Blog

Cutting Through the Noise


January 5, 2013

By Tom Bradley

Don't Dread Your Year-end Statement. You'll Probably be Pleasantly Surprised

I’m constantly hearing that it’s been a tough few years for money managers. It’s true that the macro-economic situation has brought uncertainty and volatility, and there’s been no such thing as “safe” income. But in one respect, the past couple of years...

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December 28, 2012

By Tom Bradley

The Fiscal Curb

Am I bothered because the budget negotiations in Washington are dragging on and the market is bouncing around more than usual at year-end? No. Am I worried that tax increases and spending cuts will slow the U.S. economy? They will, but no, I'm...

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December 23, 2012

By Tom Bradley

From Crude to Carney: A Year for Trends Reversing Course

We’re in the midst of the holiday season, but there’s something about reflecting on the financial markets in 2012 that makes me want to say “bah humbug.” To me, the year was lots of talk – Spain, Facebook, BCE, fiscal cliff, Nexen/CNOOC, Mark Carney...

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December 14, 2012

By Tom Bradley

The Flight to Safety Continues

So far in 2012, $10 billion has flowed into Canadian ETFs (net of sales). It's a big number, especially considering it's been a tough market for most wealth management providers. But as I said earlier this year, the growth doesn't blow me away in the context of a...

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December 12, 2012

By Tom Bradley

A Rush for the Exit

In a recent Globe column, I highlighted a consensus among money managers that interest rates are unsustainably low - short and mid-term Government of Canada bonds are trading at negative ‘real’ yields (after inflation). The argument goes that at some...

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December 11, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Two Losers and One Big Winner

I've just returned from a few days in the U.S. (Denver – clean, friendly, no snow, great music, the Brown Palace Hotel in all its Christmas glory and a Van Gogh exhibit) and have heard and read waaaaaayyyyyy too much about the fiscal cliff. Fortunately, I've come...

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December 8, 2012

By Tom Bradley

How the Under-invested Can Get Back in the Market

My editors want me to at least occasionally write about something topical. At first glance, a column about getting back into the market doesn't appear to fit the bill, but it does. That’s because now is the time to do the groundwork for what is often the most difficult...

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December 4, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Mr. Market Looks Ahead

There have been a number of articles recently on U.S. homebuilders. There are increasing signs that housing activity is picking up (albeit from near-dormant levels) and the indexes that track stocks related to the industry have doubled over the last year. This sector is a great illustration of how the stock market is always looking forward. When this latest run started last fall, the news on housing (resales, starts...

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November 24, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Amid the Desk Scraps, a Surprising Wealth of Perspective

Until a couple of days ago, there was a leaning tower of paper hovering over my desk. It was a stack of articles, charts, cartoons, quotes and sport stats that I was sure would be important one day, but in the meantime, was threatening my safety. It had...

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November 20, 2012

By Tom Bradley

What's an Investor to do?

With a decline of more than 200 points Wednesday, Canada's benchmark stock index erased its gain for 2012 and cemented its position as the worst-performing major stock index in North America. Even France's CAC 40 and Italy's Mibtel index are...

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November 13, 2012

By Tom Bradley

The Enemies of Performance

For keen investors and/or students of the investment industry, I recommend reading a speech (Surviving Success) given this past summer by Richard Rooney, the Chief Investment Officer of Burgundy Asset Management. Richard was speaking to an...

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November 10, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Finding a Portfolio Manager That Runs Against the Herd

In my last column, I suggested that the stock picker’s lot in life is not as bad as it’s made out to be. I argued that many of the portfolio managers competing in this zero sum game (for every winner, there’s a loser) are destined to underperform for structural reasons...

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October 27, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Don't Believe the Skeptics: Stock Picking is Alive and Well

"Be it resolved that security selection is dead. Macro forces drive portfolio returns.” This was the resolution for the Alternative Investment Management Association’s (AIMA) annual debate. It reflects what I’m increasingly hearing – it’s a tough environment for active...

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October 24, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Stupid Way to Invest

The Report on Business today published excerpts from an interview with John Bogle, the father of indexing and founder of Vanguard. We found one of his answers on the wealth management industry particularly poignant. “Today, that profession with elements of...

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October 23, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Undexing, Diversification and the Global Equity Fund

Our Global Equity Fund has had a rough three years. Nonetheless, it’s our view that foreign stocks will be an important contributor to client returns and portfolio diversification in the coming years. In this post, I’ll provide some background on the fund...

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October 13, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Be Skeptical of These Current 'Sure Things'

"It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain. As investors, we need to be wary of what we’re absolutely, positively sure about. We may be flat out wrong. Economies, markets and...

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October 2, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Volatility ... versus What?

In last Saturday’s Report of Business, Rob Carrick wrote an article about low volatility mutual funds (The Hidden Dangers in Playing it Safe). The Steadyhand Equity Fund was one of six funds he highlighted as having a positive return over the last five years...

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September 29, 2012

By Tom Bradley

A New Mantra for Money Managers: Think Small

Last week in Toronto, I had back-to-back meetings that provided an intriguing juxtaposition. I first met with Joe Sirdevan, the former head of research at Jarislowsky Fraser, who is starting a new firm, Galibier Capital, and then spent some time...

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September 24, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Showing You the Money

As we do every year, we’ve updated our figures on co-investment (the practice of investing alongside our clients). We feel there’s no better way to illustrate our commitment to our investment philosophy, approach, and ultimately our clients, than to put our...

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September 16, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Investors Finally Get the Ultimate Asset: Transparency

Big changes are in the regulatory winds and they’re going to be good for Canadians. The new rules that are coming down relating to cost disclosure, performance reporting and client statements are likely to have more impact on individual investors...

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September 10, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Under the Table

While I was cleaning out the cottage last week, I found a few old items that brought back memories. The Clarkson Bantam hockey jacket with the black leather sleeves was a beauty, although it doesn’t seem to fit anymore. Fortunately, neither does the Speedo with the maple leaf pattern. I found a pair of flip flops that were so old they were called thongs. And to my great surprise, my wooden toy box was...

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September 6, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Bearish is Bullish

There was an article by David Berman in the Report on Business yesterday pointing out how bearish Wall Street strategists are these days (Time to Buy as Pros Turn Bearish). As a group, their recommended stock weighting is 44.4%, which is near its lowest level since 1985. This compares to a long-term average of 60-65%. In the...

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September 1, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Younger Retirees Need Some Risk in their Portfolios

Just as the baby boomers brought us free love and rock ’n’ roll, they’re also leading the way into pension-less retirement. Those who are near or just into retirement are in a tough spot. They have a long time time horizon and need investment returns that are...

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August 22, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Bad News, Rising Markets ... Why Not?

“Stock rally defies fears of a slumping economy.” That was the title on an article in today’s Report on Business. To me, it’s further evidence of the macro mania that I wrote about in last weekend’s Globe article. Investors are looking at the big picture (Spain...

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August 21, 2012

By Tom Bradley

Large Accounts Should Mean Lower Fees

We try to limit how often we write about fees because we have an axe to grind (is more than 50 times a year too much?), but … David, Chris and I have come across a few situations in the last two weeks that caught our eye. In each case, the investor had a...

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