Portfolio Managers’ Brief: March 2023
A brief review of market conditions and how they are impacting the management decisions of our Investment Review Committee (IRC).
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Portfolio Managers’ Brief: February 2023
A brief review of market conditions and how they are impacting the management decisions of our Investment Review Committee (IRC).
Portfolio Managers’ Brief: December 2022
A brief review of market conditions and how they are impacting the management decisions of our Investment Review Committee (IRC).
Q1 2021 Commentary & Outlook
Within the first few days of 2021, the last vestige of uncertainty from the U.S. presidential election about which party would gain control of the Senate was concluded in two separate run-off rates in Georgia on January 5th, with both Republican incumbents losing to Democratic challengers. Investors believed a Biden administration would spend lavishly to defeat Covid-19 and help the economy recover and, with the Democrats now in control of the U.S. government, this paved the way for U.S. markets to extend their rally.
How Will The COVID-19 Experience Affect The Idea of Sustainability for Investors?
historically, is meant to cover a range of topics and issues.
For example, in 2015 the United Nations General Assembly set as its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 17 separate goals for attaining and then sustaining a desirable future, which ranged from the elimination of poverty and hunger to establishing gender equality. Only two specifically related to climate and clean energy.
How Will the COVID 19 Experience Affect ESG Investing? – Part 2
There are two foundational themes to the discussion of the merits of ESG (ethical) investing: values and performance. The COVID 19 experience can be expected to impact both of these. For many ESG investors, the impact on performance is likely to be the most interesting, and perhaps the most difficult to predict.
Covid-19 and ESG Investing – Part 1
It should be expected that the COVID 19 experience may have a profound impact on ESG investing behaviours and related topics.
March 2020 Commentary & Outlook
At the risk of overstating the obvious, the month of February was challenging both psychologically and financially for investors.
As the spread of the Covid-19 virus escalated globally, fear and uncertainty took hold of the markets resulting in the fastest correction of U.S. and Canadian stocks in history.
After peaking near all-time highs somewhere close to the middle of the previous week, by market close on Friday February 28th, the S&P TSX composite Index, representing Canadian stocks, was down overall on the month by approximately 6 percent, while losses on the m
Croft Joins BMO to Open the Market
BMO is celebrating the launch of 11 new ETFs, 8 of which have a focus on companies that are leaders in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance). This innovation in ESG investing comes from a combined strength of BMO Global Asset Management, a UN Principles Responsible Investing (PRI) signatory since 2006 and MSCI, voted best firm for SRI research, corporate governance, research and indexes. 40 years of experience in ESG research has led to over 1300 firms utilizing their ESG insights as part of their investment process.
January 2020 Commentary & Outlook
There was very little holding the U.S. and Canadian stock markets back in December. We had identified a possible headwind with a proposed round of tariffs set to take effect on December 15th. However, with a “Phase 1” trade agreement reached between the U.S. and China instead, and Trump’s impeachment being of no consequence to the markets, investor optimism continued to push stocks higher into the close of 2019.