Topic: How To Invest

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $63.81 – Toronto symbol BNS

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $63.81 (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $78.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.3%, www.scotiabank.com) is paying an undisclosed sum for Citigroup’s (New York symbol C) retailbanking operations in Panama and Costa Rica, which include 27 branches.

The move will nearly triple the bank’s customer base in these two countries, from 137,000 to 387,000. It will also make Bank of Nova Scotia the second-largest credit card provider in both nations, with 18% of the market in Panama and 15% in Costa Rica.

The economies of Panama and Costa Rica are more tied to the growing U.S. economy than those of other Latin American countries, such as Chile and Peru, which are heavily reliant on resource exports to China. Panama and Costa Rica ship about 37% of their exports to the U.S.

The bank entered Panama in 1974 and Costa Rica in 1995. This long history cuts the risk of expanding in these countries.

Bank of Nova Scotia is a buy.

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