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Real returns

(May 2006) Traditional asset allocation typically divides a client’s portfolio between stocks, bonds and cash, with some fine-tuning around allocations of global versus Canadian, small cap versus large cap, and growth versus value stocks. Most advisors design their recommended portfolios around this approach for both funds and securities. What we tend to overlook is the […]

By John Nicola |May 5, 2006

8 min read

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Legal structure vital in real estate investing

Similar to a true gold bug's aversion to mining stocks and preference for physical bullion, institutional real estate investors know that REITs are far too closely correlated to the equity markets on which they are listed. For these managers, nothing beats the real thing: a portfolio of physical real estate holdings.

By Steven Lamb |April 27, 2006

5 min read

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Real estate smoothes portfolio volatility

With the real estate market booming across the country, it may be hard to ignore the capital appreciation aspect of real estate investments. But for many institutional portfolio managers, real estate is a core holding rooted firmly in the fixed income side of the asset mix. Sure, housing prices seem sky high, but residential property […]

By Steven Lamb |April 21, 2006

5 min read

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Norshield Saga: An in-depth look

(April 2006) Largely based in the Quebec market, the story of Norshield Asset Management may not have attracted the same national media attention as Portus, but the story is just as compelling: a labyrinth of inter-related companies, a regulatory crackdown and investor funds vanishing into thin air. Investigative journalist Scot Blythe has been digging into […]

By Staff |March 31, 2006

1 min read

Alt Assets: Name raiders

(March 2006) You use domain names every time you visit a website or google a term to find more information. But do you know what gives value to a name? Do you know how to assess that value? What you don’t know actually spells opportunity. Just as in financial markets, there are primary and secondary […]

4 min read

Perfect storm for U.S. mortgage-backed investors

(March 2006) Investors seeking yield were well compensated when interest rates fell; they received capital gains that in many instances gave them better returns than equities. In a rising rate environment, however, income investors find it more difficult to make an adequate return. Not only do rising rates usually result in lower bond valuations, but […]

7 min read

Risk 101: Systematic versus unsystematic risk

(January 2006) I’m a firm believer in risk management. That’s a bit like saying “I’m a firm believer in breathing.” We are all risk managers whether we admit it or not. And if that’s the case, I’d rather be more precise about it than less. The absolute basis of portfolio risk management is diversification. It’s […]

4 min read

Are GICs securities?

(November 2005) Regulatory worries about the proliferation of principal protected notes (PPNs) may well spill over into the Guaranteed Investment Certificate market, at least index or market-linked ones, which have hitherto been exempt from securities rules. At issue is what might be called a series of “K’s” that follow from the Know Your Client imperative […]

By Scot Blythe |November 28, 2005

6 min read