Blog: Cutting Through the Noise
Industry News + Views
Slipping out the Door
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 22, 2010
George Morgan joined Mackenzie Financial in January 2009 as a Senior Vice-President and Portfolio Manager for the Mackenzie Cundill American Class Fund. Mackenzie issued a public announcement at the time. Here are a few excerpts: "George is an...Read More
China Interrupted
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on April 21, 2010
I am not an economist and have never been to China. But I am an investor and a student of market cycles, and as such, I’m always wary when something that is far from certain starts being assumed as part of the foundation of the capital markets. Today China is...Read More
California Here I Come
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on March 26, 2010
Dear Madam / Sir, Re: Application for a trader position. I read with interest that Google is looking to hire traders to manage its $24 billion cash reserve. I would like to apply. I have attached my resume for your consideration and would like to emphasize a...Read More
Who is Buying This Stuff?
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on March 22, 2010
Kevin O’Leary is an intentionally controversial figure. I quite enjoy his TV persona...in small doses. He stirs the pot and is a great offset to my favorite TV host, Amanda Lang. I’m not sure what Mr. O’Leary’s day job is exactly, but part of it entails marketing closed...Read More
Not-so-random Thoughts
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on March 2, 2010
I admit to doing less reading over the last few weeks (which is criminal for an investment professional) due to a minor sporting event being held in Vancouver. But between the spectating, TV viewing and partying, I did manage to catch up on some...Read More
Trading ETFs - Pro or Con
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on February 25, 2010
By far the most popular topic in the business press these days is ETFs (exchange-traded funds). Not a day goes by without an article on them (and yes, I am planning to write one in the near future). In all of the commentaries, trading flexibility is put...Read More
Active Share
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on February 24, 2010
The notion of “active share” is in the news again. Coined by a pair of Yale professors in 2007, active share is a measure that indicates just how actively managed a fund really is. In other words, it is a gauge of how much a fund looks like, or overlaps, a certain...Read More
Hunters or Farmers?
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on February 10, 2010
Seth Godin is a renowned author, marketer and blogger. He has great insights and observations on human behavior and the business world. In a recent blog, Hunters and Farmers, he examines the differences between the two types of individuals. In Seth's...Read More
Changes Morningstar Would Like to See in The Fund Industry
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on January 21, 2010
Morningstar’s Manager of Fund Analysis, David O’Leary, recently published an article titled Six Changes We Would Like to See in the Canadian Mutual Fund Industry. O’Leary acknowledges that by and large, Canada has an investor-friendly fund industry. Yet...Read More
How is Your Pension Health?
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on January 7, 2010
Mercer, the pension and benefits consultant, reported this week that the funding status of Canadian pension plans improved dramatically in 2009. Its ‘pension health index’ moved up from 59 to 74, meaning that for a typical plan, 74% of the pension liabilities...Read More
Theory versus Practice
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on January 6, 2010
There is an interesting business case playing out in the U.S. right now with Kraft Foods attempting to takeover Cadbury. The saga started 4 months ago when Kraft made a hostile bid. Cadbury’s board rejected the cash and shares offer, but by then the...Read More
Conflicts of Interests? What Conflicts?
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on December 8, 2009
When I was working at Richardson Greenshields in the 80’s, my partners and I watched as all of our big competitors got bought up by the banks – Gundy went to CIBC, DS to Royal, McLeod to Scotia and Nesbitt to BMO. As one of the largest independents left...Read More
