Market Updates from 5i Research - August 13, 2019

Stock and market Updates from 5i Research.

Answers to popular stock and investing questions this week

This week we look at some of the most popular questions in the 5i Research question and answer service featuring SNC Lavalin, Canadian Tire, and ETFs.

Nowhere to hide

2018 was the year where investors had nowhere to hide. No matter where you were invested in the stock market, you likely had a tough year (and if you didn’t then give yourself a pat on the back): Geographically, sectoral, or even the ‘sure things’ like bitcoin and pot stocks are shadows of what they were just a year ago or at least in negative territory in many cases. This would have been a tough scenario to envision just six months ago. Everything had a tough go of it.

Is Investing a Zero-Sum Game?

You hear this a lot, the idea that only winners and losers exist in a market. This notion has always sat with me as overly simplistic and not a fair or true picture. Hence, I wanted to dig a bit deeper into this idea with a bit of a case-by-case example...

Be Aware of Crowd Psychology

5 from 5i: If Buffett has periods of underperformance, why would you expect anything different?

All About Bitcoin: Understanding the New ICO Market

5 from 5i - Performance of risk-on and risk-off assets in times of crisis

5 from 5i - Risky ETF Misconceptions

5 from 5i: How Economists See Market Drivers

It was a big week for US bank earnings, and markets showed concerns over President Donald Trump’s ability to push through his pro-growth policies, following a setback to the healthcare bill. Bank of America (BAC), the second-largest U.S. bank by assets, beat quarterly earnings expectations but experienced a slowdown in trading revenue and trimmed its expectations for growth in net interest income. Goldman Sachs (GS) dipped after also beating earnings expectations but posted a 40% drop in bond trading revenue. Telecom company Rogers Communications (RCI.B) reported a greater-than-expected 35% jump in second-quarter profit, as a gain in wireless subscribers offset declines in its cable TV business. Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, as it earned more from higher shipments of commodities, but executives were cautious on grains for the second half of the year. Here are stories we found interesting this week:

1. An overview of factors driving market 'bubbles'
2. ETF Managers made active decisions for passive investors, years ago
3. Three 'simple' lessons learned over the last 10 years
4. If portfolio management is no longer the source of a financial advisor’s value, what is?
5. The 'Top 10' S&P 500 company contributions over the last 35 years