Pat: What is your view on buying the Canadian Vector Equity Fund? I believe it’s tilted towards value stocks and small cap stocks. Its MER is higher than an ETF, but maybe the value and small-company approach over long periods of time will add value. What are your thoughts on going with this mutual fund or a small-cap ETF such as the iShares S&P/TSX SmallCap Index ETF?

A: On a broad level, funds that specialize in small-cap stocks are always more volatile. However, some small caps do offer above-average potential—like those we recommend in Stock Pickers Digest.
Incidentally, we think it’s a mistake to generalize about small cap stocks. Some small caps are… Read More

Hi: Just wondering about Ag Growth. As the world population grows, I see the farming service industry as highly important. Ag Growth offers an interesting investment opportunity as it is focused on grain storage and handling solutions in markets (Canada and the U.S.) where demand for planting acreage is growing. Thanks.

A: Ag Growth International Inc., $39.56, symbol AFN on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 14.7 million; Market cap: $586.2 million; www.aggrowth.com), is a leading maker of portable and stationary grain-handling, storage and processing equipment.

Based in Winnipeg, the company sells its products through dealers and distributors in Canada… Read More

A brief history of ETFs

The history of ETFs is one of the evolution of indexing and of market innovation
The best Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) offer well diversified, tax-efficient portfolios with exceptionally low management fees. Investors large and small can use ETFs to build diversified portfolios across… Read More