Private Investment Management- 2024 First Quarter Review

May 14, 2024 |Beth Arseneau
Q1 Economic Summary Equity returns were positive in the first quarter of 2024. The S&P/TSX, S&P 500, and MSCI EAFE Indexes were up about 7%, 13% and 7% respectively (Figure 1, Returns in CAD$). In Canada, Energy and Materials leading the way, while Energy...
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Bi-weekly Client Letter 2024-05-03

May 03, 2024 |Elizabeth Arseneau
Global equity markets finished the month of April a bit lower as they digested the gains made since last October. Markets largely spent the month grappling with sticky inflation and diminishing prospects for interest rate cuts in the U.S. In the past...
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Proof Point: A weaker Canadian dollar won’t necessarily derail BoC interest rate cuts

Proof Point: A weaker Canadian dollar won’t necessarily derail BoC interest rate cuts

May 01, 2024 |Nathan Janzen and Claire Fan
Proof point: The timing and magnitude of interest rate cuts from the Bank of Canada will be determined by domestic economic and inflation conditions and not the gap in monetary policy with the U.S. Federal Reserve or the value of the Canadian dollar....
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Bi-weekly Client Letter 2024-04-19

April 19, 2024 |Elizabeth Arseneau
The past few weeks have seen more meaningful activity across global equity, fixed income, commodity, and currency markets, marked by an increase in volatility. Two developments were particularly noteworthy. The first is a significant shift in U.S. interest...
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Bi-weekly Client Letter 2024-04-05

April 05, 2024 |Elizabeth Arseneau
Global equity markets have been somewhat directionless over the past few weeks, likely taking a breather after a reasonably good first quarter. Investors are digesting recent jobs reports in Canada and the U.S. Meanwhile, the consensus view remains that...
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How lowering the number of non-permanent residents will impact Canada’s economy

How lowering the number of non-permanent residents will impact Canada’s economy

April 05, 2024 |Nathan Janzen
Federal government efforts to limit non-permanent resident arrivals will likely slow the pace of gross domestic product growth in 2025 and beyond. However, per-capita GDP, the unemployment rate, broader inflation pressures, and interest rate expectations...
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Bi-weekly Client Letter 2024-03-08

March 08, 2024 |Elizabeth Arseneau
Global equity markets have trended higher in recent weeks, with performance in regions outside the U.S. being notably stronger. Investors have been focused on the employment picture and recent comments from the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve...
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BoC holds rates steady in March

BoC holds rates steady in March

March 07, 2024 |Claire Fan, Economist, Royal Bank of Canada

The Bank of Canada (BoC) held the overnight rate unchanged for a fifth consecutive meeting, extending a pause that started after the last hike in July last year. 

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Proof Point: Weak productivity is threatening Canada’s post-pandemic wage growth

February 28, 2024 |Nathan Janzen
Canadian wage growth has been unusually high, but looks more modest when measured against surging inflation and relative to acute labour shortages earlier in the pandemic recovery. Now lagging productivity in Canada (along with a softening labour market...
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Positioning for inflation shocks

Positioning for inflation shocks

February 16, 2024 |Sean Killin

Geopolitical tensions and policy uncertainty are driving inflation risks. We look at the potential role of fixed income in portfolio positioning.

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