Blog: Cutting Through the Noise
Industry News + Views
They Consolidate, We Smile
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on August 12, 2009
I walked into the office this morning to the news that AIC, the troubled fund company owned by Michael Lee-Chin, has been sold to Manulife. I smiled. I always smile when I hear that more consolidation has occurred in the wealth management industry. That’s...Read More
The Dash for Trash
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on August 5, 2009
This current market rally has been characterized as ‘a dash for trash’. In other words, lower quality companies have seen their stocks bounce back dramatically, while the higher quality ones have experienced more modest gains. When the companies that...Read More
The Credit Crisis 101
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on July 21, 2009
If you look up the term ‘credit crisis’ on Google, you’ll get close to 50 million results. Over the past year or so, you would be hard pressed to find two more commonly used words in the business world (other than the usual expletives that abound in falling...Read More
It Will Never be the Same
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on July 2, 2009
“Things will never be quite the same again. Western businesses in particular will be well served by moderating future expectations. That goes for investors too.” - Tim Price, PFP Wealth Management, June 22nd, 2009. I read Tim Price regularly and always...Read More
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on June 24, 2009
We need your help Aretha! It seems that the little Canadian technology company that could, Research in Motion, has trouble getting respect. This is hardly a statistically robust analysis, but it has been evident to me for years that RIM and its hugely...Read More
Hedge Funds are Dead
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on June 10, 2009
Be it resolved that hedge funds are dead - or at least the model as we know it needs to change. This is the position that Tom Bradley argued in a debate yesterday at a luncheon held by the Alternative Investment Management Association (Canada’s...Read More
Teachers Expel BCE
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on May 26, 2009
The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (Teachers) came within a hair of buying BCE at $42.75. Clearly the powers that be at Teachers thought enough of the BCE franchise that they were willing to pay up for it and use substantial amounts of leverage...Read More
A Tip of the Hat to the 'Capitalist'
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 21, 2009
Blogger Canadian Capitalist published a complimentary posting on Steadyhand the other day. He highlighted four aspects of our firm that we emphasize on our website and in our conversations with investors: Low cost, Concentration, Co-investment...Read More
Morningstar Study: The Investor Experience
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 13, 2009
Morningstar recently published a comprehensive report on the ‘investment climate’ for mutual fund investors titled Global Fund Investor Experience. The report analyzes the fund marketplace in a number of countries around the world, highlighting the strengths...Read More
When in Doubt, go BIG
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on May 5, 2009
A writer in the Financial Times this morning suggested that BMW and Mercedes need to worry about scale. With Fiat and Porsche playing the role of consolidators, the auto industry is going to have fewer, larger players. Therefore, as the logic goes...Read More
The Silly Season is Here
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on April 29, 2009
The 2009 Lipper Awards have been announced and the ads and emails have started. There will be a rush of fund firms announcing the loot they've collected. Last year we had some fun with our industry's 'silly season'. We announced our own LIPPY Awards...Read More
Bond Trades - What am I Paying?
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on April 17, 2009
There was great news today. The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) released a proposal to enhance disclosure requirements for over-the-counter (OTC) trades, including bonds. IIROC is one of two regulatory bodies for...Read More
