Takeover Possibility Adds to Its Appeal

FORDING CANADIAN COAL TRUST $37 (Toronto symbol FDG.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Units outstanding: 147.9 million; Market cap: $5.5 billion; SI Rating: Average) is a major producer of metallurgical coal, a key ingredient in steelmaking. Its proven reserves should last 25 years. With further… Read More

Fording Explores Its Options

FORDING CANADIAN COAL TRUST $37.82 (Toronto symbol FDG.UN; SI Rating: Average) has announced that it is reviewing various strategic alternatives to increase unitholder value.

These include the sale of some of its assets, including its 60% interest in the Elk Valley Coal Partnership, or a sale… Read More

Tahera is Now a Sell

TAHERA DIAMOND CORP. $0.09 (Toronto symbol TAH; SI Rating: Speculative) (1-877- 777-2004; www.tahera.com; Shares outstanding: 209.8 million; Market cap: $17.8 million) continues to struggle with operational problems at its money-losing Jericho diamond mine.

Tahera now plans to undertake a rights offering. This is where existing shareholders… Read More

CIBC Canadian Equity Fund $26.81

CIBC CANADIAN EQUITY FUND $26.81 (CWA Rating: Conservative) (CIBC Securities, 5140 Yonge Street, Suite 900, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6X7. 1-800-631-7008; Website: www.cibc.com. No load — deal directly with the company.) uses a “bottom-up” approach (using fundamentals such as earnings, cash flow and low debt) to… Read More

These 5 Large-cap Bank-run Funds are Buys

Here are five large funds run by each of Canada’s big-five banks. Each holds the kind of conservative, well-balanced portfolios of high quality stocks we recommend. All five have a high weighting in Financial services and Energy stocks. However, they stick with high-quality issues with… Read More

ETF Buy for Yield & Growth

ISHARES DIVIDEND INDEX FUND $24.12 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through a broker) began trading in December, 2005. The fund currently holds the 30 highest yielding Canadian stocks. These stocks are included in the index based on their dividend growth, yield and average payout… Read More

New Investments Improve Teck’s Outlook

TECK COMINCO LTD. $51 (Toronto symbol TCK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 419.3 million; Market cap: $21.4 billion; SI Rating: Average) continues to use its strong cash flow to cut its reliance on zinc, which accounts for a third of its revenue. It… Read More