Cutting Through the Noise
May 14, 2012
We’re in one of the greatest bear markets of all time. In natural gas, that is. The commodity’s price has fallen from over $10 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) in July 2008 to about $2.50 today. Last month, it touched $1.90, representing a decline of roughly 85% from peak to trough. Natural gas is used to heat and cool homes and...
Read MoreMay 7, 2012
Our Small-Cap Fund is at the top of its game. Over the past year (ending April 30th) it has gained 13.6% while the market, as measured by the BMO Small Cap Index, has fallen -13.8%. It’s been zigging as the market’s been zagging. Over the past five years the fund has gained 6.2% per year, while the small-cap index and the S&P/TSX Composite Index are up 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively. What's more, the fund's annual returns since...
Read MoreMay 3, 2012
iShares fixed income turns 50. The global leader in exchange traded funds (ETFs) recently launched their 50th U.S.-based fixed income ETF (iShares offers 22 fixed income ETFs in Canada). Investors can access a wide array of products, including 8 different...
Read MoreApril 23, 2012
At the end of this month we’ll be rewarding our earliest clients with an additional fee rebate, as our first ‘tenure discounts’ come into play. Clients who hold our funds for 5 years receive an additional 7% reduction on their total fees. This discount is in addition to any rebates they receive based on the size of their accounts with Steadyhand. The tenure discount will apply every year until investors hit their 10th anniversary...
Read MoreApril 19, 2012
A theme in our blog postings this month is to bring readers inside the tent. Many clients express an interest in how we run our business, so we’re bringing it to life. In the second article of our five-part series (Five Sources of Tension), we noted that our website is one of our greatest sources of constant tension, as we aim to keep it fresh and...
Read MoreApril 18, 2012
It was a good start to the year for Steadyhand. We welcomed close to 200 new clients to the firm in the first quarter, our assets under management grew by 15%, and our transfer pipeline is healthy. Stocks also had a strong showing, with the Canadian market rising 4% and the U.S. and World markets gaining roughly 10%. The bond market declined as interest rates edged upwards, although losses...
Read MoreApril 16, 2012
We go through our fair share of Advil at Steadyhand. Like any business, we’re faced with strategic decisions that involve internal discussions in which not everyone sees eye to eye. While some choices are easy – the boardroom m&m’s are for clients only – others face more rigorous debate. Below are five issues that have been constant sources of tension within the walls of 1747 West 3rd Avenue...
Read MoreApril 12, 2012
From our Quarterly Report: We’re celebrating our fifth birthday this week, so this letter is going to be more about us than usual. Indeed, during the rest of this month, our plans are to share five stories, post a few ‘five’ lists and drink too much 5-year old wine...
Read MoreApril 9, 2012
Steadyhand opened its doors to investors five years ago tomorrow. Since that bright spring day in April 2007, we’ve witnessed a lot – the biggest stock market decline since the Great Depression, a collapse in the U.S. housing market, derivatives gone wild, a global debt crisis, a strong market rebound, record low interest rates, investor paralysis, political revolution ... and more. It’s been an eventful period. And...
Read MoreMarch 6, 2012
Emmylou is a typical Steadyhand client (notwithstanding her mono-tooth). Like Bruce, we’ll follow her investing journey and provide periodic updates on the decisions and challenges she faces. Emmylou is 57 years old and divorced. She’s been down the road with a couple of potential partners since splitting with her husband 10 years ago, but is not seeing anyone at the moment. She has one daughter, Stacey, who is a 30 year old teacher in Toronto...
Read MoreMarch 5, 2012
Tom’s Globe article on the weekend focused on Income Gone Wild (Dividends Obsession Distracts Investors From Big Picture). He opines that investors’ intense focus on dividends and income is distracting them from what really matters...
Read MoreFebruary 27, 2012
We’ve been banging the drum on the issue of performance assessment for good reason. Most investors don’t know how their portfolio has performed, and most firms don’t want to tell them. This reality was expanded upon in a recent article by Larry...
Read MoreFebruary 24, 2012
Morningstar published an article today on Brian Eby, the head of fixed income at Connor, Clark & Lunn. CC&L is the manager of our Income Fund and Savings Fund. Along with highlighting Brian’s background and experience, the piece sheds some light on...
Read MoreFebruary 20, 2012
We wrapped up our cross-country client presentations this month after visiting five cities and braving mother nature in all her winter glory. If you weren’t able to attend one of our sessions, we’ve produced a transcript of the event that hits on the key themes and...
Read MoreFebruary 9, 2012
Warren Buffett’s perspectives on investing are worth their weight in gold (or better yet, stocks). Invest in things you understand. Wait for the right pitch. Don’t follow the herd. Buy things you’d be comfortable holding forever. In a recent article in Fortune...
Read MoreFebruary 1, 2012
We last spoke with Bruce in September, when he acted on our counsel to trim his weighting in bonds and add to equities. Bruce and Courtney’s portfolio rose roughly 2% in 2011 (its aggregate value at year-end was approx. 346,500). While Bruce isn’t popping any champagne, he realizes that their portfolio fared quite well considering its bias towards equities (which had a weak year). At the end of December, their asset mix was...
Read MoreJanuary 26, 2012
Last week we published a report on how to assess your portfolio’s performance (How is My Portfolio Doing?). Today we’re releasing a supplementary report that uses the framework to assess the performance of the Steadyhand Balanced Income Portfolio...
Read MoreJanuary 25, 2012
I’ve read a few interesting books lately on some of the top technology visionaries of our time. They include Paul Allen (Microsoft), Larry Page & Sergey Brin (Google) and Steve Jobs (Apple). The books were all good reads (Idea Man, In the Plex, and Steve Jobs)...
Read MoreJanuary 18, 2012
Early last year we published a report on how to assess your portfolio’s performance. The paper laid out a framework for evaluating your investments, focusing on five areas: gathering the facts, reviewing the market environment, analyzing the numbers...
Read MoreJanuary 12, 2012
2011 was a great year for bonds and a not-so-great year for stocks. Interest rates declined further (10-year government bond yields ended the year below 2% for the first time in a century) leading to strong price gains in government bonds, and to a lesser extent corporate bonds. Debt concerns in Europe and political lollygagging weighed on investor confidence and most stock markets...
Read MoreJanuary 11, 2012
From our Quarterly Report: It’s a remarkable time to be an investor. After decades of overspending in the Western world, we’re watching Europe melt down and the American empire decline faster than expected. The debt burden is slowing the world economy...
Read MoreJanuary 5, 2012
As we start a fresh new year, there’s no shortage of Top 10 Lists (we’re guilty, too). They can get annoying and repetitive, even for a David Letterman fan. But some are worthy of passing on, even posting on the fridge. Here’s one you should staple to the front...
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2012
Another year, another 120 blog postings. We had some thoughtful, informative, helpful, useless, controversial and scathing posts last year, based on the emails and comments we received. Below is a list of our most popular posts in 2011, as...
Read MoreDecember 29, 2011
Michael Nairne, president of Tacita Capital, wrote a good piece in the Financial Post last weekend, titled A Gift From Risky Markets, which looks at historical stock market returns and valuations (dating back to 1825) and provides some perspective on the...
Read MoreDecember 22, 2011
From today’s Globe and Mail: “Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says Canada will not move ahead with its proposed Securities Act in light of the Supreme Court of Canada's decision to declare it unconstitutional ... The Supreme Court unanimously declared the...
Read More