March 28, 2018
The global economy continued to improve in 2017 in both the developed and emerging markets. Economic activity and corporate earnings have both had positive results which led to very strong stock market returns in most countries. Low interest rates and accommodative monetary policy have all provided support for continued global economic expansion. In Canada, concerns […]
October 30, 2017
In 2017, the global economy continues to perform reasonably well so far in both developed and emerging markets. Economic activity and corporate earnings have both had improved results which has helped move stock markets higher. Central banks have been responding to the improved economic performance with the Bank of Canada raising interest rates twice in […]
August 1, 2017
So far, the global economy has generally been improving in 2017 with this growth broadening across more countries. A number of countries are now considering moving away from their historically low interest rates, which were put in place to encourage more economic growth. The Canadian economy continued to be fairly strong in the second quarter […]
May 23, 2017
Most foreign stock markets had a very strong first quarter in 2017 and witnessed very low price volatility. Trump’s pro-growth policies and somewhat more positive economic data were factors that helped support the rise in these markets. There are still many lingering uncertainties among investors including; the implementation of Trump’s policies, Brexit negotiations, European elections, […]
January 24, 2017
The equity markets had another strong quarter in the fourth quarter of 2016, reflecting more positive reports on potential improvements in many developed countries worldwide. The surprise election of Donald Trump also helped equity markets as many felt that his pro-business stance would be beneficial for the markets. The U.S. Federal Reserve increased interest rates […]
October 31, 2016
The equity markets had a strong third quarter as the surprise Brexit vote result and other market concerns had a less apparent impact in the quarter. Monetary stimulus in many regions was still a catalyst for supporting the equity markets. Some countries, like Japan, were also contemplating fiscal stimulus to help support their slow economic […]
August 17, 2016
Global equity markets remained volatile in the second quarter, largely influenced by the Brexit vote and the uncertainty this result created. A flight to safety after Britain voted to exit the European Union led to falling stock prices and bond yields reaching near all-time lows. Safe-haven assets (e.g. gold, U.S. dollar, Japanese yen) all rallied. […]
July 28, 2016
The investment results in the first quarter of 2016 were almost a complete reversal of the equity returns in 2015. Commodity prices rebounded strongly in the second half of the first quarter, especially oil prices and most metal prices. These price increases led to a large and surprisingly quick rise of the Canadian dollar since […]
January 1, 2016
Markets were largely influenced in the fourth quarter by three factors: concerns over the level of global economic growth, lowering commodity prices, and the effect of the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Commodity prices dropped largely due to slowing growth and oversupply in some areas. The price of oil continued its decline (30% drop […]
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Market Commentary – First Quarter 2018
May 9, 2018
The first quarter of 2018 was marked by increased volatility and a number of factors, both positive and negative, that influenced investors’ perception of the markets going forward. During the first quarter there were 14 days when global stock markets moved by over 1% (i.e. up and down) compared to only three days in all […]