Each week, our team publishes a blog and webcast.
Last spring, shares of UnitedHealth Group (UNH) lost over half their value. The stock even dropped 18% on May 13, its worst single-day plunge since September 2008. With over 50 million people enrolled, UNH is the largest health insurance provider in the United States. Because customers have used their medical benefits at twice the expected […]
Western Copper & Gold (WRN) is up about 50% so far this year. But if Ottawa puts one particular project on its priority list to develop, the stock may go a lot higher sooner than later. WRN’s Casino Project in the Yukon just as easily could have been called Western Gold & Copper (instead of […]
Some may recall the raucous Question Periods during Paul Martin’s brief, 2-year minority parliament—the first since 1980—when he served as Canada’s 20th prime minister. Or his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s, when Ottawa’s deficits came under control. The spending had grown so out of control that Standard & Poor’s downgraded Canadian debt in […]
Last month, at a Rotary Club meeting, I found myself sitting next to someone I hadn’t met before. After asking about my profession, he leaned in a few minutes later and said, “Is it true that to get rich, you should only buy Canadian banks?” Well, I know of at least one person who rode […]
To my surprise, Maple Leaf Foods (“MFI”) has been our strongest performer this year, up nearly 80%. On February 26, 2024, we started buying MFI for clients at $22.82. At the time, the stock was about as unpopular with investors as I was with the ladies in high school. Just two trading days earlier, a […]
September has historically been a weak month for stocks, and this year’s sentiment will hinge on Jay Powell’s speech tomorrow at Jackson Hole Students aren’t the only ones uneasy about September—stocks often dread it too. Historically, it’s the worst month for the market. Since 1930, the S&P 500 has fallen about 55% of the time […]
Canada is entering a historic infrastructure boom. Electricity demand is expected to surge 25% by 2030, driven by artificial intelligence, electrification, and manufacturing. Aecon Group is perfectly positioned to build the critical infrastructure required to meet this exploding need. CEO Jean-Louis Servranckx recently said he’s “not worried about [revenue]”—and with good reason. Aecon’s backlog—the work […]
Mutual funds are marketed as safe and simple. But in reality, they often accompany hidden costs and conflicts of interest. We recently reviewed a portfolio managed by another institution. The Management Expense Ratio (“MER”), which is the total cost of owning a mutual fund and is embedded in its price, was much higher than its […]
As global fast food chains struggle, Pizza Pizza is quietly gaining ground—thanks in part to the growing “Buy Canada” sentiment. Back in February 2024, we published a blog titled “We Expect Pizza Pizza to Deliver”. Given the rising food inflation, higher interest rates, and shrinking household budgets, our thesis was that cheaper food would be […]
Anyone who lived through 2008 (or studied the 1930s) knows how frightening banking crises can be. The financial system runs on confidence, and once that’s shaken, restoring trust can take significant time. In 2023, the U.S. regional banking sector faced its own crisis. It started in March with the abrupt collapse of Silicon Valley Bank […]
