Thailand’s tourism industry is key to its economy

Tourism is an hugely important part of the Thai economy, contributing as much as 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Most of its tourists hail from the Asia Pacific region and Europe, with China, Malaysia, Russia, and India the largest individual country contributors.
They spend… Read More

Three riskier ETFs with recovery potential

The recent market downturn has been especially hard on riskier stocks—and all three of these ETFs are down considerably from their 2021 highs. But the best of the stocks these ETFs hold are at the forefront of innovative industries or segments that still have considerable… Read More

These ETFs let you tap the major indexes

The major Canadian and U.S. stock markets, while subject to volatility, have moved back up since their initial COVID-19 drop. Nonetheless, we think that if you can afford to stay in the market for several years or longer, now is still a good time for… Read More

Dividend ETFs aim to provide solid income

Rising interest rates mean dividend-paying stocks must increasingly compete for investor interest in fixed-income investments. However, sustainable dividends still offer an attractive and growing income stream for investors.
Meanwhile, dividend-focused ETFs can—but not always—follow strategies that we feel set investors up for maximum long-term gains with… Read More

Q: Pat, I hold a position in Mastercard and have been happy with its performance. I can’t find any recent opinion from you on this stock and would appreciate your comments. Thank you.

A: Mastercard Inc., $363.96, symbol MA on New York (Shares outstanding: 969.7 million; Market cap: $358.7 billion; www.mastercard.com), is the world’s second-largest payment processor behind only Visa (symbol V on New York).

Mastercard makes money from every transaction it processes for Mastercard-branded credit cards both domestically… Read More

Q: Pat, I’ve been watching PayPal for some time (some years, in fact!) and I notice it has dropped a great deal since mid-2021. Is it time to buy?

A: PayPal Holdings Inc., $118.23, symbol PYPL on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $142.0 billion; www.paypal.com), remains a buy, but only for aggressive investors.

The company gives investors a way to tap into the fast-growing field of online transaction processing. The stock dropped from… Read More