On today’s show we are joined by Fidelity ETF expert Étienne Joncas-Bouchard. He discusses various factors that he believes could be favourable in the current market environment and updates us on Fidelity all-in-one ETFs. Étienne discusses how value has a chance of doing well this year, but it’s not a guarantee. It will depend on many upcoming factors including getting fewer cuts than expected, the labour market remaining strong, large growth names continuing to work through challenging environments and more. He explains it ultimately relies on the macro standpoint; if the rates are going up while there is less sensitivity to the change in the discount rate. With that, your net present flows become worth more than companies that are discounting in the far future.  Étienne also dives into the world of cryptocurrency, specifically how the SEC in America has given their approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs. This means that Canadian Bitcoin ETFs will lose a portion of its demand from American investors, and their prices will also decrease given the aggressive fee structure and increase in overall volume. 

Recorded on January 12, 2024

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the third year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Portfolio manager Darren Lekkerkerker joins the show today to discuss his outlook on equities and what his positioning is for 2024. With inflation coming down and possible rate cuts on the horizon, Darren says he’s looking into a few investment opportunities with a focus on energy and copper. He adds copper is a major beneficiary of the energy transition and that engineering and design companies will most likely do well this year due to reshoring trends. Darren says mid-caps and small caps could potentially outperform this year. In terms of his fund, Darren is focused on North America as it has historically been the best place to invest. He adds North America has the greatest exposure to secular growth industries like technology and healthcare compared to Europe and Asia.

Recorded on January 11, 2024

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the third year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Portfolio manager Jeff Moore joins us on the program today to talk us through the bond market and what factors might affect this space in 2024. Jeff speaks about the current inflationary environment. He says inflation is falling and most likely on the run. He adds with bond yields at 4% and real rates at 2% these numbers haven’t been as compelling since the nineties. But he says the bond market is basically at the same state as it was last year. Typically the returns from bonds are in the range of 6 to 10% depending on the asset. Jeff says the strategy here would be to enjoy the current yields, diversify your portfolios and avoid leverage. He advises to stay vigilant and responsive to changes in CPI numbers.

Recorded on January 9, 2024.

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the third year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

As investors enter a brand new year, Fidelity Director of Global Macro Jurrien Timmer discusses what trends, topics, and headwinds he believes will move the markets in the weeks and months ahead in 2024. The inflation storyline continues to be the dominant headline. Will the Fed cut rates this year? Will it be possible to get back to 2% inflation? Jurrien says 3% could be the new 2%. He says getting back to two percent will be a challenge and it might require a period of negative inflation if we actually want to get back to two. Jurrien says we could be in for a bullish, broadening market. He points out the S&P 500 Equal Weighted Index is the most useful and interesting thing to be looking at right now. Jurrien also touches on Bitcoin and gold, tech stocks versus value and the impact of this year’s upcoming US election.

Recorded on January 8, 2024.

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the third year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Today on the program we check in with Institutional portfolio manager Ilan Kolet as he gives us his thoughts on the last Bank of Canada rate announcement of 2023, and what he sees in store for the New Year. The BoC kept its policy rate unchanged at 5 per cent, but it also warned that rate hikes aren’t off the table in 2024. Ilan says the expectation for next year is that discretionary consumer spending will continue to pull back as many Canadians want to ensure their principal mortgage gets paid. The more pullback you see could signal an upcoming recession. The US is experiencing a different story as the labour market remains tight  and inflation slows down, plus the mortgage structure in the US is very different compared to Canada. Ilan says the Global Asset allocation team remains underweight Canadian equities. He adds with serious macroeconomic headwinds, he believes Canada will lag. The team is overweight US equities and underweight the Canadian dollar and overweight the US dollar hoping this will be a shock absorber for the fund.

This podcast was recorded on December 12, 2023.

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the second year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Portfolio manager Sri Tella joins us on the program to discuss the latest Bank of Canada announcement and how that could affect Canadian bonds. Sri says the last BoC announcement signals an intention to cut rates and potentially adopt a less restrictive or more simulative approach. He adds the Fed shares a similar concern and outlook. They are aiming to keep inflation in check before considering rate cuts. Sri says financials particularly the Canadian banking sector continues to show consistency. This stability makes it a favoured and significant sector in the Canadian corporate market. Conversely, non-financial corporates are more of a neutral outlook due to higher interest rates and refinancing challenges.

Recorded on December 8, 2023.

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the second year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Today on the program we speak to Denise Chisholm, Director of Quantitative Market Strategy and portfolio manager Ramona Persaud. They highlight sector shifts and dividend opportunities in 2024. Host Pamela Ritchie asks Ramona as the year wraps up, how is she navigating the current market dynamics and how that influences her investment decisions. Ramona says her approach still revolves around 3 main objectives: excess returns, downside protection and reasonable level of income. As a conservative investor, volatility is a critical consideration and aligning the investor experience with the fund’s performance. Ramona says for 2024 a nuanced market might make way for under appreciated sectors to undergo a resurgence. Denise highlights unit labour costs as a key metric and a significant part of the why behind interest rates shaping investment decisions. She also talks about compensation costs, the Federal reserve and earnings growth prospects.

Recorded on December 7, 2023.

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the second year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Special guest renowned Canadian political scientist Janice Stein joins us on the program today. Janice is an international relations expert and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Janice sits down with host Pamela Ritchie to discuss the geopolitical themes and issues moving the markets this past year and what could influence our world economies in 2024. Janice says we are in an era of geoeconomics. Geopolitics is now driving the global economy and it will drive trade and continue to accelerate and drive markets. Janice highlights the four big countries influencing our economies today - the US, China, Russia and India. Janice believes this is the century of US power, but she adds, what China has accomplished in the last 20 years, no other society has done. She says India is one of the largest countries, but its population is very young. Still, there is a lot of potential for growth in India. Russia is a declining economy, but is the biggest oil and gas export. Janice highlights many other geopolitical issues including the conflict in the Middle East. She says despite the brutal war, people are thinking about the future and what sorts of governance systems will emerge from these decisions.

Recorded on December 5, 2023.

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information.

For the second year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked the #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2022 Environics’ Advisor Digital Experience Study.