Stock market’s gains top bonds

Stock market volatility sometimes appears when least expected. However, volatility as measured by the BetaPro S&P 500 VIX Futures ETF (Toronto symbol HUV), has substantially subsided in the months following a big spike in December 2018. As a result, this ETF, which gains in value… Read More

Tap into the best REITs

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF $18.80 (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds all 19 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index. The fund has an MER of 0.61%, and it currently yields a high 4.4%.
The ETF’s top holdings are RioCan REIT (14.1%),… Read More

These ETFs offer top-quality REITs

Traditionally, REITs are said to suffer when interest rates rise. That’s in part because their units, which typically offer high yields, compete with fixed-income instruments for investor interest. However, higher interest rates are usually accompanied by increased economic activity and growth. That higher growth is… Read More

ETF Performances for March

The dramatic downward movement in U.S. government bond yields in March reverberated through the markets, with interest rate-sensitive groups, such as real estate and utilities, benefitting strongly from renewed expectations for lower, or at least steady, interest rates.
The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT.O) tracks long-term… Read More

ETFs off to a good start in 2019

After a rough final quarter of 2018, most asset classes saw significant gains in the first month of 2019 as investors became less concerned about high stock valuations and the China-U.S. trade dispute. Fears about a rapid rise in U.S. interest rates for 2019 also… Read More

ETF Performance: A tough 2018

The year turned out to be tough globally for most asset classes.
The Vanguard Total Bond Index ETF (BND) lost 3% over the year while the Vanguard Total World Stocks ETF (VT) lost 12.5% after big final quarter losses. Real Estate, as measured by the iShares Global REIT ETF (REET), lost 9.8%…. Read More

ETF Performance Highlights

The runaway ETF winners in the month of September 2018 were marijuana funds ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ) and Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (HMMJ). They gained 23.1% and 20.4%, respectively. The increases for these spectaculative stocks came on top of previous gains. Both funds are up more… Read More

Hold the top North American REITs

The best real estate investment trusts (REITs) have good management and balance sheets strong enough to weather an economic downturn. They also have high-quality tenants. The best ones still do well despite economic slowdowns, and they have also taken advantage of low interest rates to… Read More

Low-fee ways to hold U.S. and global REITs

VANGUARD U.S. REIT ETF $84 (New York symbol VNQ; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative; Market cap: $35.1 billion) provides exposure to a selection of U.S. real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund does that by tracking the MSCI U.S. REIT Index. It excludes mortgage REITs and… Read More