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Hedge Funds Take Direct Stakes In Commodities … Should We Be Wary?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:06:43 GMT

ScotiaMocatta, the Canadian commodities trader and subsidiary of the Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS), has asked regulators to approve plans for a fund that would take physical positions in copper.[More...]

Where’s The Value?

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:30:00 GMT

The summer of 2009 is drawing to a close and as a number of us return from holidays and vacations our attention can once again be directed towards the stock market, our investment portfolios and the prospects of investing over the remainder of the year. The problem so far in 2009 is that despite a huge amount of volatility earlier in the year the rest has been...well...pretty dry. Stocks, corporate bonds and mutual funds have all appreciated off their lows and a lot of investors are scratching their heads wondering where the value is in this current environment. When you look at most measures of quantitative value such as price to earnings (P/E), price to book (P/B) or dividend yield there are a lot of stocks that don’t appear cheap and the ones that are cheap are inexpensive for a very good reason; a poor investment. It’s at times like this that I look towards my discipline of investing in Enduring Value for[More...]

Financial Stocks For Dividend Investors: AFL, CB

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:17:00 GMT

Financial stocks, which used to be great dividend investments, have had their share of troubles over the past two years. The sector has rebounded sharply since hitting its lows in March. Since the major dividend growth stories of the past such as Bank of America (BAC) and US Bancorp (USB) have cut dividends, most dividend growth investors seem to have a very low allocation to the sector. As a result dividend investors could suffer inferior risk adjusted returns in the future since they won't own any financial stocks.[More...]

Canadian Banking: Sober, Boring, And Successful

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:17:00 GMT

It wasn’t so long ago Canada’s banking system was considered behind the times. Almost cute, an antiquarian relic, it banked in the old ways… and it was holding Canada back.[More...]

Best International Dividend Stocks

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:13:00 GMT

In a previous article I provided a list with the best dividend stocks for the long run. Since the list included only US stocks several readers asked for a similar list with international dividend growth stocks instead. Furthermore, I am also looking to expand my portfolio to include at least some allocation to [More...]

Value Update II, 2009

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:35:00 GMT

The first quarter of 2009 has finished and although equity markets are up from their lows the economic landscape hasn’t changed dramatically for investors or businesses. Unemployment continues to rise, the cost of capital has remained relatively high and transparency in corporate earnings has been inadequate at best. Companies will begin reporting their numbers soon, but with GDP contracting by a significant amount in the past two quarters investors are going to be looking for stability rather than erosion or growth in earnings. Companies with strong defensive balance sheets and cashflows have weathered the storm well so far. Companies suffering from an abundance of debt and poor management have moved in the predictable direction of continued deterioration. After nearly every stock suffering through the decline in equity markets this is an environment of corporate survival. We are in an environment where corporate fundamentals will reign and the strong[More...]

Eventually, Canadian Banks Will Come Out On Top

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:01:00 GMT

"Canada's three largest banks posted healthy profits last fiscal[More...]

Canadian Banks: An Oasis of Financial Calm

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Canadian Banks: An Oasis of Financial Calm by Dr. Mark Skousen, Advisory Panelist The U.S. financial system is a mess - according to the World Economic Forum, the United States ranks 40th among banking systems around the world. Without federal bailouts, the two largest banks in the country, Citibank (NYSE: C) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), would be in bankruptcy, and the good ol’ USA would be headed for the Greater Depression, as my[More...]

Stock Picks 2009 Part II

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:19:00 GMT

Our researcher, Ronan Cull, has put together this list of stock picks (Irish, UK, Canadian and US) from around the web. Any take your fancy! Chart - Save - Alert with Zignals for free. "Changing Value: 9 picks for 2009 = APC, GE, ISRG, WFC, and more" Sheldon Liber (BloggingStocks.com) 1. American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) 2. Anadarko Petroleum (APC) 3. Anglo American (AAUK) 4. Annaly Capital Management (NLY) 5. Diageo plc. (DEO) 6. General Electric Company (GE) 7. Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) 8. Wells Fargo and Company (WFC) 9. EZCorp Inc. (EZPW) "Brokers Bullish ISEQ after rise" Pat Boyle (Independent.ie) Davy: 1. CRH 2. Ryanair 3. Kerry 4. Glanbia 5. ARYZTA 6. Smurfit Kappa Group "Analysts Name Stock Picks for 2009" Ted Jackovies[More...]

Competition for Capital

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:18:00 GMT

I’m not the brightest investor on the street, but I know enough that something isn’t quite right when I’ve fielded two dozen questions in recent days about the investing prospects of the Bank of Montreal (BMO) from peers who are intently focused on the stunning 9%+ dividend yield of its common shares. I first want to lay out in this post the cost of capital that banks have currently experienced when going to the market for equity to shore up their balance sheets. For investors who might be asking, “What’s this tier 1 capital ratio everyone is talking about?” it’s a basic measure of a banks overall financial strength and health. This ratio measures a bank’s core equity capital to its risk-weighted assets. Risk-weighted assets are a group of assets held by the bank that are weighted for credit risk using a formula provided by industry regulators. Essentially – what reserves does a bank have on hand to cover losses on any[More...]

Strategist Offers Investing Tips

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Nov. 3--Readers of The News Tribune first met Bruce McCain a year ago when he visited Tacoma to speak with a group of selected high-net-worth clients of Key Private Bank -- where McCain serves as chief investment strategist.
He has earned a doctorate in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a Certified Financial Analyst.
Alongside speaking with clients and managing portfolios, McCain also appears regularly both in print and broadcast media.

[More...]

Station Casinos Weathers Full Day of Hearings in Bankruptcy Court

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:49:00 GMT

Sep. 3--RENO -- Station Casinos had a pretty good day in Reno on Wednesday, considering it was in bankruptcy court.
During a full day of hearings in what is expected to be a months-long bankruptcy case, attorneys for a committee of unsecured creditors reiterated their concerns that a swap agreement and other parts of the company's proposals to provide financing to continue operations while in bankruptcy unnecessarily takes value away from part of company, unfairly benefits Deutsche Bank and hurts creditors, but to no avail.
The swap agreement, which includes $15 million in fees for a 13-week period, should be terminated with the funds remaining in the company, committee attorney Bonnie Steingart argued.

[More...]

Small Lenders in Station Bankruptcy Not Happy With Deutsche Bank

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:48:00 GMT

Aug. 26--Some small banks in the Station Casinos bankruptcy are displeased with the way a big bank controlling the funding is behaving.
Deutsche Bank and Station Casinos are trying to "starve out" a group of independent lenders opposed to the proposed bankruptcy funding by making smaller banks pay fees out of pocket while not protecting their interests, according to oppositions filed in bankruptcy court by a group of small lenders.
According to two filings made recently by the independent lenders:

[More...]

Windfarm Funds in Hand: GE, Banks Collaborate to Invest in Local Projects

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:48:00 GMT

Apr. 9--PLATTSBURGH -- Noble Environmental Power has refinanced three of its wind parks, including two in the North Country.
Noble recently announced that it has received long-term capital for its Altona, Chateaugay and Wethersfield wind parks.
"Although the challenges of the financial landscape are unprecedented, the need for clean, renewable energy has never been greater," Noble CEO Walt Howard said in a statement.

[More...]

Noble Wind Parks Refinanced

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:50:00 GMT

Apr. 8--PLATTSBURGH -- Noble Environmental Power has refinanced three of its wind parks, including two in the North Country.
Noble recently announced that it has received long-term capital for its Altona, Chateaugay and Wethersfield wind parks.
GE Energy Financial Services invested more than $200 million in the three wind parks as part of a syndicate of banks and financial institutions that provided a 15-year loan of about $440 million.

[More...]

Scotiabank Acquires Majority Interest in Five Continents Financial

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:25:00 GMT

Canada-based financial services provider Scotiabank has acquired a majority interest in Cayman Islands-based asset management company Five Continents Financial.[More...]

Scotiabank Acquires Assets from UBS Energy

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:59:30 GMT

Canada-based bank holding company Scotiabank and its operating subsidiary Scotia Capital have acquired select assets and employees from UBS Energy, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based financial services company UBS AG. The acquisition included trading and analytical technology, and approximately 60 front, mid and back office personnel. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.[More...]

SCIB Seeks New Partner: Talks With ScotiaBank on Hold After Crisis Hit

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Mar. 3--Despite the global economic crisis, Siam City Bank hopes to attract a foreign partner at a "good price", according to bank president Chaiwat Utaiwan.
"Several foreign investors have expressed interest in investing in the bank as a strategic partner, including ScotiaBank.
Canada's ScotiaBank recently raised its stake in Thanachart Bank to 49 percent in a deal priced at 1.5 times the Thai bank's book value.

[More...]

Movers: MetLife, IBM, National City, TJX Companies

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:51:00 GMT

The Wall Street Journal reports that MetLife (MET) recently approached life and property insurer Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) about a merger transaction, citing people familiar with the talks.
IBM (IBM) posts $2.05, vs. $1.68 a year ago, third quarter EPS from continuing operations on 5% revenue rise.
PNC Financial (PNC) and Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) are among the potential bidders, the paper added.

[More...]

Ontario Hardest Hit As Full-Time Jobs Tumble in Canada, Unemployment Rate Rises

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:47:00 GMT

OTTAWA - Tens of thousands of Canadians, most of them in Ontario, lost their full-time jobs or were forced into part-time work last month as the country's economy showed signs of retreating, two Statistics Canada reports suggest.
Friday's much-dreaded jobs report was even worse than forecast, with the country losing 39,200 full-time jobs.
Four provinces added some full-time jobs but the other six had losses, including 45,500 that disappeared in Ontario.

[More...]

Scotiabank President and CEO to Address Scotia Capital Financials Summit

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:02:00 GMT

TORONTO, Sept. 14 /CNW/ - Rick Waugh, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Scotiabank, will address the 10th Annual Scotia Capital Financials Summit Conference on September 16, 2009. The conference - Webcast at www.scotiabank.com - provides an opportunity for Canadians to join executives from leading financial services companies as they review corporate strategies and discuss a variety of financial topics and trends. Audio portions of the presentations are broadcast live on the Internet. Mr. Waugh's 30-minute presentation will start at about 10:40 a.m. EDT, and includes a question-and-answer session.[More...]

Scotiabank Changes Mortgage Rates

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:06:00 GMT

TORONTO, Sept. 8 /CNW/ - Scotiabank announced today the following changes in the Bank's posted residential mortgage interest rates, effective September 9, 2009:[More...]

Back-to-School, And Back-to-Spending: Scotia Economics Report

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:55:00 GMT

TORONTO, Sept. 8 /CNW/ - The phrase 'back-to-school' typically elicits 'yeas' to 'nays' from everyone ranging from students of all ages, to parents, grandparents, as well as caregivers. But for the retailers and service providers across Canada, 'back-to-school' undoubtedly generates a big 'yea!', since it is one of the most important shopping seasons on the consumer calendar, according to a special report entitled Back-to-School, And Back-to-Spending, released today by Scotia Economics.[More...]

/R E P E A T -- Scotiabank to announce third quarter results/

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:56:00 GMT

TORONTO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Scotiabank will announce details of its third quarter results on Friday, August 28, 2009.[More...]

Scotiabank's Commodity Price Index Slips Back Temporarily in July

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:55:00 GMT

TORONTO, Aug. 27 /CNW/ - Scotiabank's Commodity Price Index, which measures price trends in 32 of Canada's major exports, fell by 4.6 per cent month-over-month (m/m) in July, after two consecutive monthly gains. However, the All Items Index remains 3.1 per cent above the cyclical low in April, and is likely to bounce higher in coming months, with tentative signs of an economic turnaround in some G7 countries joining the recovery in China.[More...]

Scotiabank to announce third quarter results

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:18:00 GMT

TORONTO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Scotiabank will announce details of its third quarter results on Friday, August 28, 2009.[More...]