Category Archives: Blog

Are Healthcare Stocks a Safe Bet under Trump? U.S. healthcare stocks took a bit of a beating in 2015 and 2016 as uncertainty about the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—otherwise known as Obamacare—continued to flare. But healthcare stocks got some CPR in November 2016 after Donald Trump won the U.S. election. Healthcare stocks have been one […]

U.S. Small-Cap Stocks Underperforming Large Cap Stocks U.S. small-cap stocks (market cap between $200.0 million and $2.0 billion) got a big boost back in November after Donald Trump won the U.S. election. Since the start of December though, small-cap stocks have been trading sideways and are underperforming the broader S&P 500. With Donald Trump’s proposed […]

Stocks Overvalued, Bear Market Coming The bull market celebrated its eighth anniversary on March 9, 2017, and equities are at record levels. But investors should be prepared for the bull market to end and the bear market to begin in 2017. That’s because the current bull market has been fuelled by years and years of […]

Retail Giants Laying Off Just to Stay Open American shopping malls, which were once the stalwarts of the U.S. retail industry, are in serious decline with giants like Sears, J.C. Penny, and Macy’s Inc. all announcing major layoffs in 2017 to stay solvent. But even that is doubtful. U.S. unemployment may be at 4.7% and […]

Federal Reserve Raises Key Lending Rate The Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate in March for the second time in three months to a range of 0.75% to 1.0%. But is the U.S. economy strong enough to support even a small rate hike? How will the U.S. economy respond if the Fed raises rates […]

Oil Prices Tumble below $50.00 Per Barrel Crude oil prices recently fell below $50.00 per barrel for the first time since December 2016 as supplies hit record levels. The effects of lower oil prices are reverberating throughout the economy. Some maintain that low oil prices are good because it puts more money in consumers’ pockets […]

Banks Becoming Bearish The S&P 500 and broader markets continue to trade near record levels and investors remain optimistic that President Trump’s economic policies, tax cuts, and infrastructure spending will provide the U.S. economy with a much-needed jolt. But three of America’s biggest banks believe the markets have moved too far too fast; stocks are […]

Canadian Retail Sales Disappoint The Canadian dollar took a hit following a raft of disappointing economic data. The Loonie is feeling pressure from underwhelming fourth quarter retail data and disappointing fourth quarter U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) numbers fell to a two-week low against the greenback. One Canadian dollar is now worth around USD$0.75. At […]

Stocks Expected to Tumble in Second Half of 2017 Stocks are soaring on an illusion and could come tumbling back to Earth by 10% in the second half of 2017; however, that estimate may be far too conservative. It’s called the Icarus Trade and will present investors with a number of excellent investing opportunities.1 Whether […]

Weak U.S. Dollar and Inflation Bullish for Gold Prices The outlook for gold prices remains bullish. Gold prices are up 7.7% in 2017 and trading near a three-month high of $1,240 per ounce. Investors are attracted to precious metals like gold and silver as a hedge against economic uncertainty. But the broader markets are trading […]