Updating Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, SNC-Lavalin Inc., Encana Corp., and Nortel Networks Corp.

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CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $96 (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 334.6 million; Market cap: $32.1 billion; SI Rating: Above average) earned $2.42 a share in its third fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2007, up 25.4% from $1.93 a year earlier. These figures exclude unusual items, including a $0.56 a share writedown of mortgage-backed securities in the most recent quarter. Revenue grew 7.1%, to $3.0 billion from $2.8 billion, thanks to strong growth at its retail banking and investment operations. The bank has raised its quarterly dividend 13.0%, from $0.77 a share to $0.87. The new annual rate of $3.48 yields 3.6%. CIBC is a buy. SNC-LAVALIN INC. $39 (Toronto symbol SNC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 151.2 million; Market cap: $5.9 billion; SI Rating: Average) continues to win new contracts, as high commodity prices give governments in Africa and the Middle East more money for power and water infrastructure projects. Strong commodity prices…