is at 4.13%. I don't see any movements in the stocks on our list that are all that no...

Just yesterday I commented that West Texas Oil was up to $91. Now it's at $108! as of about 3 pm eastern Sunday. This is obviously a big deal. There will be many impacts of higher oil prices, some more obvious that others. People spending more money ...

Markets drifted lower on Friday with the S&P 500 down 1.3% and Toronto down 1.6%. WTI oil is at $91 and the higher cost will soon affect other parts of the economy. The cost of transporting goods is higher and consumers are spending more on gasol...

Greetings from Porto Portugal. This is a lovely European City. Mostly older historic mid-rise buildings downtown and very walkable with plenty of shops and restaurants for tourists. Markets have been holding up reasonably well despite the war with Ir...

Today the market has decided or observed that the situation in the Middle East is worst than hoped. West Texas oil is up another $6.28 to $77.50 The S&P 500 is down 2.2% and Toronto is down 3.9% as gold and mining stocks are hard hit. Cameco is d...

Despite all the news about Iran the S&P 500 finished that day roughly unchanged versus Friday's close. Toronto was up o.6% as oil and gold rose. Cameco was up 6.5%. Aecon Group was up  3.4%. It reports earnings on Friday. lululemon ended the day ...

Overall, the market reaction to the Iran situation has been very minor. Oil is up to $70.74 U.S. for West Texas Intermediate and airline stocks are down somewhat. The U.S. 10 year bond yield moved slightly higher and perhaps for that reason Toll Brot...

As of Sunday evening it now looks like the markets may have a relatively quiet opening. (Of course that can change by morning). Oil had jumped 8% but is now up only 4% and the S&P 500 futures at down only about 0.5%. Today I listened to a portion...

Given the the bombings in Iran, anything that happened yesterday may now be old news. In any case, on Friday, the S&P 500 was down 0.4% and Toronto was down 0.5%. Netflix was up 13.7% as it bowed out of the bidding for Warner Brothers. American E...

The report on Royal Bank of Canada is updated and rated Weak Buy / Hold. Royal bank is highly profitable and at 15.3 times trailing earnings could be considered a Buy certainly. My thinking is that its earnings have had a bit of spike upwards and at ...

Markets are a little softer this morning but Netflix is up 9.5% after bowing out of the bidding war for Warner Brothers. Shopify is down 5.4%. Thinking about all the recent gains I am inclined to reduce positions and raise cash. But I always find it ...

Goodness, another strong day for Canadian investors with the Toronto index up 1.1% even as the S&P 500 fell 0.5%. Among the gainers: WSP Global up 5.0% and Stantec up 5.5%. Constellation Software up 6.0%. It has not yet reported Q4 results. TFI I...

The S&P 500 is down 0.8% this morning but Toronto is up 0.5%. Oil had been lower but is now higher. Three of Canada's big banks have reported with strong earnings. So far loan losses have not been a problem despite lower home prices and increased...

Wednesday's session saw the S&P 500 up 0.8% and Toronto up 0.5%. Constellation Software bounced up 3.85%. Netflix was up 6.0%. This could be because it might get outbid in purchasing Warner Brothers. The market might prefer that. National Bank (u...

Yesterday the market recovered some of Monday's decline as the S&P 500 was up 0.8% and Toronto was up 0.6%. The majority of stocks were up including Cameco up 2.0%. President Trump is always an entertainer and the Speech from the Throne, whoops I...

Markets were lower on Monday as the world wonders if Trump's next move will be to attack Iran. The S&P 500 was down 1.0% but Toronto was down only 0.1% as Gold rose and oil is at $66.24. The ten year U.S. treasury yield is down to 4.0% indicating...

The report on Canadian Tire is updated and rated Buy at $187. Its recent results have been strong....

On Friday, (which now seems like a long time ago), The S&P 500 and Toronto were both up 0.7%. Canadian Tire was up 3.3%. Constellation Software bounced up 3.0%. West Fraser Timber was down 6.2%. It's a tough company to predict given the volatilit...

The report on Restaurant Brands is updated and rated (higher) Buy at U.S. $68.82 or Canadian $94.20. The last update here was almost 18 months ago rated Weak Buy at about this same price. Since then the company has grown and earnings are higher and t...

At the close on Thursday, the S&P 500 was down 0.3% and Toronto was up 0.6%. WTI oil is up to $66.62 which is certainly positive for Alberta. Danielle Smith did a television address this evening touting how Alberta's economy is booming. She wants...

Markets are mixed today with The S&P 500 modestly lower and Toronto modestly higher (with higher oil prices). Canadian Tire caught my attention this morning as it was initially up about $11.00 or about 6% after a strong Q4 report. But it seems th...

ANOTHER good day in the markets with the S&P 500 up 0.6% and Toronto up 1.5% with oil and shopify higher. I mentioned some of the gainers earlier today. In addition to gainers I mentioned earlier today, Constellation Software bounced up 5.3%. I s...

Markets are higher today with the S&P 500 up 0.8% and Toronto up 1.4% (as oil is higher by about $2.00). Markets going higher even when they are expensive seems to support the idea that the MOST important thing in investing is to be in the market...

Let's see, Tuesday's close saw the S&P 500 up0.1% and Toronto down 0.5%. About an hour ago I got an alert from TD Direct about a share offering from Rockpoint natural gas storage. They did an IPO in October at $22 and I probably mentioned it. It'...

Markets are modestly lower this morning. Enbridge is down 3.1% for whatever reason. This is a good company to accumulate on dips. Canada's latest inflation report is out. Still definitely too high year-over-year. 3.0% excluding gasoline which was DOW...

Markets are closed today in Toronto (Family Day) and the U.S. (Presidents Day). I just noticed that one of the perpetual preferred shares on our list was actually redeemed in December. This was a Royal Bank preferred share RY.PR.N. I had last rated i...

Markets were mixed today with the S&P 500 up just 0.05% but with Toronto up 1.9%. Linamar was up 5.5% to just under $95. Seeing that, I figured it had reported earnings but no -- it reports on March 4. This is the highest closing price ever for L...

Markets were lower on Thursday with the S&P 500 down 1.6% and Toronto down 2.4%. Given all the recent gains, I consider this to be a minor move down. Oil was down modestly to about $63 and Gold was down to $157 to $4943 (a 3.1% decline). Restaura...

My thoughts are of course with the people of Tumbler Ridge and especially the families most affected. This hits close to home for everyone in that town and also to some degree for students and teachers and parents and many others across Canada. Some ...

At the close on Tuesday the S&P 500 was down 0.3% while Toronto was up 0.7%. Toll Brothers was up a strong 5.9%. That was likely related to a drop in longer term interest rates as the U.S. ten year treasury has declined modestly to 4.15%. After t...

The Canadian markets is  stronger once again today. Toronto is up about 0.75% although the S&P 500 is about flat. CN Rail is up 3.45% to $145. That's  a nice bounce from it's recent dip down to close to $130. It had dipped with its January 30 ear...

Monday was a positive day in the markets with the S&P 500 up 0.5% and Toronto up a hefty 1.7%. Cameco was up 5.4% and has had a good bounce after a recent dip. Shopify was up 5.0% recovering some of its recent big losses. CN Rail is back over $14...

Markets are higher today with the S&P 500 up 0.6% and Toronto double that with a 1.2% gain as West Texas Oil is up to $64.79 and with Gold also up. I've been surprised at the strength of the Boston Pizza Royalties Income units now at $24.35. The ...

At the close on Friday the S&P 500 was up a stout 2.0% and Toronto was up 1.5%. A good day in the markets by any standard. TransAlta was up 6.9%. Aecon Group was up 7.25%. Starbucks was up 3.5% I added a little more to my Constellation Software p...

Markets have bounced back this morning with the S&P 500 and Toronto both up about 1.3%. Aecon Group is up 3.45%. There is a new offering this morning. AGT  Foods and Ingredients Ltd. is returning to the market (It went private in 2019) with a mod...

Markets lost ground on Thursday with the S&P 500 down 1.2% and Toronto down 1.8%. Cameco was down 4.6%. Shopify was down 2.75$ to $152.41. It's not cheap but I'm tempted to add a little to my position. It reports earnings next week. Bitcoin is do...

Markets are down about 1% this morning. WSP Global is down about 5%. On the subscriber Home page the link the Canadian ETF reference article is updated. This worth a look - but it is a longer article. There is a wealth of information there.  The last...

Wednesday was yet another interesting day in the markets. Most of the stocks on our list did well but the S&P 500 was down 0.5%. Toronto was up 0.6%. Oil was up to $65 due to concerns about tensions between Iran and Trump. Cameco was down 8.8% to...

Some interesting moves in the market today. The S&P 500 was down 0.8% while Toronto was up 0.6%. Constellation Software was down 6.7%. TFI International was up 4.8% to $161.05 (FedEx, which is not on our list was up 5.4%). West Fraser Timber was ...

More interesting stock moves this morning. Constellation Software tumbled almost 8% to $2,275. I did not yet see the news that drove that but I just added to my position based on the lower price. TFI International is up another 4.5% to $160. It's had...

Markets rose on Monday with the S&P 500 up 0.5% and Toronto up 0.8%. TFI International was up 5.0% to $153.61. Its recent strong  gains surprise me. On the Q3 earnings call the company seemed to indicated that Q4 would be weak followed by better ...

Our report on Starbucks is updated but rated Weak Sell / Hold at U.S. $91.95. Based on the numbers it could easily be rated an outright Sell. But I am giving it some benefit of the doubt based on its apparently strong new management team and its stro...

To my surprise markets are higher as of mid-day today. The S&P 500 is up 0.6%. And Toronto is also u 0.6% despite oil being down several dollars to $61.87. Couche-Tard is up 3.0%. Costco is up 2.6%. Visa is up 3.2%. TFI International is up 3.3%. ...

Today I'm taking a very close and detailed look at Starbucks. I'll have an updated report by tomorrow but I will not be rating it a Buy at the current price of $92. It's a hold at best and perhaps should be rated Sell. I like the IDEA of owning Starb...

Friday was another eventful day in the markets. Silver prices fell hard but that came after months of gains adn Gold was also down noticeable given back a little of its recent huge gains. The S&P 500 was down a modest 0.4%. But Toronto slumped 3....

Markets are down modestly (S&P 500 down 0.2%) as Trump has announced that the next Fed Chair will be Kevin Warsh. The market will be trying to understand if Kevin Warsh will act somewhat independently as opposed to doing Trump's bidding (to the e...

As of the end of the day Thursday, markets recovered some of the losses of the morning. The S&P 500 ended down just0.1% and Toronto was down 0.5%. lululemon ended the day down 4.3%. It's not been a stock for the faint of heart. Visa reported afte...

The report on Metro Inc. is updated and rated Buy at $90.68. It's not a compelling bargain but should be a lower risk holding for the long term. Those who shop at Metro's may be particularly interesting in owning a small piece of the action. There wa...

This morning markets are giving back some of the resent gains. The S&P 500 and Toronto are each down about 1%. Constellation Software is down another 3.9%. Meta is up 7.5% while Microsoft is down 12%. West Texas oil is suddenly above $65. Not coi...

There was lots of news for the market to digest today with both the Bank of Canada and the FED leaving interest rates unchanged and indicating that the direction of their respective economies was uncertain. Starbucks reported earnings this morning an...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was up 0.5% while Toronto was essentially unchanged. United Healthcare was down 20%. It's company I have mentioned very occasionally and I own a modest amount but it's not on our list. Canadian Grocer / pharmacy Metro Inc. ...

Markets are mixed this morning with the S&P 500 up 0.5% and very close to breaching the 7000 level. Toronto is down 0.2% The Canadian dollar is at 73.5 U.S. cents. Defying many predictions. Oil is stronger at $61.92. United Health is down 19% aft...

Not much excitement in the markets today. The S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto was down 0.2%. West Texas oil is at $60.82. I added Netflix to our list as a Speculative Buy and initiated a modest position in the company. After the close United Heal...

Futures suggest that the S&P 500 will open only moderately down on Monday morning. The market, it seems, is unconcerned by the latest death in Minneapolis involving ICE agents. Also unconcerned about another potential government shutdown in the U...

On Friday the S&P 500 was about unchanged as Toronto rose 0.4% assisted by higher oil prices. Overnight Trump has now threatened a 100% tariff on Canada if it goes ahead with a trade deal with China. If Trump does impose material tariffs on Canad...

Despite all the turmoil that Trump is causing, markets were higher again today with the S&P 500 and Toronto each up about 0.5%. Couche-Tard was up 2.5%.  Stantec was up 2.4%.  Canadian Tire was up 2.2%. Trump is suing both J.P Morgan and its CEO ...

Stocks recovered on Wednesday after Trump announced that he had some kind of negotiated deal in principle for Greenland. But there was no indication that Denmark has agreed to anything. Trump called off his threat to impose tariffs on countries tat r...

Trump has spoken in Davos. He indicated he won't take Greenland by force. The market decided to trust that and the S&P 500 edged up 0.30% recovering some of yesterday's 2.1% decline. TransAlta is down 5.8%. This company has a very long history of...

Markets were lower on Tuesday with the S&P 500 down 2.1% and Toronto down 1.0%. That's not a big move down after all the recent gains. Most stocks were down today. Tomorrow's excitement may be the reaction to Trump's speech in Davos. Clearly it w...

The report on Fortis Inc. is updated and rate Weak Buy / Hold at $72.47. It has strong reliable earnings. But its valuation is a the higher end of its range. Fortis has strong growth potential due to increasing electricity demands. I was tempted to r...

On Monday, the U.S. markets were closed while Toronto was little-changed. This morning markets are down modestly (S&P 500 down 1.2%) as the market reacts to Trump's latest threats against Greenland. The U.S. 10-year bond has edged up to 4.27% as ...

Housing starts in any given month are often volatile due to large project multi-family starts that are volatile by nature. For Canada, total housing starts in December were up 25% year-over-year driven by multi-family starts (probably mostly rental a...

Markets were little changed at the end of the day on Friday with the S&P 500 down marginally and Toronto up marginally. Constellation Software was down another 2.6%.  The forward price to earnings ratio is 23 which is far lower than its historica...

Cameco is up 4% this morning to $163. I first added it to this site in the Fall of 2022 at $33 as it appeared that nuclear power was set for a resurgence. It looks very expensive now in relation to its earnings but the market certainly has confidence...

On Thursday the S&P 500 and Toronto were each up 0.5%. Aecon Group was up 3.6%. AutoCanada was up 2.8%. And so it goes, another day adn another few dollars made. But Constellation Software was down 3.3% and I added a little to my position....

Oil stocks were strong today with Canadian natural Resources up 4.4%. And the energy ETF, XEG was up 2.5%. But after the close Trump seemed conciliatory towards Iran and oil prices dipped but then partially recovered. The S&P 500 took a little br...

Markets are always doing surprising things. This morning on Yahoo Finance  I saw a headline that Bank of America and Wells Fargo profits surged (surged!) on higher trading revenues. Sounds good.  Sounds like I am missing out on a good thing. Then I c...

At the close on Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.2% and Toronto was unchanged. November Building Permits were reported today. Alberta residential permits were up 5.8% year over year and up 0.5% versus October.  B.C. was strong while Ontario and Qu...

Markets are not much changed at this hour. Visa is down about 4% and I added a small amount to my position. Oil is up 3.0% to $61.29 pushing oil stocks up.  Canadian select oil was U.S. $46.77 as of yesterday. It's a different grade of oil versus WTI...

The markets overcame any jitters about Trump indicting the Fed chair and ended Monday with the S&P 500 up 0.2% an with the 7000 level in the crosshairs.  Toronto was up 0.7%, lululemon managed a 2.5% gain even though Abercombie and Fitch crumbled...

The markets continue to be unfazed by Trump's latest moves including apparent plans or thoughts to indict the FED chair for refusing to lower interest rates. (This is separate from indicting him over cost-overruns on a huge and costly FED building re...

The stock markets continue to roar ahead! On Friday the S&P 500 and Toronto were each up about 0.7% adding to gains earlier in the week. Toll Brothers (a luxury home builder) jumped 7.4% as Trump ordered U.S. the federal government mortgage insur...

Markets are up again today. Toll Brothers is up 7% probably due to Trumps efforts to lower mortgage rates. His direction for Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac (the government mortgage insurance entities) to BUY $200 billion mortgage backed securities is stra...

Costco was up 3.7% on Thursday after reporting same-store sales growth that was strong but not at all spectacular at 6.2%. With added stores adn economies of scale 6% same-store sales growth could lead to about 9% EPS which is great except that the s...

I just completed hours of reading and updating numbers and looking at value rations to come to what is probably an obvious conclusion that Couche-Tard remains a buy for long-term gains. It's not a screaming buy but I think it is a buy. It may be just...

On Wednesday, markets were down modestly with the S&P 500 down0.3% and Toronto down 0.8%. CN Rail was down 3.6% to $134. It's generally a good stock to add to on dips. CN reported 6% lower revenue ton miles in the latest week so that is something...

Markets are a little weaker this morning with the S&P 500 down 0.1% and Toronto is down 1.3% Oil is down 1.4% to $56.41. Western Canadian Select is at $44.78 U.S.  Trump indicates that a lot of Venezuelan oil will soon reach the gulf coast. I'm j...

Markets were strong on Tuesday as the S&P 500 and Toronto each gained 0.6%. FedEx was up 3.5% and is at a 52 week and it just under its all-time high from 2021. Apparently there is faith in the U.S. economy. Starbucks has been strong lately and w...

The report on Visa is updated and rated Buy at $357. Last Spring I was a bit cautious as I thought a possible recession and less travel would slow its growth. But it had continued strong growth in recent quarters. It's value ratios look a little chea...

Markets are up once again this morning. Yesterday after the close there was a offering of a 5.5% convertible debenture from Rogers Sugar. It sold out very fast. I put in for some but was allocated only 32% of what I asked for. This indicates a lot of...

Stocks did surprising  well today. Toronto was up 1.1% despite oil stocks being down. The S&P 500 was up 0.6%. TFI International was up 4.1% to $152.39. I don't get why it has soared so much. This had dipped as low as $113 about six weeks ago (No...

Markets are up about 0.7% this morning in spite of Trumps action in Venezuela. Nothing seems to faze the markets, not since the tariff tantrum of last April. If oil production in Venezulea is going to open up then that could be quite negative for Alb...

TFI International was strong today with a 3.2% increase on this first trading day of the new year. West Fraser Timber was up 2.7%. Cameco was up 7.7%. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% and Toronto rose 0.5%.    ...

Markets are off to a positive start for the year. Cameco is up 7.3%. Cameco should have a bright long-term future with the resurgence of Nuclear power but it's also a volatile stock. In the short-term I was hoping it would drift down and I would add ...

Today the markets closed out an extremely strong year by giving back a little of the gains. The S&P 500 was down 0.7% and Toronto was down 0.5%. Andrew Peller was up 3.1%. For the year, the S&P 500 was up 16.4% and Toronto was up a stunning 2...

This second last trading day of the year was uneventful with the S&P 500 and Toronto each down 0.1% Shopify was down 2.45% but it's always a volatile stock. Tomorrow will be Warren Buffett's last day as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He took over Ber...

Monday was a relatively quiet day in the markets with the S&P 500 down 0.35% and Toronto down a similar 0.3%. The Canadian dollar is at 73.0 U.S. cents. Interest rates have been relatively stable in the past few weeks. Hopefully the market can ho...

lululemon has unfortunately been in the news with some turmoil and the CEO is leaving at the end of January and another top long-time executive in charge of its Americas region is leaving for another opportunity as this month ends. And the founder Ch...

The report on Costco is updated and rated Weak Buy / Hold at $873. Given the high valuation I could have rated it somewhere in the Sell range. But it is such a powerful company that it may well stay expensive unless there is a general pull-back in th...

Toll Brothers is updated and rated Weak Buy at U.S. $139 The company appears to think its shares are under-valued and continues to buy back shares aggressively. The share count has been almost cut in half since 2024. But the U.S. new home market has ...

The October statistics for Food services and Drinking places were released today (restaurants and bars). That's something we can all relate to. The month over month change gives an indication of the latest trend. And the trend in Canada was strong wi...

Well, let's see...  Yes, markets were up once again today. The S&P 500 was up o.5% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Investing seems easy lately. Memories of the pullback in April of faded. Memories of earlier dips such as 2022 are dim now. Also the late ...

Yesterday I mentioned the expected volatility index the VIX.  It's a horrible idea. To bet on the VIX the most common trading symbol to use is VXX.(Choose the 1 year and the 5 year chart and all time)  It has a horrible track track record although it...

Markets rose again today with the S&P 500 up 0.6% and Toronto up 0.8%. At the moment the markets see a calm sea ahead. The Volatility Index "VIX" at 14.08 is at a 52 week low. In fact it's pretty close to all-time lows. It's basically a bet that ...

Shopify is updated with an admittedly wishy-washy rating of Speculative Weak Sell /Hold at CAN $234 or U.S. $170. This company is not very well suited to fundamental analysis. It appears very expensive with a forward price to earnings ratio of 90 and...

TFI International has had a big move lately. On Friday it was down 3.3% to $144.01. On Thursday it hit $148.97. That was a stout gain of 31% from the $113.84 close just one month ago on November 20. I don't know the reason for the sudden gain. It had...

As U.S. inflation came in lower than expected, the S&P 500 was up 0.8% on Thursday while Toronto gained 0.6%. lululemon was up 3.5% for the reason I mentioned this morning. Starbucks was strong with a 4.9% gain. Linamar was up 3.8% to a 52-week h...

Constellation Software is rate Buy at $3330. Note that it reports in U.S. dollars and our analysis is in U.S. dollars but it is a Canadian company and trades in Canadian dollars on Toronto. With a high of $5,300, it seems clear that the stock was pre...

Markets are set to rise this morning after the U.S. November inflation number came in significantly lower than expected at 2.7. Markets are now forecasting bigger cuts to interest rates which, all else equal, pushed up market values. Shelter costs in...

The S&P 500 was down 1.2% on Wednesday while Toronto was almost unchanged. TransAlta was down 5.4% after the U.S. government ordered it to keep a coal-fired power plant running for 90 days longer than TransAlta had planned. That seems like an ove...

There is big news this morning from StatsCan: Canada's population dropped by 76,000 in Q3 as temporary residents left and we have cut way back on new arrivals - especially students. So far I saw this only on twitter X. I assume this will be big news ...

The U.S. unemployment rate has risen to 4.6%. West Texas oil slipped  down to $55 today.  Not good news for the Alberta treasury or the oil companies. On such news, the S&P 500 was down 0.2 and Toronto was down 0.7% The Boston Pizza Royalty units...

The WSP Global share issue that I mentioned yesterday was apparently over-subscribed. I "put in" for 200 shares adn was allocated only 70 shares.  It looked like a reasonably attractive offering and apparently the market thought so. In this situation...

An interesting development today was that WSP Global the giant Canadian-headquartered engineering consulting company was out with a share issue as it announced its latest huge acquisition. The share closed today at $241.65. The share issuance is at $...

Today I am updating a penny stock investment that turned out to be a poor investment from the start and then became absolutely dismal. This is Ceapro Inc. which recently merged with another company and changed its name to COSCIENS Biopharma Inc. This...

lululemon was a winner on Friday with a 9.6% gain. The markets overall were weak as with the S&P 500 down 1.1% and Toronto down 0.4%. Dollarama was up 2.4% to $202.23. It's been probably Canada's best performing retail company (by far) since its ...

Visa Inc. was a winner today with a 6.1% gain. Competitor America Express was up 2.5%. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% and Toronto was up 0.5%. After the close lululemon reported higher sales but lower profits and announced that it's CEO is stepping down...

This year I was heavily involved in selling a modest sized family business. This was an accommodation and food service business. It was sold as shares partly in order to benefit from the Lifetime Capital Gains Tax Exemption on selling shares in a Can...

The report for Aecon Group is updated and returned to the list rated Speculative Weak Buy at $31.42 Aecon Group is a big industrial construction company. Some of its major projects (sometimes as joint ventures) include the Gordie Howe Bridge, The Coa...

The FED today, as expected, lowered its over-night target interest rate by 0.25% to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. And The Bank of Canada left its rate unchanged at 2.25% which was also as expected. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% and Toronto was up 0.8% toda...

West Fraser Timber was down 3.1% today to $82.52. Last December I rated it a Sell at $125. But I do want to take another look at it soon. It's well managed but has faced tariffs and a slower home building industry this past year. The S&P 500 was ...

I saw on Business News Network Bloomberg this morning that Transcontinental a Canadian printing and packaging company is selling its U.S. division for a big gain versus what it was being valued at in the share price. The indication was that there be ...

TFI International (a trucking company) was strong today with a 2.5% gain to $138.02. Its strength in the past couple of weeks has surprised me. I did rate it a Buy just a couple weeks ago at $121. But given that it is expected to report a very weak Q...

lululemon was notable with a 3.5% gain on Friday recovering some of its HUGE stock price losses this year. It will report earnings later next week and it remains to be seen if they have good news or bad news for us. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% on the...

So the latest Labour Force Survey for Canada  is out and it was strong for the third month is a row and the unemployment rated dropped from 6.9% to 6.5%. That's impressive. But I take this with a a couple grains of salt as they say. It's only a surve...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up 0.1%. Toronto was strong with a 1.0% gain. Cameco was up 5.2% mocking me for calling it a Sell. It's a very unpredictable company. Industrial construction company Aecon Group was up 2.2%. It will be my next update. ...

The Canadian banks are doing very well as most of them have just released strong earnings reports. Surprises me somewhat since I keep seeing stories of steep losses on houses in Ontario. Maybe I am misled by a few bad stories. Good  times for TSX inv...

Wednesday's session in the markets saw the S&P 500 up 0.3% and Toronto up 0.4%. CN Rail was up 2.6%, TFI International was up 3.2% and Toll Brothers was up 2.6%. I own and like all three of these. But I don't know why these three have had attract...

Cameco is a large uranium miner and processor of uranium into useable fuel for nuclear reactors. In late 2023 it purchased 49% of Westinghouse which builds and services nuclear power plants. I added Cameco to this site on October 30, 2022 at $32.99 r...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was up 0.25% and Toronto was down 0.3%. Shopify was up 4.9% recovering from yesterday's decline after posting strong Black Friday volumes. Long-suffering share holders of Laurentian Bank had a good day as it rose on news i...

The province of British Columbia is out this morning with a bond that is advertised as paying 4.0% and maturing in 10 years. But the price is $102 per $100 of face value and that lowers the yield to maturity to 3.75%. This bond could offer capital ga...

On Monday, the S&P 500 was down 0.5% and Toronto was down 0.9%. Most stocks on our list were down modestly. TFI International was up 2.1%. Aecon Group was up 3.5%. I will update the report on Aecon in the next few days. My next update will be for...

U.S. markets were closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Toronto stock exchange, perhaps listless with big brother closed was up just 0.05%. Regarding the two Brookfield Office Properties rate reset preferred shares on our list, BPO.PR....

Wednesday was another strong day in the markets as the S&P 500 rose 0.7% and Toronto rose 0.9%. Most of the stocks on our list were up on the day but with no particularly notable moves. The U.S. market is expensive by all historical measures. It'...

Markets were strong once again on Tuesday with the S&P 500 up 0.9% and Toronto up 1.0%. lululemon was up 4.6% but has had a terrible year. It's Q3 report coming in early December will be of great interest to anyone holding lululemon. Toll Brother...

Stocks were strong on Monday as the S&P 500 and Toronto were each up about 1.5%. Cameco was up 5.1%. Shopify was up 5.2%. I sold some of my remaining National Bank shares (which came from the buyout of my Canadian Western Bank shares). National B...

The report on Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund is updated and rated Buy at $20.46. The distributable cash has risen this year and the units are up 17% year to date - in addition to the cash distribution for a total return of about 23%. This entity ...

Markets rose on Friday with the S&P 500 up 1.0% and Toronto up 0.85%. TFI International was up 6.5% recovering from a somewhat strange drop on Thursday. See update in my comment earlier today. Toll Brothers was up 4.3%. The Canadian Banks will st...

The report on TFI International is updated and rated Buy at CAN $121 or U.S. $ 86. This company has been a huge winner over the long term but it's having a poor year and the stock is down 38% this year to date. Give a thought to TFI's founder and CEO...

On Thursday morning markets roared higher out of the gate buoyed by Nvidia's results and outlook. But they quickly stumbled and the day ended with the S&P 500 down 1.6% and Toronto down 1.2%. Most stocks were down on the day. It seems that market...

AutoCanada is updated and rated Speculative Hold. This has been a terrible and volatile investment for a long time. It's Q3 was weak which sent the share price tumbling. Since 2028 the company was led by Paul Antony. He was saddled by the very poor p...

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 was up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.8%. AutoCanada was up 5.6% recovering some its recent losses. I don't follow Nvidia but it reported strong results after the close and that will likely lead to a positive day in the marke...

Brookfield Corp. is out with a new issue a rate reset preferred share initially paying 5.65% and with a spread of 2.80% over the five year upon reset. The initial spread here is similar at about 2.85%. It will have a minimum yield at reset but I coul...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.6% while Toronto was about unchanged. Stantec was down 3.1%. RioCan held an Investor Day today and I listened in to the webcast. RioCan is very well managed and has has firm plans for continued modest growth. Th...

The report on Enbridge Inc. is updated and rated (lower) Buy at Canadian $67.11 and U.S. $47.75. It seems very clear that Enbridge will continue to grow it assets. It has announced a number of growth projects including adding 5% to its mainline oil p...

Markets headed somewhat lower on Monday with the S&P 500 down 0.9% and Toronto down a similar 0.8%. Stantec was down 6.2% as it was downgraded by analysts after its Q3 earnings release. I added to my small position in this stock given the lower p...

Friday saw the S&P 500 down 0.05% (so almost unchanged) and Toronto up 0.2% AutoCanada as I mentioned on Friday got clobbered and was down 13.5% after releasing poor results. There were no other particularly notable moves in stocks on our list. O...

The report on TransAlta is updated and rated Speculative Weak Buy at $20.46. I added TransAlta to the the list two years ago because I have of knowledge of and work experience in the Alberta electricity generation market. And because there is interes...

So AutoCanada got spanked down 15% this morning after releasing poor Q3 results. At $18.77 it's down by 47% from its high earlier this year when things were looking better. It's particularly annoying that as CEO Paul Antony was announcing his exist i...

On Thursday some of of the highest flying stocks were out of favor as the S&P 500 was down 1.7% and Toronto was down 1.9% Shopify was down 6.2%. Cameco was down 7.0% Linamar was up 5.3% after reporting Q3 earnings that pleased the market. Perpetu...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was up 0.1% while Toronto was up 1.4% despite a weaker oil price at $58.44. The 10 year bond yield in the U.S. is down to 4.065% and may be headed under 4% again. The U.S. government shutdown is over but the market may no...

The report on CN Rail is updated and rated buy at $137 or U.S. $98. CN has suffered from lower and sometimes negative volume growth for the past couple of years. In part this is related to the U.S. tariffs. But they are managing to show some growth i...

Markets are off to a positive start this morning. The S&P 500 is up 0.2% as the end of the government shutdown in the US is apparently at hand. Toronto is up 0.75% despite West Texas Intermediate oil being down $1.78 on the day and sitting at $59...

Markets moved higher on Monday because it looks like the U.S. government shutdown is near an end. S&P 500 up a hefty 1.5% and Toronto up 1.35%. Most stocks were up on the day. Warren Buffett released a Thanksgiving letter today. He will no longer...

The report on RioCan is updated with a rating of (higher) Buy at $18.78 Basically it has a 6.2% cash yield and that cash distribution is very safe and almost certainly will increase over the years. RioCan continues to have a very high occupancy rate ...

On Friday the S&P 500 and the Toronto Stock index were each up about 0.1%. Starbucks was strong with a 4.0% gain. Intact Financial was up 4.5%. In the U.S. the divergence between the strength on Wall Street and the weakness on Main Street seems t...

Melcor Developments is updated and rated Strong Buy at $14.46 Long-time subscribers or anyone checking the history of this stock may question my sanity. But... Melcor has achieved a strong increase in adjusted earnings and in Funds From Operations in...

Thursday session saw the S&P 500 down 1.1% and Toronto down 0.8%. Canadian Tire was strong with a 5.7% increase after releasing earnings. Constellation Software was down 5.0%. I'm considering adding to my position. Several pother stocks on out li...

As of 2:20 pm eastern time TD Direct sent me an email about a new issue of a 5.5% perpetual preferred share from Intact Financial. It tells us that the market rate for a high-quality perpetual with credit rated pfd-2(high) is about 5.5% . The Bank pe...

The report on wine company Andrew Peller is updated and rated (lower) Buy at $5.17. After a period of losses things have improved significantly in the past five quarters. There's a good chance the stock price will rise over the next year. But fundame...

On Wednesday, markets regained ground with the S&P 500 up 0.4% and Toronto up 1.1%. Starbucks was strong with a 4.1% gain. The U.S. 10 year bond yield is at 4.16%. It did not decline after the FED cut its short-term overnight interest rate target...

On this Tuesday the markets gave back some of the recent gains as the S&P 500 was down 1.2% and Toronto was down a hefty 1.6%. Shopify was down 6.5%. The Q3 earnings reports for Canadian companies are pouring in now. I'll be working on some updat...

On Monday some of the "magnificent seven" stocks became  even more magnificent. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% while Toronto managed only 0.05%. lululemon was down 3.0% as the market apparently think it has lost its edge. Time will tell. It does not rep...

Tesla is added to our list of stocks and is rated Strong Sell at $456 Tesla is a great company and has a bright future. But it appears to be significantly over valued at this time. I had a small position in the stock but sold that on Friday. Tesla ha...

On Friday the S&P 500 and the Toronto stock exchange index were each up 0.3% CN Rail was up 3.0% after releasing Q3 earnings. This company if my fifth largest holding. I'm confident that it will do well over the years. TFI International was up 3....

On Thursday the S&P 500 was down 1.0% while Toronto was up 0.1%. Aecon  was up 7.1% after releasing earnings. After the close Meta's earnings were strong which will give a boost to the S&P 500 tomorrow. Trump got concessions from China while ...

On Wednesday both the Bank of Canada and the FED cut their overnight interest rates. The S&P 500 ended the day unchanged while Toronto was down 0.9% Longer term interest rates rose moderately, perhaps not convinced that inflation has been beaten ...

So, the Bank of Canada as expected has cut its overnight target interest rate by 0.25% to 2.25%. That will lower VARIABLE mortgage rates and lower what you can earn in short term deposit accounts. But the 2, 5 and 10 year government of Canada bond yi...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was up 0.2% and Toronto was up 0.5%. As mentioned earlier, Cameco was a big winner with a 23% gains. I had mentioned it favorably in February and January. Aecon which is involved in nuclear plant maintenance was up 6.6%. I ...

Cameco is up 23% after announcing its 50% owned Westinghouse subsidiary will provide the nuclear technology for $80 billion worth of new nuclear plants across the U.S. overt time. This stock will look expensive but may continue to have a very bright ...

S&P 500 rose an impressive 1.2% to another new high. Toronto fell 0.25%. Today I bought two perpetual preferred shares, PWF.PR.G and GWO.PR.Y after indicating that those were two that I liked. Those should do well if the 5 year Bank of Canada yie...

Central Bank Interest rates are expected to drop in bother Canada and the U.S. this week. Therefore if you are looking to buy a GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) today or tomorrow might offer a better rate than will be available at the end of t...

This morning New Brunswick was out with a reopening of a ten year bond due Jube 2035. The offer may be filled and close shortly and almost certainly will close sometime today. The yield to maturity is 3.64%. The offer appears to pay 3.95% but, becaus...

I've just updated the yields and ratings on all the preferred shares on our list. Preferred shares have done very well indeed over the past two years. Going forward the big gains are definitly behind us. But there is still a place for prefs especiall...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up another 0.8% and Toronto was up 0.55% Oil was higher apparently due to some new sanctions on Russian oil companies. Oil prices will likely remain volatile. Trump may be seeking regime change in Venezuela. If that happ...

Today the S&P 500 was up 0.6% Toronto was up 0.7% as oil was up again and now sits at $61.57. Just a few days ago it was around $57 and there was talk it was headed to $50. AutoCanada was up 3.8%. Shopify was up 3.1% TFI International was down 4....

The S&P 500 was down 0.5%. But Toronto rose 0.3% as oil was up by about $2.00 US. RioCan was up 2.0%. After the close, West Fraser Timber reported a loss. That does not strike mew as any kind of surprise but I see the stock is down about 6% in U....

The S&P 500 was unchanged today but Toronto was down a hefty 1.7% as Gold and other mining shares retreated sharply. Other than that sector it seemed to be a fairly normal day in the markets. lululemon was notable with a 5.2% gain after an analys...

Markets were higher once again with the S&P 500 up 1.1% and Toronto up 1.0%. Shopify was up 4.7%. The 5 year Canada bond yield is down to 2.62% which is as low as it's been in the past three years other than a brief dip lower with Trumps April ta...

The report on Stantec is updated and rated (lower) Buy. This appears set to continue to do well in terms of earnings. But the valuation is high which is a reason for caution....

The report on American Express is updated and rated (lower) Buy. This is a HIGHLY profitable company and has achieved very strong earnings growth in recent years. But the valuation is somewhat high and there is a risk of higher credit card losses. I ...

On Friday, the S&P 500 was up 0.5% but Toronto fell by 1.15%. Cameco bounced down 5.3%. American Express was up a hefty 7.3% after posting strong Q3 results. I am working on an update on this company. It was founded in 1850 as a parcel express co...

Alberta accounted for a huge 36% of Canada's single-family detached home starts in September. And 20% of  Canada's overall housing starts including multi-family. And Alberta represents only 12% of Canada's population. Alberta's population is now 5.0 ...

Markets were weaker today with the S&P 500 and Toronto both down 0.6%. But TFI International rose 7.0% although it did not release any news. I'm working on an update on Stantec but with a P/E ratio of 31 times adjusted earnings it is likely too r...

The S&P 500 was up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.9%. We are now in earnings reporting season. Some U.S. companies including the big banks have already reported Q3 earnings. The Canadian reporting cycle is about two weeks later than in the U.S. but th...

The S&P 500 was down 0.2% while Toronto was up 1.7% as it played catchup after being closed on Monday. Cameco was up 7.9% and TransAlta was up 7.65%. TFI International was up 3.7% and Restaurant Brands was up 3.0%. Toll Brothers was up 4.4%. Oil ...

The S&P 500 is down 0.3%. Toronto, which was closed for the holiday yesterday, is up 1.6% as it catches up to the gains in the S&P 500. TransAlta is notable with an 8% gain. Also Cameco with an 8.7% gain. Trump's latest threat of an additiona...

AutoCanada is updated but rated only Speculative Weak Buy / Hold at $28.26. This has been a dog of a company for about the last seven years after it made a disastrous purchase of a group of "car" dealers near Chicago. Now it is in the process of sell...

On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 2.7% and Toronto fell 1.4%. This came after Trump suddenly announced an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports bring the total tariff to 130%. This to be effective November 1. The market may or may not more or less ...

Linamar is updated and rated (lower) Buy at $73. That was the price as I started analysing it this week. As I write this it is down to $71.36. It made strong gains lately and still looks cheap. But the outlook is for modest earnings growth at best in...

Oil is down about 2% this morning and dipped under $60 at least briefly. That's not good for oil stocks or Alberta in general. The ten year bond yield is back down to 4.1%. That's good for dividend stocks and for perpetual preferred shares. The impac...

Today the S&P 500 down 0.3% and Toronto was down 0.8%. My next update will be for Linamar. It's vehicle parts segment has held up well in the face of tariffs. It's sales to the agricultural segment have suffered as U.S. farmers have been hurt by ...

The S&P 500 was up 0.6% and Toronto was up 0.5%. A portion of my Brookfield Office Properties rate reset preferred share BPO.PR.A sold today at $17.90. It's been a highly volatile stock but overall I was up about 20% on that portion not counting ...

Today markets lost ground with the S&P 500 down 0.4% and Toronto down 0.6%. Toll Brothers was down a hefty 5.6% apparently because a key analyst became pessimistic on home builder stocks. Linamar was down 3.2%. This may have been related to Trump...

On Monday the S&P 500 was up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.2% Shopify was up 2.1% to $229.52. Earlier in the day it was at a new all-time high of $237. Exactly three years ago it bottomed at around $35 and there were calls for it to go to $20. West F...

Another week over. On Friday the S&P 500 was about unchanged although it had been up earlier in the day. Toronto was strong with a 1.0% gain. TransAlta was up a hefty 5.5%. It has a poor history but had done better lately. Shopify was up 6.5% to ...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up 0.1% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Starbucks was up 2.75% to $86.72. Linamar was up 3.6% and has done well in the face of all the tariff risks. I've been somewhat tied up with a project in recent months and will get back...

On Wednesday we have the first day of the U.S. government "shut down". Markets ignored that as the S&P 500 and Toronto each roe 0.3%. Restaurant Brands was up 3.2%. Alberta is submitting an application to build a new oil pipeline to Northern B.C....

Third quarter of the year is over. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.2%. This in spite of a looming U.S. federal government "shutdown" and more talk by Trump and the Secretary of war about sending troops into certain cities...

On Monday the S&P 500 was up 0.3% while Toronto was more impressive with a 0.7% increase. Shopify was up 6.2%. TD Direct had an interesting IPO (Initial Public Offering) offering today. "Rockpoint Gas Storage Inc." It seems like a potentially goo...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up 0.6% and Toronto was up 0.1% Constellation Software was down 6% as it continues to weaken after the resignation of its fantastic CEO Mark Leonard for health reasons. I see where Trump announced he has authorized sendi...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was down 0.5% and Toronto was down 0.1%. Cameco was up 3.5%. West Fraser Timber was down 3.2%. Shopify was down 3.3%. There was big news as Constellation Software fell 6.0% on the surprise resignation of the amazing Mark L...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was down 0.3% and Toronto was down 0.2%. lululemon was up 3.4% recovering a tiny amount of its recent plunge. World news: Recent news seems to indicate that Russia is suffering from the Ukraine attacks, particularly its o...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 and Toronto were both down about 0.5% and the FED chair mentioned that stocks were highly valued. Most stocks were down on the day including Shopify down 4.5% and WSP Global down 4.1%. And Constellation Software down 4.8% ...

Note that I usually do a daily comment each evening or anytime after the market closes. Sometimes (like today) I do it the next morning. In part that's because I am currently in the maritime provinces where the market closes at 5 pm as opposed to 2 p...

Regarding AutoCanada: It has a huge runup lately and closed Friday at $34.06 Whether it can maintain or even increase depends on how its ales and profits are doing now. August light vehicle sales were reported last week. August sales were weaker year...

On Friday, the S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto was up a hefty 1.1%. Cameco was up 4.4% to a new high. The S&P 500 has now achieved a ten fold increase versus it's financial crisis low of 666.8 on March 9, 2009. That is a stunning gain in 16 y...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto was up 0.45% An interesting development was that the yield on the U.S. ten year bond rose modestly to 4.1% which could dash hopes for lower mortgage rates. Apparently the bond market does NOT bend t...

So both the Bank of Canada and the Fed cut interest rates by 0.25% yesterday. This was expected and therefore there s no great market rection. S&P 500 was down 0.1% and Toronto was essentially unchanged. This morning there is news that Nvidia wil...

As expected, the Bank of Canada has lowered its overnight lending rate by 0.25% to 2.5%. Since it was expected there is little market reaction. Canadian dollar is down very slightly. Next up id the FED rate decision in a few hours (Around 2 pm easter...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.1% and Toronto was down 0.4%. Cameco was down 7.2% after being up about 5% yesterday. Quite the volatile stock. I'll be watching the interest rate announcements tomorrow.    ...

Monday saw the S&P 500 and Toronto each rise 0.5%. Cameco was up 9.9%. Canadian Tire announced it is linking its reward program with Tim Hortons. Strange, but it demonstrates that Canadian Tire is always trying new things and are ambitious to imp...

Markets are off and running with another gain in the S&P 500 this morning. S&P 500 looks set to get past 6666 soon which would be a ten bagger in the 16 years since its March 2009 lows. I seem to be the only one thinking that's a remarkable m...

Markets were down modestly on Friday . The S&P 500 was down a scant 0.05% while Toronto was down 0.4%. lululemon was down 3.6% to $160. This stock has vexed me over the years. Often surprising me to the upside and now very much to the downside. M...

Markets pushed higher once again on Thursday with the S&P 500 up 0.85% and Toronto up 0.8%. Aecon Group jumped 9.5% which I assume is related to the Prime Minister list of national priority projects given that Aecon is involved in working on nucl...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 edged up another 0.3%. Toronto was up 0.4%. Cameco was up 2.8%. Aecon was up 3.8%. I tried to sell some BPO.PR.A but may have missed my chance. I tried to sell at yesterday's price of $18.60 bit it was down 2.4% to $18.15...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was up 0.3% and Toronto was up 0.1%. The S&P 500 showed very little reaction to a giant downward revision in jobs for the year ended back in March. Little reaction because the revision was very close to the expected amo...

Monday's session saw the S&P 500 up 0.2%. Toronto was down 0.1%. Couche-Tard was down 2.5%. The big move in the past few days has been lower interest rates becasue it is expected that the FED will cut its interest rate next Wednesday. The ten yie...

Friday's session saw the S&P 500 down 0.3% but Toronto was up 0.5%. A I mentioned this morning, lululemon got pounded down after releasing earnings - down almost 19% at the close. I added a little to my position since it still seems to be  very s...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up 0.8% to yet another all-time high. If it manages another 2.4% increase it will be a ten bagger from its March 2009 low. Incredible! Toronto was up 0.6%. lululemon WAS up 3.8% but then got slammed in after-hours trad...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto was also up 0.5%. Couche-Tard was strong with a 6.3% gain after releasing earnings. lululemon reports tomorrow, after the close.  ...

With Google up over 8% this morning due to a favorable anti-trust court ruling and some other "magnificent 7" stocks also benefiting form the ruling it's surprising that the S&P 500 is down 0.7%. I was expecting instead to see it surging toward 6...

U.S. markets were down on Tuesday but had been done even more earlier in the day. The S&P 500 closed down 0.7% while Toronto was up 0.2%. Most stocks were down modestly on the day. The Fortis perpetual preferred share FTS.PR.F was up 4.0% $23.69....

U.S. markets are set to open somewhat lower this morning. Long-term government bond yields are higher in much of the world and edging up in The U.S. I'm generally in a cautious mood and inclined to trim positions. I may trim my Shopify. Royal Bank is...

If you are using TD Direct (TD Waterhouse) look for an email dated July 1 about a class action lawsuit related to certain mutual funds. These class actions are normally only of any real benefit to the lawyers who initiate them. But maybe this one has...

The report on Dollarama is updated but rated only Weak Buy / Hold at $187. I can't say enough good things about Dollarama as a company. I've admired it and said so on this site for many years now. It always looks rather expensive but then to date has...

Markets are relatively quiet this morning. I don't normally do morning comments but right now there is more than usual happening it seems. As announced earlier, the U.S. customers / tariffs exemptions on packaged under $800 (de minimus exemption) is ...

On Thursday the S&P 500 gained another 0.3% while Toronto was almost exactly unchanged. TransAlta (which I am not  fan of) was up 4.2%. Cameco which has been quite volatile bounced up 4.2%. The report on WSP Global is updated but rated only Weal ...

Markets were modestly higher on Wednesday with the S&P 500 up 0.2 and Toronto up 0.3%. Royal Bank was up a hefty 5.0% after releasing earnings. National Bank had higher earnings and so yesterday morning I thought my sale of half my national bank ...

Markets ended the day on Tuesday with the S&P 500 up 0.4% and Toronto up 0.6%. AutoCanada was up 6.3% to $33.85 after being "upgraded" by the analyst at CIBC. I wonder what he was saying when it was at around $16 for the whole month of April?  So...

Not surprisingly, on Monday, markets gave back a little of Friday's big gains. The S&P 500 was down 0.4% and Toronto was down 0.6%. Most stocks were down modestly. Linamar adn AutoCanada managed gains of 1.2% and 1.5% respectively.  ...

Markets were not bothered today that Trump has fired a FED bank govenor. It appears to me, he wanted here out and had someone go looking for some dirt and excuse to fire here. He clearly wants to eliminate FED independence. I see Trump's fascist tend...

Time to reduce risk? With the strong market gains this year I am inclined to want to sell some equities and move more money into cash or short-term fixed income. With that in mind I sold about half of my National Bank shares this morning. It's been a...

Markets finished the week on Friday with a strong gain after the Fed Chair Jerome Powell opened the door to a FED interest rate cut. The S&P 500 was up 1.5% to 6467. If it rises just another 3.1% it will reach 6666 which will be ten times higher ...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was down 0.4% but Toronto was up 0.6%. Costco was down 2.5%. Stantec was up 2.2%. The U.S. ten year bond yield was up slightly at 4.33%. Tomorrow the FED Chair will have a speech and the market will be looking to glean the...

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 was down o.2% while Toronto was up 0.2%. Cameco was down 4.5%. Restaurant Brands was down 4.2%. TFI International bounced down 3.6% giving up a very recent gain of a similar amount. Toll Brothers ended the day down 0.6% ...

Markets are modestly weaker this morning with the S&P 500 down 0.8% and Toronto roughly flat. It's interesting to see Toll Brothers up 3.2% after releasing earnings after the close yesterday. It was down modestly in after-hour trading. It seems t...

Markets were softer on Tuesday as the S&P 500 fell 0.6% and Toronto fell 0.35%. Most stocks were down on day. TFI International was strong with a 3.6% gain. Melcor Developments crept over the $15.00 mark but this was on almost no volume (600 shar...

On Monday, the S&P 500 was essentially unchanged while Toronto was up 0.1%. AutoCanada was one of the bigger moves today with a 4.4% gain. Dollarama was up 2.4% to $197. It will likely soon crack $200. On it's first day of trading in 2009, Dollar...

On Friday, the S&P 500 was down 0.3% while Toronto was about unchanged. Melcor Developments was up a scant 0.2% to $14.62 after releasing earnings. It's extremely thinly traded. Only 8000 shares traded on Friday or about $117,000 worth. That's ve...

Looking quickly at Melcor's press release last night I failed to notice the dividend increase from 11 cents to 13 cents. This is good news. Overall the Q2 results should allow the stock price to continue to edge up. This company gets VERY little mark...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was about unchanged while Toronto was down 0.3%. AutoCanada was up 7.15% to $31.32. This volatile stock has staged a big recovery from the depths. The 52 week low is $13.75. I had a modest position in it. For the moment I ...

The report on RioCan is updated and rated (higher) Buy at $17.73. I was tempted to rate it (lower) Strong Buy but I wanted to be  be somewhat conservative. I think RioCan is very well managed. They are almost at full occupancy and when leases renew o...

I see the market likes the Auto Canada result and the stock is up 13% to $33.00. So things are progressing but this remains a tough industry and a volatile stock. I may reduce my position here somewhat. Maybe they are off to the races now but that is...

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 and Toronto each were up 0.3%. Markets are apparently predicting lower interest rates in the Fall and this pushed up housing related stocks. West Fraser Timber was up 5.2% and Toll Brothers was up 3.9%. Lower interest wo...

The report on Canadian Tire is updated and rated (lower) Buy at $164.  The stock ran up very steeply in 2025 to about $190 before pulling back sharply with the Q2 report. The Q2 same-store sales growth was quite good but analysts found some things no...

U.S. markets at new all-time highs. On Tuesday the S&P 500 was up 1.1% and Toronto was up 0.5%. lululemon bounced up 3.3%, hopefully it has hit bottom. The big bank brokers lowered their price targets it seems. I wonder what their target were whe...

Monday's action ended with the S&P 500 down 0.25% and Toronto up 0.1%. Constellation Software was up 4.4%. More Canadian companies will report Q2 earnings this week including Melcor Developments. I expect Melcor to have a good report but the mark...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up 0.8% while Toronto was essentially unchanged. AutoCanada was up 3.7%. They will release earnings on Wednesday after the close. Hopefully the results will support the recent stock price gains. Canadian Tire was down an...

On Thursday, the S&P 500 was down 0.1% and Toronto was down 0.5%. Restaurant Brands was down 5.1%. lululemon was down another 2.7% to $191. This is a powerful retailer with all proprietary products and I certainly expect it to recover. It's offic...

Wednesday's markets saw the S&P 500 up 0.8% and Toronto up 1.1%. Shopify surged 20.5% after releasing a VERY strong Q2 earnings report. AutoCanada was up 4.2%. It's amazing how well investors have been doing just by holding and doing nothing else...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.5%. But Toronto, which was closed yesterday, was up a hefty 2.5% West Fraser Timber was up 2.65%. The Canadian government if offering loan guarantees as well as certain non-repayable grants to the industry. WFG ...

Monday was a holiday in Canada and so there was no trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. American markets were open and the S&P 500 was up 1.3%. So far, markets are not fussed by Trumps various actions including firing the head of the Bureau of ...

Markets were lower on Friday. That was no surprise given all the gains lately. The decline was also impacted by a VERY large downward revision in the job creation numbers for May and June and then tepid job growth in July. Trump responded to this unw...

On Thursday, the S&P 500 and Toronto were each down 0.4%. Starbucks was down 3.9% - presumably as analysts continue to digest its Q2 earnings report. New higher tariffs on Canadian imports to the U.S kick in at midnight. But may items are exempt ...

On Wednesday both the Bank of Canada and the FED left their overnight interest rates unchanged. This was as expected. With no major surprise news in the market, the S&P 500 was little changed with a decline of 0.1%. Toronto was down 0.6% even tho...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.3% but Toronto was UP 0.5% as oil has risen past $69 US dollars. TFI International was strong, with a 4.0% gain. AutoCanada was down 3.6% as we await its Q2 earnings to see if its recent gains were justified. St...

Lululemon's stock is "on sale" for less than half of its all-time high. It's been above $400 on three occasions (2012, 2023 and as recently as late 2024). Now it's about $216. The report is updated and rated (higher) Buy at $218. Growth has slowed co...

On Monday the S&P 500 was essentially unchanged while Toronto was down 0.3%. Q2 earnings for Canadians companies will mostly be reported in the next two to three weeks. This week's news will include interest rate decision from both the FED and th...

On Friday markets pushed higher with the S&P 500 uu 0.4% and Toronto up 0.45%. TFI International was up 5.5%. I see a lot of commentary that Google (Alphabet) is too cheap at recent prices. I'm thinking of making a small investment. News this mor...

The S&P 500 was little changed on Thursday rising less than 0.1%. Toronto was down 0.2%. West Fraser Timber was down 6.0% to about $97 after announcing a weak Q2. I'm not sure why a weak Q2 would be any surprise relatively high mortgage rates and...

Wednesday action saw the S&P 500 up another 0.8% to 6,359. If it happens to get to 6,666 it will be a 10-bagger since its lows right around 666 on or about March 9, 2009. A ten bagger on a given stock in 16 years is impressive. For the world's mo...

I just updated the buy / Sell ratings on all the preferred shares on the list. These have provided excellent returns since bottoming out in 2023. Keep in mind that they can really tank in times of market panic due to their low trading liquidity. If y...

Okay, so let's take a look at how Tuesday went in the markets. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Toll Brothers was up a big 8.5% even as there is a LOT of negative headlines about U.S. home building. Yet the home builders have re...

Markets pushed higher on Monday with the S&P 500 up 0.1% to a new closing high topping 6300 for the first time as a closing price. Toronto was essentially unchanged on the day. AutoCanada  "announced that it has selected CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG), ...

On Friday the S&P 500 was essentially unchanged while Toronto was down 0.3%. Not a lot of moves in the stocks on our list. CN Rail was down 2.4% probably on fears of lower freight to the U.S. given tariffs. It's freight volumes are about flat thi...

Thursday was a strong day in the markets adn particularly for several of our stock picks. The S&P 500 gained 0.5% and Toronto rose a heftier 0.9%. Couche-Tard ended the day up 8.3% AutoCanada was up 15.3% Shopify was up 6.1%  ...

AutoCanada has jumped up 20% on the news of selling its U.S. dealerships. That's in addition to recent gains that were likely driven by anticipation (leaks?) of this deal. I am selling about a third of my position on this news. I had bought shares at...

Markets edged up on Wednesday with the S&P 500 up 0.3% and Toronto up 0.4%. Shopify was strong with a 4.0% gain. In breaking news, Couche-Tard has pulled its bid for 7&i ( 7-11). Not good news as Couche-Tard has no-doubt spent a lot of money ...

Markets were down modestly on Tuesday with the S&P 500 down 0.4% and Toronto down 0.5%. Toll Brothers was down 4.7%. Home building in the U.S. is definitely softer but Toll Brothers has continued to open new communities. The Home builder confiden...

This morning the S&P 500 is up 0.1% but Toronto is down 0.4%. AutoCanada has continued to gain despite Paul Antony's announcement that he will transition out of the company. It's up another 4.7% this morning. A bit surprising but certainly welcom...

On Friday, markets did not show much reaction to Trump's latest escalation of the tariff wars or his attempts to get rid of the FED Chair. The S&P 500 was down 0.3% and Toronto was down 0.2%. The five year government of Canada bond yield rose and...

Today the S&P 500 rose 0.3% and Toronto rose 0.4%. AutoCanada was strong once again as it rose 6.2%. I don't know the reason for this. Possibly bullish reports from analysts. Perhaps it will report quite a good Q2. I noticed that the former Canad...

Markets were higher on Wednesday with the S&P 500 up 0.6% and Toronto up 0.3%. So far, little to no negative reaction to Trumps tariffs.  I would emphasise "so far". Toll Brothers was up 3.75%. AutoCanada was also strong with a 2.5% gains. One in...

Markets were down on Monday. The S&P 500 was down 0.8% and Toronto was down only 0.1% as oil was moderately higher. Cameco was up 3.3%. lululemon was down 4.1% possibly due to tariff concerns. I saw today that Linamar had a LOT of votes "withheld...

The report on TransAlta is updated and rated (lower) Buy at $14.50. This is an inherently volatile company due to commodity price exposure/ Last year on February 7 I had updated it and called it a Speculative Buy at $9.50. Later in the year as the pr...

The S&P 500 is down 0.6% this morning. With Trumps tax and spending bill passed the market may now be turning its attention to the next round in the tariff wars. Also with a strong jobs report late last week there is reduced chances of an imminen...

Thursday was another rewarding day for investors. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and and reached a new record high close. Toronto was up 0.6% and also reached a new record high close as it crested the 27,000 level. There were no particularly notable gaine...

The market is up this morning in part due to a strong jobs report with the U.S. gaining 140,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate unexpectedly falling from 4.2% to 4.1%. Yesterday there was some gloom because a different jobs report looking only...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.1% while Toronto was closed for the holiday. Toll Brothers was strong with a gain of 3.4% as home builder stocks rose. I did not see the reason for that but I do see that the U.S. ten year bond yield is down to ...

On Monday the S&P 500 rose an0ther 0.5% while Toronto rose a similar 0.6%. The Canadian dollar rose and is at 73.5 U.S. cents. The first LNG ship is being loaded at LNG Canada. A nice Canada Day bonus. Canadian markets will be closed on Tuesday f...

On Friday, the S&P 500 was up 0.5% and Toronto was up 0.7%. West Texas Oil is at $65 which is "okay". The U.S. ten year bond yield is down at 4.28% again confounding the doomers who think it is sure to sky rocket due to the U.S. debt and deficits...

I added to my Couche-Tard position today.  It is down from its highs and if the 7-11 purchase goes through it will very likely do well. An very well managed company....

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up another 0.8% and Toronto was up 0.7%. Cameco was up 3.6% to $101.50. Couche-Tard reported earnings which a headline said were somewhat soft but the stock was up 0.1%. It's a good long-term hold. All in all, things k...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was unchanged but Toronto was down 0.6% TFI International was down 3.6%. The report on the Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund is updated adn rated (lower) Buy at $19.38. The 7.1% yield is attractive and the distribution i...

Today, the S&P 500 was up a hefty 1.2% and Toronto was up 0.6%. Cameco was up 4.0% to just a hair under $100. Shopify was up 1.5%. AutoCanada was up 3.75%. All in all, a good day for investors. Oil is at $65 U,S, and the 10 year U.S. treasury bon...

Contrary to most predictions, the markets were higher on Monday with the S&P 500 up 1.0% and Toronto up 0.4%. Oil weakened considerably in afternoon trading perhaps due to Iran's muted response to to the bombings. Oil then cratered further as Tru...

The report on Enbridge Inc. is updated and rated Buy at Canadian $61.53 or U.S. 44.78 based on Friday's close. Futures markets suggest it will open today little changed. Enbridge is a massive pipeline company with numerous oil and natural gas pipelin...

Remarkably, markets seem set for a quiet open with stocks little changed and oil up only modestly currently at $74.55. The ten year U.S. treasury yield is also calm at a current 4.38%. The report on Enbridge is updated and rated Buy at $61.53. I will...

Given what happened in Iran last night, Friday's stock market is old news at this point. The S&P 500 was down 0.2% and Toronto was about unchanged. Markets will presumably be down tomorrow. You can check S&P 500 pre-market data at the followi...

I am on the email alert list for new offers from TD Direct TD Waterhouse. Out just a few moments ago 9:54 am eastern is a 4.0% bond offer from Province of Quebec. This can have a place in a portfolio for security. But I'd only consider buying if you ...

The S&P 500 was about unchanged on Thursday and Toronto was down 0.2%. Oil is strong at $75.70 this morning. The ten year U.S. bond is at 4.4% and has been defying many predictions that it would soar due to U.S. debt and spending levels. So far, ...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was about unchanged while Toronto was up a scant 0.1%. Visa Inc was down 4.9% to $340. This was after reports that Walmart and Amazon plan to issue stable coins which would be a way to avoid credit card fees. It may too e...

Tuesday was a moderately negative day on the markets. The S&P 500 was down 0.8% while Toronto was down just 0.1%. Toll Brothers was down 3.4% and TFI International was down 3.1%. A subscriber asked me about the Keyera announcment that they will b...

Here's two comments I just posted on "X". You can follow me there under @investorsfriend. But be warned that "X" is of course a cesspool and largely a waste of time and a good way to get angry and lose faith in humanity. I posted the following:

...

CMHC released housing starts data for May yesterday Alberta is once again crushing the housing starts data in May. Alberta represented 39%!!  of all the single-family housing starts in Canada and 24% of total starts - more starts than Ontario. This s...

Despite all the bad news this weekend (Iran and the Minnesota killer in particular), the S&P was up 0.9% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Cameco was up another 4% today to $94.13. As recently as April 7, this stock traded at $52. They have announced high...

On Friday, in reaction to Israel striking Iran, the S&P 500 was down 1.4% and Toronto was down 0.4%. Most stocks were down on the day including Visa down 5.0%. On the other hand the Energy ETF XEG was up 3.1%. as oil prices rose. Subsequently the...

Thursday night Israel has made "pre-emptive strikes" against Iran. Oil has jumped almost $5.00 to about $73.00. The S&P 500 futures have declined about 1.6% in response. I'm in no position to comment on how bad this could be for markets. It's way...

On Thursday, the S&P 500 was up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.35%. The always volatile Shopify was down 4.8%. Starbucks was down 1.1% but has been very strong in recent days now at $94.32. Starbucks is reportedly looking to sell a minority stake in i...

Markets are relatively quiet this Thursday morning. Yesterday a big winner was Dollarama up about 10%! Yesterday, Statistics Canada reported that building permits were down in April versus March. And were down even more year over year. Alberta remain...

Canadian Tire is at $180, after touching $181 today. I never expected such a strong gain - but then again the whole market has recovered. I worry about credit card delinquencies at Canadian Tire. But they have been very aggressive with their Triangle...

Yesterday (Tuesday) the S&P 500 was up 0.55% and Toronto was up 0.2%. Some notable gainers were Couche-Tard - up 3.5%, Linamar up 4.8%, and TFI International up 4.4%. Oil is at U,S, $66.38 for West Texas. In general a strategy of mostly holding a...

Monday was a mostly quiet day in the markets with the S&P 500 up 0.1% and Toronto down 0.2%. Cameco was a standout with a 10.7% gain to a new high of $91.60. I notice CT REIT (Canadian Tire REIT)  just issued 5 year Senior UNSECURED debentures at...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up 1.0% and closed back just over 6000. Toronto was up 0.3%. lululemon was down 20% on a weaker outlook. Shopify was strong with a 6.3% gain. Starbucks as up 3.0% and has good gains recently....

On Thursday, the D&P 500 was down 0.5% while Toronto was up 0.05%. Costco was down 3.9% after May year-over-year same store sales growth came in at 6.0%. That was a bit weaker than recent months but still is good growth. lululemon plunged 22% in ...

The S&P 500 was unchanged on Wednesday while Toronto was down 0.4%. AutoCanada was up 3.6% and at $23.20 has had a BIG recovery from April lows of about $14.50. Bank of Canada left its interest rate unchanged in the announcement today. Today Trum...

The S&P 500 was up 0.6% on Tuesday while Toronto was up 0.1%. lululemon was up 3.7%. Trump has doubled the tariff on steel and Aluminum to 50% which would seem to be enough to bring steel exports from Canada to the US to a near-halt. Again it's n...

Monday's action saw the S&P 500 was up 0.4% and Toronto was up 0.8%. Melcor Developments was up another 3.8% to $14.44. This is still with low trading volume but it is certainly welcome. Oil is up to $63.08  ...

Friday marked the last trading day in May. It's been a volatile year but not a bad year as of the end of May. The S&P 500 is up 0.5% (plus modest dividends) and VBAL representing a traditional balanced portfolio is up 1.4% (plus dividends and int...

I will add to this comment at end of trading... Despite reports of people having to cut back, Food Service and Drinking places sales were up 6.0% in March year over year. StatsCan has a nice table by province and showing both the month over month gai...

On Thursday, as Trump's on again off-again tariffs were back on the S&P 500 was up 0.4% while Toronto was down 0.3%. Melcor was up 2.7% to $14.00 a level it has not seen since the Spring of 2022. The ten year U.S. bond yield has settled back to 4...

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.6% while Toronto was up 0.1%. Toll Brothers was down 3.5%. Canadian Tire was up 1.5% to $173 and has been a very strong performer. Overall, a strategy of holding most positions has worked out well in the past ...

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 was up a stout 2.0% while Toronto was up 0.75%. Most of the stocks on our list were higher. Couche-Tard was notable with a 4.9% gain.  ...

Monday's market action saw the S&P 500 down 0.7% but Toronto up 0.75%. The Canadian dollar is at 72.8 U.S. cents (not great but better than being under 70 cents). West Texas Oil is as at U.S. $61.47. The U.S. ten year bond has settled back slight...

On Friday the S&P 500 was down 0.7% while Toronto was up 0.1%. Cameco was up 10%. This came after Trump signed (what else) an executive order to speed up nuclear power development in the U.S. The U.S. justice department has decided not to charge ...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was about unchanged and Toronto was up 0.1%. There were no particularly notable moves in the stocks on our list but AutoCanada was up 3.1% and has done well lately. Melcor Develops continues to edge up (which is long over-...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was down 1.6% and Toronto was down 0.8%. Accordingly the great majority of the stocks on our list were down today. (I was unable to make my usual comment yesterday) The decline was blamed on concerns about U.S. debt and r...

The Toronto stock exchange was closed for Victoria Day on Monday. The S&P 500 was up a modest 0.1%. No big moves in the stocks on our list. There was some market attention on the fact that Moody's downgraded the U.S. government debt. But they wer...

Markets pushed higher on Thursday with the S&P 500 up 0.4% and Toronto up 0.8%. Stantec was up 5.3% after reporting earnings after the close yesterday. AutoCanada was up 3.1% and has had a great rebound but has been a poor investment for quite a ...

On Wednesday the S& P 500 finished the day up 0.1% and Toronto was up 0.3%. Melcor Developments was up 4.6% after releasing earnings. It's thinly traded adn gets very little attention in the market. Canada has effectively eliminated almost all of...

Note that I have been in the habit of making a morning comment lately with all the market turmoil. Starting tomorrow I expect to return to making only an evening comment. Today the markets are relatively unchanged as far as the S&P 5400 and Toron...

Monday was a stellar day for the S&P 500m which jumped 3.3% after being juiced by Trump's preliminary trade deal with China. Toronto managed only a 0.7% gain. Oil is at $61.75 . Toronto was held back by financials and utilities (at elast the ones...

Markets are up strongly this morning  (S&P 500 up 2.6% but Toronto up only 0.6%). This comes after Trump's announcement that the tariffs against China are lowered to 30% (10% plus an extra 20% imposed due to Fentanyl) and that they will work on a...

Further to my comments on Friday morning, Friday ended with the S&P 500 down 0.1% and Toronto up 0.4%. Cameco was up 3.1%. Linamar was up 3.5%. AutoCanada was up 4.8%. Futures trading suggests that the S&P 500 will be up over 1% on Monday mor...

Markets are little changed overall this morning. And there are few or no big moves in the stocks on our list even for a couple that reported earnings this morning. Statistics Canada is out with the April employment survey report. A modest increase in...

On Thursday the S&P 500 was up 0.6% and Toronto was up 0.4% Linamar was up a stout 9.25%. Executive Chair Linda Hasenfratz was on BNN Bloomberg and said that there is little direct impact from the tariffs but that if the tariffs stay they will se...

The report on CN Rail is updated and rated Buy at $139 Canadian. (As I post this it is at $141 as it rose since I started my analysis earlier today). In February it was rated (lower) Buy at $148. It looks more attractive now since the price was lower...

Markets are up modestly this morning with the S&P 500 up 0.4% and Toronto up 0.2%. Lots of news this morning. Trump has some kind of preliminary trade deal with the U.K. It was mentioned that Land Rovers can now come into the U.S. at a 10% tariff...

Wednesday's action saw the S&P 500 up 0.4% ad Toronto up 0.75%. The FED as expected kept interest rates unchanged. I have not sen any reaction from Trump yet, but it's likely to be negative and insulting. AutoCanada bounced up 5.2%. With recent g...

Markets are up this morning with the S&P 500 up 0.5% and Toronto up 0.4% For a preferred share investment I like ENB.PF.C at $19.47 it has a yield of 7.0%. It has recently reset with the first dividend at the higher rate to be paid on or about Ju...

The S&P 500 was down 0.8% on Tuesday while Toronto was up 0.1%. Shopify was down 4.9% - probably related to tariffs that will curtail its volumes. I took a look at CN's weekly statistics. I was surprised to see that revenue ton miles were up a st...

The report on Visa Inc. is updated and rated Weak Buy at $349. I wanted to update VISA as it might be something of a canary-in-the-coal-mine in regards to any economic slowdown and in particular to see impacts of reduced travel to the United States. ...

Markets are relatively unchanged this morning. West Texas Oil has bounced up $2.43 to $59.47. Not great for the oil industry but a lot better than Sunday when it dipped under $56. RioCan reported Q1 results after the close yesterday. Most of the news...

On Monday the S&P 500 finished the day down 0.6% and Toronto was down 0.3%. Starbucks was down 3.6%. I worry about its big exposure to China at a time when the U.S. is treating trade with China so badly. Chinese nationalism could cause their peop...

Markets are down modestly this Monday morning. Oil has been in the news with price declines related to increased production by Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia hopes to persuade its OPEC and OPEC + partners to stop producing above the...

On Friday the S&P 500 was up an impressive 1.5% and Toronto was up 0.95%. CN Rail was up 5.7% after releasing Q1 earnings and its outlook. On Saturday, Warren Buffett sat for his annual four hours or more of questions. He announced that he will s...

Markets are positive once again this morning with the S&P 500 up 1.2$ and Toronto up 0.7%. CN Rail is up 2.6% after releasing a strong Q1 report adn maintaining their earnings outlook for the full year despite expecting "an air pocket" in Q2 due ...

On Thursday, the S&P 500 was up 0.8% and Toronto was down 0.2%. Generally a quiet day in the market for a change.  ...

The U.S. market has a strong 1.0% gain so far today while Toronto is down 0.1% with oil weak at $58 U.S. dollars for West Texas. It was interesting to hear today that Canadian Tire is bidding on the intellectual property of Hudson's Bay. I doubt that...

Markets closed Wednesday with the S&P 500 up 0.15% (recovering from losses this morning) and Toronto down 0.1%. Starbucks was down 5.7% after a weak earnings report. I've been cautious on its prospects recently.  ...

Markets are down this morning after U.S. GDP came in lower than expected. The lower GDP was attributed to higher imports in a rush to beat the tariffs. That's a bit confusing. Stock piling imported inventory should not, in isolation mean the U.S. pro...

At Tuesday's close the S&P 500 was up 0.6% and Toronto was up 0.3%. Overall, it was a calm day in the markets. Trump via an executive order "I'm The King of the World", lowered tariffs on certain auto parts. Someone pointed out that the ability t...

Markets are little changed at this hour. One of the bigger moves I see is TFI International up 2.5%. The Canadian election turned out about as predicted by the polls. Another Canadian election completed with virtually no one (other than perhaps a tin...

The S&P 500 is unchanged this morning versus Friday's close but Toronto is up 0.4%. Fears that the global investors were abandoning U.S. treasuries have abated as the U.S. ten year bond yield is back down to 4.25%. Overall, it appears that the ma...

Markets are little changed this morning. Tesla is up 7% and has had a strong recovery. But I wonder about the damage to its brand. The impacts of the tariffs will become more apparent as the days go by. Shipping from China is reportedly down signific...

On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 2.0% and Toronto rose 1.0%. Cameco was notable with a 9.5% gain. I did not see a reason for that - possibly an "analyst upgrade". TFI International was up 7.6%. CN Rail's carloads are down 3.7% in the first three wee...

Markets are higher this morning with the S&P 500 up 1.3% and Toronto up 0.7%. The great majority of stocks on our list are higher today. But assuredly the volatility will continue.  ...

Early today the market gains were higher but as the excitement cooled the S&P 500 ended the day up 1.7% while Toronto was up 0.7%. After the close, TFI international reported lower earnings and the shares were down 5.2% in after hours trading. Me...

Markets are sharply higher this morning after Trump apparently said he will NOT try to fire the FED chair and that (duh) the tariffs against China will not remain anywhere near as high as 145%. But they also won't return to 0%. The U.S. ten year bond...

Markets on Tuesday finished with the S&P 500 up 2.2% and Toronto up 1.4%. West Texas Oil is back up to $64.20 U.S. dollars which is helpful for the Canadian market. But the recent gains in the Canadian dollar are not helpful to the Canadian oil i...

The transaction whereby parent company Melcor Developments will buy out the public unit holders of its (currently) 55% owned Melcor REIT subsidiary at $5.50  is scheduled to close as soon as tomorrow April 23, 2025. I believe they will first issue an...

Markets have rebounded quite strongly this morning after yesterday's sharp drop. The S&P 500 is up 2.2% and Toronto is up 1.4%.  ...

Monday was a down day in the markets with the S&P 500 down 2.4% and Toronto down 0.8%. I wouldn't be surprised if Trump makes some announcement tomorrow to turn things around. Meanwhile we will be getting more Q1 reports that could certainly move...

Markets are decidedly weaker this morning partly due to Trump's threats or musings about firing the FED chair before his term is up. The S&P 500 is down 2.8% and Toronto is down 1.0%....

The S&P 500 ended the day on Thursday up 0.1% while Toronto was up 0.4%. Costco was strong with a 2.8% gain. West Texas oil was up two dollars to $64.45. I love Visa Inc. for the long term. But I wonder if it will be hurt in the short term due to...

Markets declined yesterday after the FED chair warned of higher inflation and the dangers of the high debt in the U.S. Markets then opened lower this morning but then recovered to a modest gain but are now flat on the day. With a wannabee dictator Pr...

The Bank of Canada has left its overnight target interest rate unchanged at 2.75% given all the uncertain caused by the trade war. The S&P 500 is down by 1.0% while Toronto is up 0.8%. The Canadian dolalr is at 72.0 U.S. cents. Most of the prefer...

On Tuesday the S&P 500 was down 0.2% while Toronto was up 0.8%. Tomorrow's news will include an interest rate announcement from the Bank of Canada. It's expected to be either a 25 basis point reduction or no change....

The two Brookfield Office Properties preferred shares on our site are higher risk. Far higher risk in terms of the solvency risk of the issuer as compared to the likes of banks and utilities. But the higher risk comes with a higher yield and these sh...

This morning the S&P 500 is up 0.5% and Toronto is up 0.8%. Some analysis will warn that this is a bear market rally that won't last. That remains to be seen. It remains prudent for most investors to maintain some cash (includes near-cash) and mo...

The S&P 500 gained 0.8% and Toronto gained 1.2%. I'm now taking a close look at the Brookfield Property Partners L.P. in regards to the two Brookfield Office Properties preferred shares on our list. (Th L.P.  guarantees those pref shares so they ...

Markets are positive this morning with the S&P 500 and Toronto each up 1.1%. The yield on the U.S. bond is down modestly to 4.41%. There had been a lot of chatter about how much it rose last week. But a good part of the gain last week was because...

Friday's session saw the S&P 500 up 1.8% and Toronto was up 2.5%. The incredible volatility continues. Market watchers tend to use the term volatility only for down moves, but it applies in both directions. I expect the volatility to continue. On...

Markets are moderately higher this morning. Dollarama is up 3.1%. It's been one of Canada's best run and most profitable companies for a long  time. There has been a lot of concern in the markets about where the yield on the U.S. ten year treasury an...

On Thursday, markets gave back a chunk of yesterday's big gains as the S&P 500 fell 3.5% and Toronto fell 3.0%. Hopefully tomorrow will more of a boring day....

To no surprise, markets are giving back some of yesterday's gains... Never a dull moment....

Today was a wild day in the markets after Trump blinked and paused most of the high tariffs for 90 days. It appears that the market was eager for any good news even though the tariff war is far from over. The S&P 500 ended the day up a huge 9.5% ...

With RioCan down to about $15.55 due to fear in the market it now yields about 7.4%. With very high occupancy and rents that have been increasing on renewals it looks like a solid investment to me. It rents are mostly contractually locked in for seve...

Markets continue to be volatile as they look for signs that potential trade agreements will lead to at least a reduction in the high new tariff rates. With oil down to $56.41 I added to my CNQ position. Again, I want to deploy but cash slowly. For me...

After a highly volatile day on Tuesday, the S&P 500 ended the day down 1.6% while Toronto was down 1.5%. There is no quick end to this in sight. Regarding Starbucks, I always thought its huge presence in China was a potential risk. If China ever ...

Markets have rebounded somewhat this morning with the S&P 500 up 3.3% and Toronto up 1.4%. This appears to be based on hoped that countries will negotiate with Trump and that he will back down on the tariff levels. However, I don't see much sign ...

After big fluctuations, the S&P 500 closed down just 0.2% while Toronto was down 1.4%. Toll Brothers was down 6.3% to $94.52. It's down 44% from its high. I think it's high was probably over-optimistic but his is quite a fall. This stock has had ...

It occurs to me that U.S. customs brokers must be very busy these days. I have no knowledge of that business but it seems to me that with massive tariffs the business of of customs brokers must be increasing. I don't know, but presumably their revenu...

Markets are highly volatile this morning. After opening lower, the S&P 500 has swung to a gain twice but is down 1.5% at the moment and Toronto is down a similar 1.6%. While markets can certainly go lower, I 'm not an advocate of selling into wea...

The report on wine producer Andrew Peller is updated and rated (lower) Buy at $4.54. This is a very tough business and suffers from stiff competition. But it has shown a good improvement in the last couple of quarters and several very poor years. The...

Markets were spanked down on Friday with the S&P 500 down 6.0% and Toronto down 4.7%. The various preferred shares on our list did not escape the downdraft on Friday. Preferred shares of strong companies will continue to pay their dividends. I wo...

The market declines due to the tariff madness continues. S&P 500 down 3.9% and Toronto down 4.1%. West Texas Oil is down to $61.24. Not great for Alberta if it continues, although the volume of oil being produced in Alberta is unlikely to decline...

On Thursday, the reaction to Trump's new tariffs sent the S&P 500 down 4.8% and Toronto down 3.8%. Stocks on our list with a 10% or higher decline included: Shopify -  down 20% Starbucks - down 11% lululemon - down 9.6% (call it 10%) Stocks bucki...

Markets are down fairly bigly this morning with the S&P 500 down 3.8% and Toronto down 2.8%. Shopify is the hardest hit stock on our list, down almost 17% in Toronto. As expected TFI and CN Rail are down noticeably. Meanwhile Dollarama is up 6.6%...

On Wednesday the S&P 500 was up 0.7% and Toronto was up 1.1%. TFI International was up 4.6%. Dollarama was up 3.5% and is set to release earnings tomorrow morning. Trump released details of his reciprocal tariffs after the close. There are BIG ta...