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
iwb2915 (April 20, 2009)
Finally, bond clarity – maybe… Glenn Rogers likes two tech stocks… Tom Slee: Tax planning for 2009… Sprott and agriculture… Gordon Pape’s updates: Chou Associates Fund, Fidelity Canadian Balanced Fund… Your Questions: High returns with no risk, what’s an IPS?… Members’ Corner: Different opinions… Twitter updates
iwb2914 (April 13, 2009)
Degrees of bearishness… Bear bites… How to cut your taxes: tips from an expert… Tom Slee likes Thomson Reuters… Gordon Pape’s updates: Shaw Communications… Your Questions: TFSA accounts… Members’ Corner: Tax software, RRIF repayments… Follow Gordon on Twitter
iwb2913 (April 6, 2009)
Premature accumulation… Still time to claim this tax break… Comparing tax software… Irwin Michael thinks we’ve turned a corner… Irwin Michael updates Canam Group, E-L Financial, Fortress Paper, Onex Corp…. Gordon Pape’s updates: Penn West, BCE… Your Questions: Inflation hedges, real return bonds… Members’ Corner: Bank preferreds
iwb2912 (March 30, 2009)
Hope abounds!… Tom Slee: Preferreds a better bet than bonds… Tom Slee updates three preferreds plus SNC-Lavalin … Warren MacKenzie: Should you do it yourself?… Gordon Pape’s Updates: ArcelorMittal, Highpine, Canadian Utilities, Penn West… Your Questions: Buying gold, flow-through shares, bank ETF
Recent Updates
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. (TSX: L, OTC: LBLCF)
Loblaws owns the Shoppers Drug Mart chain and PC Financial, which offers banking services. It also sells clothing under the Joe Fresh name. Loblaws brands include President’s Choice, No Name, Exact, No Frills, Provigo, Valu-Mart, Fortino’s, and Real Canadian. It is 53% owned by George Weston Ltd.
Hold
Telus Corp. (TSX: T, NYSE: TU)
Telus claims to be Canada’s fastest-growing national telecommunications company. The company provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video, and is Canada’s largest healthcare IT provider.
Hold
Dollarama (TSX: DOL)
Dollarama has 1,570 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 and are in leased premises. It also owns 60% of the fast-growing 547-store Dollar City chain with locations in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. Dollar City recently opened its first store in Mexico.
Hold
WSP Global (TSX: WSP, OTC: WSPOF)
WSP is an international engineering and design firm that provides a wide range of services, from urban planning to environmental remediation. Based in Montreal, the company employs approximately 54,000 people, including engineers, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors, and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. It has more than 500 offices across 40 countries, on five continents.
WSP has seen strong gains over the years. It’s up another 12% this year. And the stock is up 1,187% since the original recommendation in 2012.
Hold
Canadian Tire Corp. (TSX: CTC.A, OTC: CDNAF)
In addition to its 503 dealer-operated Canadian Tire stores, CTC also owns and directly operates Mark’s, with 383 stores, and 354 sports stores (SportChek, Sports Expert, Atmosphere, Athlete’s World, and others). As well, it has 279 gasoline bar locations, plus PartSource, Party City, and Pro Hockey Life, which total 169 stores.
Canadian Tire, through its bank subsidiary is also a large MasterCard issuer with 2.3 million active credit card holders with average account balances of $3,224 each. That’s $7.4 billion in credit card receivables.