One of the most important principles of sound investment management is staying on top of what’s happening in the world and how those events affect finances. Conditions change quickly, and keeping up-to-date on developments and trends can be challenging. The team of experts producing IWB have been advising Canadian investors for over 25 years.
Edited and Published by Gordon Pape. Associate Editor: Richard Croft
With Gavin Graham, Ryan Irvine, Glenn Rogers, Shawn Allen, Rudy Luukko, & David Kitai.
Recent Issues
iwb22415 (April 22, 2024)
Four ETF winners… The Week… Intuitive Surgical puts AI to work… Adam Mayers updates iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF, Medtronic… Gordon Pape updates Tourmaline Oil, Norfolk Southern, Archer-Daniels-Midland… Your Questions: Debt repayments and reverse mortgages
iwb22414 (April 15, 2024)
Japan is back … The Week… Where now for rates?… Focus on strong balance sheets… Your Questions: Can I avoid bonds?… Financial factoids: Michael Bloomberg
iwb22413 (April 8, 2024)
Winners, losers, and muddlers… The state of the markets… The Week… Shawn Allen updates Berkshire Hathaway, BHP Group, CN Rail, WSP Global… Gordon Pape updates Fortis… Glenn Rogers updates two ETFs… Gavin Graham updates Canadian Natural Resources… Ryan Irvine’s upcoming webinar
iwb22412 (March 25, 2024)
New drugs a game-changer… Adam Mayers updates Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk… The Week… Strong gain for Global Portfolio… Defense stocks on the rise… Glenn Rogers updates Barrick Gold, Shopify, Magna International… Ryan Irvine’s spring webinars
Recent Updates
Linamar Corp. (TSX: LNR, OTC: LIMAF)
Linamar is a large Canadian-headquartered global auto parts manufacturer with 34,000 employees and 75 plants in 19 countries. In addition to vehicle components, which account for about 73% of its revenues, its other products include scissor lifts, telehandlers, booms, and very large agricultural equipment operation. Annual revenues are over $11 billion. Revenues are 50% from Canada, 23% from Europe, 20% from the US and Mexico combined, and 7% from Asia/Pacific.
Fortis Inc. (TSX, NYSE: FTS)
Fortis is a regulated utility that focuses on electricity and natural gas distribution. Based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, it has operations in Canada, the US, and the Caribbean. The company had $73 billion in assets at the end of 2024. It has about 9,700 employees.
Xylem Inc. (NYSE: XYL)
Xylem enables customers to transport, treat, test, and efficiently use water in public utility, residential, and commercial building services, and in industrial and agricultural settings. It makes pumps and control systems used in management of wastewater and the collection and distribution of drinking water. It also offers smart metering, network technologies, and advanced data analytics for water, gas, and electric utilities. Xylem does business in more than 150 countries.
WSP Global (TSX: WSP, OTC: WSPOF)
WSP Global Inc. is a global engineering and consulting company with headquarters in Montreal. It’s an aggressive, ambitious, and hugely successful growth-by-acquisition company. Stunningly, it has grown from just 1,600 employees when it went public in 2006 to 83,000 employees today. Annual revenues are currently $19 billion and the equity market value is $26 billion.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is one of the largest healthcare companies in the world. It employs over 120,000 people in its two divisions, Pharmaceutical and MedTech. It spun off its consumer healthcare division in 2023, naming it Kenvue. About 64% of its $88.8 billion in 2024 revenues came from its pharmaceutical division, while the remaining 36% was from its MedTech operations.
Since our last review in April 2025, J&J has gained roughly 70% and touched an all-time high of $269. The stock is up 27% this year alone. That’s extraordinary for a name we own as ballast.