Use these megatrends to build gains

“Megatrends” are societal shifts with significant, long-term implications for the economy and the stock market. Once in full swing, these trends can be easy to track, although it is more difficult to pick out the companies that will most benefit from them. This month we… Read More

Q: Pat: Could I have your opinion on a stock: Intuitive Surgical. Thank you and I enjoy the Inner Circle.

A: Intuitive Surgical Inc., $517.36, symbol ISRG on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 116.0 million; Market cap: $59.2 billion; www.intuitive.com), develops, manufactures and markets the da Vinci Surgical System along with related accessories, training, and services. Intuitive Surgical is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Da Vinci is a computerized… Read More

Profit from an aging, and richer, population

The health-care industry continues to benefit from the aging populations of most developed markets. While the growing number of elderly continues to spur demand for health-care products and technology, the expanding middle class of developing nations also contributes. The best health-care companies should profit from… Read More

ETF Performance Highlights

The big ETF winner over the past month was the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (symbol HMMJ) with a 32.3% gain. This performance was driven by a jump in share prices for its top holdings, including Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Organigram and Aphria. The move by… Read More

Steer clear of these leaders & laggards

Here are some of the best- and worst-performing North American ETFs of the past year. But regardless of their return, we don’t recommend any of these funds.
The Leaders:
iPath Global Carbon ETN $21 (OTC symbol GRNTF; Market cap: $10.6 million) provides exposure to the global carbon-credits… Read More

Profit from an aging population

Declining fertility rates and rising life expectancies are responsible for a rapidly aging global population. In North America and Europe, the average senior retires relatively wealthy and plans to spend a significant portion of their money on staying healthy.

Here we look at two ETFs… Read More

Pat: I am considering investing in health care and would like your opinion on the BMO Equal Weight U.S. Health Care Hedged to CAD Index ETF. Thank you.

BMO Equal Weight U.S. Health Care Hedged to CAD Index ETF, $30.38, symbol ZUH on Toronto (Units outstanding: 2.1 million; Market cap: $63.4 million; www.etfs.bmo.com), holds 48 U.S. health care stocks.

The fund’s top holdings are Forest Laboratories, 3.0%; Illumina Inc., 2.6%; Actavis plc, 2.5%; Perrigo… Read More