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Tag Archives Economy

Commodity booms and busts: Part 1
Columns

Commodity booms and busts: Part 1

Commodity price highs and lows are tightly tied to the economic cycle

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The U.S. stock market had one of its worst decades on record from 2000 to 2009, even worse than from 1930 to 1939, averaging just 1.2 per cent returns annually. Commodities, on the other hand, had a fantastic decade. U.S. stock markets had a great decade from 2010 to 2019, averaging 14.2 per cent annual […] Read more
Columns

Year and decade financial review: Part 2

Can Canada rise from the ashes and generate profitable returns on our investments?

By
My last column painted a picture of the dire state of the Canadian business and investment climate. Layering in consumer data makes the picture look downright depressing. Canadian consumers are more indebted than ever. Household debt is the highest amongst the G7, about 175 per cent of disposable income. The U.S. has gone in an […] Read more
Primary energy consumption by source, world.
Columns

The sky is not falling, Part 3

The best investment opportunities occur when negativity rules

By
World total energy consumption has been steadily rising, increasing 3.5 times in the last half-century. This is driven by the more than doubling of population, increasing economic growth and prosperity. Energy consumption temporarily declined twice in the last half century — during the 1980-82 recession and the 2007-09 Great Recession. Energy consumption and economic growth […] Read more
Green Party leader Elizabeth May walks off the set past moderator Paul Wells (l), Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh after the Maclean’s/Citytv leaders’ debate in Toronto on Sept. 12, 2019. (Pool photo: Frank Gunn via Reuters)
General, Markets

Election 2019: Ag groups want the parties to pay attention

By
MarketsFarm — Two major national farm organizations want the political parties to pay more attention to agriculture as the federal election continues. However, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) have somewhat different takes as to what they see as paramount. “It’s really important that we uphold the quality of […] Read more
Hart Attacks: What happened to the “reality check”?
Columns, Hart Attacks

Hart Attacks: What happened to the “reality check”?

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Increasingly I am getting the message that the world is running from reality. Maybe it’s been happening for a half million years or so of evolution, but it seems just about every day someone is excited about something artificial being better than “real.” Take food for example. Meat and potatoes (with vegetables in season) kept […] Read more
Columns

Evaluating your investment performance

Are you getting your money’s worth when it comes to mutual fund fee structures?

By
There has been a lot of negativity directed towards the mutual fund and financial advisory industries around performance and fees, partly because of the emergence of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with lower fees. Advisors, however, rely on mutual fund fees. My bias is towards taking control with direct stock ownership. This virtually eliminates fees and, […] Read more
A look at what’s ahead for the Canadian dollar
Cattleman’s Corner, Markets

A look at what’s ahead for the Canadian dollar

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Expect a slower economy, more debt and likely more taxes

By
The Canadian dollar eroded by 7.8 per cent during 2018 with most of this deterioration coming in the fourth quarter. For cattle producers, this isn’t necessarily negative. Recent data shows that year-to-date feeder cattle exports for the week ending Dec. 8, 2018 were 191,863 head, up a whopping 66 per cent over the same period […] Read more
Fear is easier to market than facts
Columns

Fear is easier to market than facts

Despite the potential stability of a well-structured portfolio, stock-phobia abounds

By
A phobia is defined as an extreme or irrational fear. I Googled phobias. There is a fear of money officially called chrematophobia, but no official fear of stocks so I will just refer to it as stock-phobia. Why are so many individuals afraid to invest in stocks when they represent one of the best wealth […] Read more
aerial view of farmland
Features, News

Farmland values and rising interest rates

As interest rates rise, farmers are wondering, ‘it this still a good time to buy land?’


By
On most farms land is the largest farm asset, which means it can also account for the largest portion of farm debt — especially for farmers just starting out, taking over from the previous generation or expanding the business. What can farmers do, in the face of more potential interest rate hikes, to make sure […] Read more

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