Welcome to our blog!


Welcome to our blog!

Please check back here regularly for informative updates. We'll have a variety of topics ranging from what’s going on in the markets to wealth enhancing strategies that we can help our clients implement.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Geopolitical strife overshadowing solid earnings


By Justin Turner CIM, DMS®, CFP®
Despite a week with some great earnings, such as Microsoft and Apple, markets weakened during the latter part of the week due to escalating tension in Ukraine.  The week started off well and the S&P looked poised to take a run at the 1900 level before the end of the month.  But Ukraine worries have most likely derailed any chance of that, and now we are faced with the last week of April and the beginning of the dreaded month of May.
 
In what has been a recurring theme thus far in 2014, Canadian markets have outperformed the US and have held on to the majority of their gains despite the negative headlines.  The rally in US equities may be far from over, but that doesn’t mean that Canadian equities won’t continue to outperform for the foreseeable future.
 
I am off to Brazil next week, vising Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.  As tempting as it may be to never come back, I will be returning in 2 weeks with my next blog entry.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Markets bounce back in holiday shortened week


By Justin Turner CIM, DMS®, CFP®
Markets have rebounded quite nicely following an ugly start to April that saw most markets fall anywhere from 2 – 4%.  The TSX has climbed back and then some, reaching a new post-2008 high of just over 14,500.  It may not be long before the TSX takes a run at 15,000 and new all-time highs.

On another note, thankfully it appears we were unaffected by the Heartbleed bug that has affected many Canadians. 

Enjoy the long weekend!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Markets cooling off but may only be temporary

By Justin Turner CIM, DMS®, CFP®
Markets around the world have not fared well over the last week which has caused many to question whether this may be the start of something bigger.  Economic data has been less robust lately which has helped fuel speculation that a deep correction in the short term may very well be in the cards.  When I look at gold, the US dollar and even the VIX I do not see the warning signs that this could be the start of a big sell-off, at least not yet.  More likely than not it is just another healthy correction and the bull market we have been enjoying for the past several years is still alive and well.

Could we see a larger correction to the tune of 10% or even 15%?  It is certainly possible, and it would definitely be long overdue, but the more likely scenario would be a correction of another 1-3% followed by rally that sees the S&P 500 take another run at the 1900 mark before months end.  For patient investors comfortable with a bit of volatility, this correction may turn out to be a good buying opportunity.

Friday, April 04, 2014

S&P 500 takes a run at 1900

By Justin Turner CIM, DMS®, CFP®

After taking a breather last week, the S&P 500 continued moving upwards making new highs along the way. It got close to 1,900 at one point but quickly fell back down to the 1,880 level.  It feels like it’s only a matter of time before we break through 1900 and work our way towards 2,000.  The 2,000 mark might be a tough psychological hurdle and could be a level that ends up very hard to break. Investors tend to be scared of big round numbers and when it comes to the S&P 500 they don’t get much bigger or rounder than 2,000.  So it shouldn’t come as a surprise if we end up touching 2,000 later this year but aren’t able to break through it until 2015 if not later.

On the home front, the TSX keeps inching higher with its sights set on the 15,000 level.  There hasn’t been much to complain about lately as just about every sector besides gold has enjoyed nice gains over the past week.