Cutting Through the Noise
July 14, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published July 12, 2008 I've been reading Sports Illustrated for 40 years (since I was minus three years old). There are weeks when I don't get the Economist magazine read, but I never ...
Read MoreJune 30, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published June 28, 2008 “We do our own independent research.” That's what all investment managers tell their prospective clients. It is a point of pride and is meant to distinguish them from other ...
Read MoreJune 16, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published June 14, 2008 We can't go anywhere or do anything without feeling the impact of high oil prices. It is the topic du jour and we are at the stage where every ...
Read MoreJune 2, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published May 31, 2008 I grumbled as I read Rob Carrick's profile on Francis Chou in the latest issue of Globe Investor magazine. He beat me to it. I had visited Francis a ...
Read MoreMay 20, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published May 17, 2008 On my way to a breakfast meeting recently, I walked by the 'Opening Soon' Apple store in Vancouver's Pacific Centre Mall. I know how hot that store is going ...
Read MoreMay 6, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published May 3, 2008 Where were you in August of '82? I will always remember. I was between my years at Western in what is now the Ivey School of Business and was ...
Read MoreApril 21, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business. Published April 19, 2008 Purdy, what were you thinking? Didn't you know how complex and convoluted investment products have become? Didn't you know this would become a hornet's nest with many different interests ...
Read MoreApril 7, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published April 5, 2008 A couple of times in recent months I've used the banks as a framework for talking about investing and the buy side of the street. I'm back at it. ...
Read MoreMarch 24, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published March 22, 2008 Between now and the time I publish my next column, you should receive a quarterly statement from your investment adviser or manager. Get prepared. Your net worth will have ...
Read MoreMarch 10, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published March 8, 2008 During the RRSP season we were barraged with ads from the banks and insurance companies. In light of the recent market turbulence, the emphasis has been on their ‘risk ...
Read MoreFebruary 25, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published February 23, 2008 It appeared on my BlackBerry screen on Thursday afternoon. Word from the office that Royal Bank was buying Phillips Hager & North. My first reaction was to shrug and ...
Read MoreFebruary 11, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published February 9, 2008 In 2007, the capital markets were defined by acronyms (CDO, ABCP, SIV, CDS), but the big new word doing the rounds now is "decoupling". Decoupling refers to an economic ...
Read MoreJanuary 28, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published January 26, 2008 I had a column written for this week on how investors should expect lower returns, lower than what they have achieved in the past 10 to 25 years. I ...
Read MoreJanuary 10, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published January 12, 2008 Note: this article is a revised version of a previous blog posting titled Fit to be Tyed that was picked up by the Globe and Mail. It was a ...
Read MoreJanuary 7, 2008
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published January 5, 2008 Over the holidays I had a chance to read Michael Mauboussin's More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places . From his perch as chief investment strategist ...
Read MoreDecember 23, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published December 22, 2007 I put my neck on the line last year with some bold and provocative predictions for 2007 . Rather than make economic or market calls, however, I focused on ...
Read MoreDecember 10, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published December 8, 2007 What price-earnings multiple would you put on a company that is growing at 10 per cent, is highly profitable and pays a healthy dividend? A company that has steadily ...
Read MoreNovember 26, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published November 24, 2007 Over the last few weeks, I've been spending lots of time speaking with clients and other investors. It's been interesting because while I want to talk about Steadyhand, Steve ...
Read MoreNovember 12, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published November 10, 2007 As an equity guy, I don't like to admit it, but I recently spent some time with the bond team at Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management. Bondies aren't ...
Read MoreOctober 29, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published October 27, 2007 My partners and I were bouncing around ideas this week for an advertising program. We weren't coming up with anything too brilliant and even starting to get a little ...
Read MoreOctober 15, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published October 13, 2007 The first column I wrote for The Globe and Mail was on hedge funds. As a guest columnist, I innocently poked my head up and declared that their fees ...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 29, 2007 "Wisdom comes from sitting on your ass." According to Warren Buffett's sidekick, Charlie Munger, it's the best road to effective thinking. For the last six weeks I've been laid ...
Read MoreSeptember 16, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 15, 2007 If you've been a regular reader of this column, you know that I sometimes write about things that are driving my wife crazy. When Lori gets on a rant ...
Read MoreSeptember 4, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 1, 2007 Are we experiencing another immaculate correction? That’s how I describe the market corrections we’ve experienced while living under the protective umbrella of U.S. President George W. Bush and former ...
Read MoreAugust 20, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published August 18, 2007 Shouldn't I be doing something? In historical terms, volatile markets like we're experiencing now are not unusual, so I don't want to overplay it. I'll admit, however, that I ...
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