Canadian Loonie

The 11-sided coin was not originally called the loonie but the name caught on quickly due to the iconic decorative design by Robert Carmichael showcasing a single loon on one side. It has been 30 years since its introduction by the Royal Canadian Mint and marked one of the mostContinue Reading

Canada's economy is rising

After 2016, a year of ups and downs for the Canadian economy, there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting 2017 will be a better year. Here are five big reasons the economy could do a lot better than you might think this year. The job market is recovering It mayContinue Reading

Credit card chips

From all the grumpiness over the “EMV” chip-card transition, you’d think that the circuitry embedded in our new credit cards delivered a small electric shock every time you inserted one into a terminal at a check-out counter. Customers say they don’t like chip cards because you have to leave themContinue Reading

Economy worry

We are generally very optimistic investors. And why not? We have, in 30 years of investing, seen nearly every crisis and market panic possible, and still markets are at record highs. We have no particular worries about current equity market conditions. However, that in no way means an investor shouldContinue Reading

Canadian loonie could loose value

Where the price of oil goes, so goes Canada’s dollar. No other major currency is as closely tied to the value of its key commodity export as the loonie is to crude right now. The correlation between the Canadian dollar and the benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil price is aboutContinue Reading

Canadian dollar under pressure

Over the past 12 months, the Canadian dollar has declined by 15% versus the U.S. dollar. And there are plenty of reasons why the loonie is likely to depreciate further. Let’s start with the Canadian economy, which contracted for the fourth month in a row in April. There’s now aContinue Reading

Republicans affect on economy

The Republicans have taken control of the U.S. legislative agenda for the next two years if not longer, and that has political and market implications up until 2016 and likely beyond. Let’s see how they handle this role, given the divisiveness within the party itself and the fact that it didContinue Reading