It may come as no surprise, but 2010 was a very strong year for commodity prices. How strong? The Scotiabank Commodity Price Index, which tracks the price of 32 commodities, surged 17.8% on the year. The index capped the year with a hefty month-over-month gain of 5.5% in December. Since the cyclical low, reached in […]
A large number of Canadian investors appear oblivious to the costs associated with their mutual funds, according to a survey commissioned by ING DIRECT. The poll found that 45% of Canadians were unsure about the annual management expense they are pay on mutual funds. It should be noted, of course, that ING is a purveyor […]
BetaPro Management has launched two new ETFs offering investors exposure to the S&P 500 VIX volatility index.
AlphaPro Management has announced the Horizons AlphaPro Fiera Tactical Bond Fund will convert into an open-end exchange traded fund and be renamed the Horizons AlphaPro Tactical Bond ETF, effective the close of business on December 31, 2010.
Previous Brieflies this week: | MON | TUE | WED | THU | Mackenzie Financial has named Andrew Massie and Lawrence Chin to lead its Cundill investment division, succeeding Jim Thompson, who is returning to the United States, and will rejoin Southeastern Asset Management, Inc., effective December 1. “I have enjoyed working with the Cundill […]
My colleague is always on the lookout for deals and bargains. Growing up in Saint Petersburg during a transitioning Russian economy made everyone resourceful. She and her family have used coupons to clean out stores, with the clerk paying her at checkout! She applies the same frugal approach to constructing core-and-satellite structures for taxable portfolios, and saves money by systematically harvesting tax losses using ETFs.
Because their many benefits outweigh their few shortcomings, we expect ETFs to represent a much greater share of managed assets in the future. But some structural issues within the advisory industry need to be addressed if ETFs are going to take centre stage alongside today’s more mainstream managed products.
I met a broker from Rochester at breakfast on the second day of an ETF conference in Albany, New York. I was a speaker on the first day and a moderator on the second, and was curious about the audience’s knowledge level and how the message was getting through. “Do you use ETFs in your […]
Every successful company has a CEO who provides leadership, direction and coordination to the overall business. And that CEO is usually supported by a strong team of executives with distinctive skills, who work closely to build the business. Imagine the mess if there were no direction or coordination, and if each member of the team […]