Global markets bolster BNS

Article Excerpt

Canadian bank stocks continue to benefit from a growing economy and falling unemployment. Still, their share prices have moved sideways since the start of 2017 over concerns rising interest rates could slow demand for mortgages and other loans. We feel the big five banks will continue to expand their earnings and dividends. Higher interest rates will let them earn more on their loans, while new digital platforms will further cut their operating expenses. We particularly like Bank of Nova Scotia, mainly because of its exposure to fast-growing economies in Latin America and Asia. BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $77 (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $92.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.7; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www. scotiabank.com) is the third-largest of Canada’s five big banks with assets of $906.3 billion. In Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia sells a wide variety of financial services to over 10 million individual and corporate clients…