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, Adam Mayers, Paul Bamford & Michael Corcoran.
Recent Issues
iwb22307 (February 20, 2023)
Pipeline blues… A conditional pause… Dealing with Russian shockwaves… Richard Croft’s updates: Premium Income Corp., BMO Covered Call Canadian banks, BMO S&P/TSX Equal Weight Banks Index ETF, First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund… Gordon Pape updates Suncor Energy… Your Questions: Too good to be true?
iwb22306 (February 13, 2023)
Minimizing RRSP losses… Buy now?… Adam Mayers updates Microsoft, Scotts… Gordon Pape updates J.B. Hunt Transport, iShares Canadian Core Bond Index ETF… Your questions: Sells when he travels
iwb22305 (February 6, 2023)
How CGI became a world leader… A vaccine for everything?… Glenn Rogers updates Bank of America, Crown Castle International, Generac Holdings, Raytheon Technologies, Palo Alto Networks… High tech still a drag
iwb22304 (January 30, 2023)
No surprises… Gold’s time to shine… Gavin Graham’s gold updates… Ryan Irvine updates Caledonia Mining, Dynacor Group
Recent Updates
Canadian National Railway (TSX: CNR, NYSE: CNI)
CNR operates across Canada and south through Chicago and Memphis to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of its revenue (69%) is from Canada and the rest is from the US. About 35% of its revenues relate to overseas traffic, while 65% represents freight moving within North America.
Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B)
Berkshire is a giant conglomerate holding company, with hundreds of operating subsidiaries and huge stock investments.
Dollarama (TSX: DOL)
Dollarama has 1,719 stores in Canada. Its highly profitable business model includes directly sourcing its products at low cost, generally from Asia, and from China in particular. All stores are company-owned and operated in leased premises. It also owns 60% of the fast-growing 752-store Dollarcity chain, with established locations in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. Dollarcity recently opened its first eleven stores in Mexico.
lululemon Athletic (NDQ: LULU)
The fact that its products are proprietary, along with its strong brand reputation, allows lululemon to sell at very lucrative margins. Its gross margin of 54% equates to a markup over costs of 117%!
It now has 811 company-operated stores in 23 countries. The locations of the stores are 47% in the US, 21% China, 9% Canada, 14% in Asia Pacific, 6% in Europe and the Middle East, and 3% in Mexico. Close to half of its revenue is now derived from online direct-to-consumer sales.
iShares Russell 2000 ETF
IWM is an ETF designed to track the investment results of the Russell 2000 Index. The underlying index is the most widely followed benchmark for small‑cap equities.