(July 16, 2004) A year after convening a two-day conference on hedge funds, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has tabled a proposal to force hedge fund managers to register with the commission. In part, the proposal reflects the fact that the SEC knows so little about hedge funds. The proposal “would provide the […]
(June 21, 2004) Hedge funds in Canada are raising their popular and academic profile. Last week, the Canadian chapter of the Alternative Investment Managers Association (AIMA) released a hedge fund primer, and announced an annual prize for the best Canadian research paper on hedge funds. The primer, compiled by Bernice Miedzinski of institutional advisor York […]
(June 15, 2004) Corporate governance does have some impact on company’s performance in Canada, says a study by three Simon Fraser University researchers. Their study is the winner of the fourth annual Barclay’s Global Investors research award, announced today. “Corporate Governance, Family Ownership and Firm Value: Canadian Evidence,” written by Peter Klein, Daniel Shapiro and […]
(April 23, 2004) Index-investing pioneer Burton Malkiel is projecting considerably lower returns on equities — in fact on all financial assets — something that makes costs matter all the more. But it also means disciplining investor expectations. Malkiel, the Chemical Bank Professor at Princeton University, was speaking in Toronto yesterday to the annual conference of […]
(March 23, 2004) Bruited as an effort to restore sound financial management, federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale’s first budget probably spells an end to any sudden bump-up in the income trust sector investors may have expected. That’s because pension fund participation will be restricted. It’s not just income trusts that are affected, however, as the […]
(December 23, 2003) In its annual adjustment of tax brackets and credits, the federal finance department is raising the thresholds 3.3% to account for inflation. The federal government is also phasing in the last of its five-year tax reduction plan announced in the 2000 budget. That means the threshold for the 22% tax bracket will […]
(November 14, 2003) With equity markets on the upswing, advisors have surely noticed a return of fund manager roadshows. Soon RRSP advertising will blazon every newspaper and every television station. And much of it may well be wasted. The problem — one many advisors understand — is that most potential investors are not the sophisticated […]
(November 6, 2003) Through the bear market, some clients have decided to seek out the comfort they felt in an earlier time, when GICs provided more than enough income and they could be bought from two or three locations at every major urban intersection. High GIC rates are gone, probably for good, and it’s getting […]
(November 5, 2003) As boomers retire and live longer, while inheriting substantial amounts from their cautious Depression-era parents, financial planning stands poised as the 21st-century profession. But some of its basic tools remained rooted in the 1980s, says Dave Faulkner, an advisor who moved into financial software development before his firm was bought by CCH […]
(October 17, 2003) Mutual funds composed of other mutual funds — an increasingly popular product for advisors and investors looking for customized asset allocation — will now have more flexibility in how they allocate assets. The Canadian Securities Regulators has approved amendments to National Instrument 81-102. Until now, mutual funds could invest no more than […]