Mutual Fund News
Twelve funds to ponder for your RRSP and TFSA
rcarrick@globeandmail.com It's RRSP season, and that means the annual mutual fund treasure hunt is under way for investors.There are roughly 11,300 total funds and fund variations to sift through this year, so you'd better get busy. Or, get yourself some help.
Market eyes retail inflows
dparkinson@globeandmail.com ***With 11 months of stock-market rebound already behind us, the inevitable question is being asked: Where will we find the money to sustain the rally?Scotia Capital believes it could come from the pockets of the Canadian retail investor.
RRSP season boosts long-term fund sales
INVESTMENT FUNDS REPORTERCanadians stashed about $560-million into mutual funds in January as the registered retirement savings plan season kicked in high gear.While the net sales were sharply lower than $1.2-billion a year ago, the trend was upbeat for the Canadian industry because it was all in higher-margin, long-term funds, according to preliminary figures released yesterday by the Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC).
ETFs play follow-the-leader to mutual funds
rcarrick@globeandmail.comETFs are the investment choice for the independent non-conformist, so why are they playing follow the leader with mutual funds?Offering a huge, even excessive, variety of choices helped the mutual fund industry grow big and strong. With 15 new products issued last week, the exchange-traded fund business seems to be trying for the same outcome.
MUTUAL FUNDS
Fund company stocks shine when stock markets rally. And AGF Management Ltd. should benefit because it has a huge chunk of its fund assets in equities - nearly 80 per cent, according to the latest public data.
These ETFs rebounded solidly in 2009
swon@globeandmail.comWHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?The hottest and the coldest Canadian-listed exchanged-traded funds in 2009.ETFs have become more popular because of their low fees, and the ease of purchase without worrying about early redemption fees like mutual funds.
Getting uncomfortable with bonds? Hang tough
rcarrick@globeandmail.com***Do the right thing: Own bonds.Even with interest rates expected to rise this year and next?Of course. Sensible portfolio construction is based on your personal needs and risk tolerance, not interest rate forecasts. You don't have to be a passive victim of rising rates, though. There are several measures you can take to help the bond side of your portfolio survive rising rates with a minimum of damage.
High-profile fund manager leaves AGF
INVESTMENT FUNDS REPORTERChristine Hughes, a high-profile manager at AGF Management Ltd., has left the fund firm just as the RRSP contribution season kicks into gear.Spokeswoman Lucy Becker confirmed yesterday that Ms. Hughes has departed AGF. A press release said she was going ''to pursue outside interests.'' Ms. Hughes could not be reached for comment.
A deep dive into a global dividend ETF
jheinzl@globeandmail.com ***One of my recent Investor Clinic videos on dividend ETFs prompted this query from a reader:''I'm wondering about your thoughts on an international dividend ETF such as the Claymore Global Monthly Advantaged Dividend ETF. I like the idea but the ETF forward agreement structure seems complicated and scares me off a little.'' - Jeff in Ottawa.
Fund industry sales net $194-million in December
The Canadian mutual fund industry attracted $194-million in net sales in December, but the new cash flowed mainly into more conservative fixed-income and balanced funds, according to final figures released yesterday by the Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC). Long-term funds, which invest in stock, bond and balanced funds, totalled $2.5-billion last month, while money market funds suffered $2.3-billion in net redemptions as investors shied away from their puny returns. The assets of higher-margin, long-term funds climbed 24 per cent or $104-billion in 2009, but that was ''due almost entirely to improved performance,'' said Pat Dunwoody, IFIC's vice-president of member services. ''It's clear that markets rewarded those investors who stayed the course in 2009.''
