Global investing

Five forces affecting your client’s portfolio

Soaring debt levels in advanced economies, overheating emerging markets and strict capital controls are among the global economic and financial challenges faced by financial planners, according to Thomas Hockin, executive director, International Monetary Fund, speaking at the CIFPs 9th Annual National Conference-2011, in Ottawa. “We’ve had 22 financial crises since 1945; financial crisis is the […]

By Vikram Barhat |June 8, 2011

3 min read

Market Insights

Home bias strong in affluent investors

There is a general assumption in the financial industry that investor sophistication increases along with net worth. But a recent survey by Brandes Investment Partners finds affluent investors fall into same home bias trap as everyone else. The firm’s Global Investing Study, found that Canadians with more than $250,000 in investable assets hold, on average, […]

By Staff |May 19, 2011

2 min read

Market Insights

What stops us from investing globally?

A globally diversified portfolio provides investors with “the broadest possible opportunity set,” said Gerald Smith, chief investment officer at Baillie Gifford, speaking recently at the Pension & Benefits Summit in Toronto. Baillie Gifford—an Edinburgh-based investment management firm that has been investing in global equities since 1909—has learned a few lessons over the past century. First, […]

By Brooke Smith |April 29, 2011

2 min read

Industry

Shaky Ground: Global shocks rattle markets

The worst of the Great Recession is well behind us, but so far 2011 has seen global markets lurch from one crisis to another. America appears content to inflate its way out of debt, which left unchecked could erode the savings of bondholders. In Europe, the sovereign debt crisis of a handful of countries has […]

By Staff |April 18, 2011

3 min read

Time to diversify beyond Canada’s resources

The past few trading sessions have demonstrated the dangers of being too concentrated in the commodity-heavy TSX. While global growth is expected to continue, demand for metals and energy has a tendency to fall off when there’s a whiff of inflation. The commodity play has been extremely lucrative for Canadian investors for the better part […]

By Staff |April 13, 2011

3 min read

Amid global turmoil, U.S. looks solid

Global investing remains important for Canadians, despite the fact that the world is becoming increasingly unstable. With risks ranging from sovereign debt and political upheaval to natural and nuclear disasters, one of the smartest places to invest might be close at hand. The U.S. economy, despite all its troubles, remains the world’s most flexible and […]

By Staff |April 12, 2011

3 min read

Global crises curb March fund returns

Investors who held onto Japanese equity funds through March probably know what to expect when they look at their statements this month. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that struck the country took a heavy toll on equity investments. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index finished March with a year-to-date decline of 8.2%, having recovered from being […]

By Staff |April 4, 2011

2 min read

Global portfolio seen mitigating risk

Despite the explosion of high profile global risks, the appetite for global markets remains strong. In fact, a survey by Franklin Templeton found that demand for global investments will only increase over the coming decade, as investors seek to minimize their exposure to any single economy. At the time of the survey, only 34% of […]

By Staff |March 29, 2011

2 min read