January was a positive start to 2026 for investors, particularly in Canada, with the S&P/TSX Composite Index closing at a record high on January 28th. However, a sharp reversal of gold and silver prices during the last two trading days of the month then knocked over 1,200 points off the index and erased most of […]
Investment markets performed strongly in 2025, more so than many forecasters expected a year ago. Despite some significant bouts of volatility, the trend was steadily upwards for stocks, with most major North American indices hitting record highs late in December. Better-than-expected economic performance and solid corporate profits in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Canada helped […]
November was a testing period for equity investors as markets swung significantly. A mid-month slump in US indices was precipitated in part by renewed concerns about the longer-term implications of the enormous capital spending by AI companies. After hitting a new year to date high near the end of October, the NASDAQ slid 7% by […]
North American stock markets had an up and down month before ending October higher. Volatility flared on several occasions due to US-China trade tensions, unexpected concerns about the health of US regional banks, and the enormous sums tech companies are spending on AI. Yet solid US corporate earnings and eventual signs of calmer US China trade […]
Investment markets had a good summer, with major equity indices across the globe sprinting further ahead during the three-month period ending September 30th. Canadian and US bonds also rose, and gold hit a record high on the final day of the quarter. US and Canadian economic data released during Q3 was mixed and highlighted the […]
Global equity markets moved up again in August as investors looked past US tariff rates now at their highest rate since the 1930s. The S&P/TSX Composite Index notched another all-time high at the close of the month while other major indices also gained before pulling back slightly in the final days of the period. Gold […]
The second quarter of 2025 began with equity indexes plunging on the heels of the April 2 US announcement of sweeping tariffs on almost every trading partner worldwide. Volatility as measured by the Vix index soared and bond yields jumped as fixed income markets also tumbled. The quarter also delivered an array of geopolitical jolts, […]
North American stock indices rose in May, with the NASDAQ in particular putting in a strong showing on the back of resilient tech companies. Stocks gained on moderate US inflation data and an emerging perception that the Trump administration won’t enact its most severe global tariff threats after the US first announced and then rolled […]
North American stocks plunged at the start of the month after Donald Trump unveiled a far-reaching array of global trade tariffs on April 2 that exceeded any expectations. The yield on the benchmark US 10-year Treasury bond climbed half a percentage point in a week (yields move up as bond prices fall), the largest such […]
In the first quarter of 2025, Donald Trump entered office, Justin Trudeau departed, and Mark Carney became Canada’s 24th Prime Minister and called an election for April 28th. Running in parallel to these political changes were numerous and often unexpected US trade tariff announcements that ultimately unsettled markets. The cumulative effect of Trump’s burst of […]
