Category Archives: Blog

After two years of declines, crude oil prices have been on the rebound, up around 30% since mid-February to around $50 per barrel. While the bulls are predicting oil prices will trend higher over the coming months, weak economic data and a world flooded with unwanted oil will put serious pressure on oil prices—and could […]

The stock market may have staged a remarkable turnaround and be trading near record levels, but the bears know that the underlying fundamentals are very weak. While there is no single indicator that proves a bear market is on the way, there is a raft of data that, taken together, suggests we are already in […]

The prices of the most followed commodities (mining and energy) are bullish. Silver and gold prices have been strong since the beginning of 2016, while oil prices have been on an upward trend since the middle of February. Investing in commodities is about speculating on the future. As a result, commodity investors are focused on […]

In January, fears of a global recession and weak oil and gas prices pushed the Canadian dollar down to US$0.68, its lowest level in 16 years. The Canadian dollar has rebounded and is currently trading near US$0.77. While some investors think the tides have turned for the Canadian dollar, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut […]

After almost 10 years of artificially low interest rates, the Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate back in December amidst signs of a strengthening U.S. economy. That action was a little premature. Since then the stock market has plummeted and rallied and it remains volatile. And a raft of weak economic indicators suggests the […]

China is the world’s biggest emerging economy and second largest economy. So when the Chinese economy stumbles, its currency tanks, and stock market plunges, the effects are felt around the world. With an economy that is limping along at its slowest pace in a quarter of a century, the Chinese economy will have a lasting […]

After years of decline, many analysts were predicting gold prices would fall to a low of $800 an ounce in 2016. That’s a far cry from the August 2011 record high of $1,910 per ounce.1 Once the go-to investment for those hedging economic uncertainty, gold fell out of favour as the stock market hit record […]

The Canadian economy has been flashing warnings signs, and there is a good chance the country will slip into a recession this year. This could lead to further dramatic steps from the Bank of Canada to shore up the economy. While most analysts believe the Bank of Canada will reverse its interest rate policy, a […]

A bear market is usually defined by a drop in the stock market of 20% or more. If that’s the case, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is in bear-market territory. And the resource-heavy TSX will not experience a sustained rebound until economic conditions change. As a result, the Canadian markets will remain on shaky, volatile […]

The Canadian and U.S. stock markets are off to terrible starts, continuing the negative sentiment from 2015. In North America, oil prices are plummeting and hitting the Canadian economy hard. In fact, worsening oil prices are hitting beyond the oil patch, dragging the sentiment of investors, consumers, and businesses. There is a way for investors […]