Updating our Income Portfolio stocks: Bank of Nova Scotia, Torstar Corp. and Toronto-Dominion Bank

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BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $48 continues to expand in Latin America. It has agreed to buy certain retail banking assets in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic for an undisclosed sum. The bank already operates in these countries, so the purchase will increase its market share. Best Buy. TORSTAR CORP. $18 has moved lower lately on fears that a slowing economy would hurt advertising revenue. Rising newsprint and labour costs will also squeeze its profit margins. As well, the high Canadian dollar hurts profits at its Harlequin book division. However, Torstar’s expanding Internet businesses should help it maintain the $0.74 dividend, which yields 4.1%. Best Buy. TORONTO-DOMINION BANK $67 will not participate in a plan to restructure the Canadian market for asset-based commercial paper (ABCP). Demand for non-bank ABCP fell sharply in 2007 due to concerns over the quality of the underlying assets, particularly their exposure to subprime mortgages in the United States. TD feels that since it did not issue these securities,…