In this special edition of the Living Market, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson discusses ways to minimize taxes before the year-end with Aurèle Courcelles, Assistant Vice-President, Tax and Estate Planning at IG. Aurèle outlines tax-loss selling, tax-efficient charitable giving, and the most tax-efficient ways to withdraw from an RESP and a TFSA. He also explains how tax planning needs to be a part of your overall financial plan for maximum tax efficiency.

As we look towards the new year, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson looks at the six key themes that he feels will have big impacts on the markets in 2024. Considering all the factors, he believes the data points to a general sense of improvement. And improvement, he says, brings opportunity.

Inflation dropped to 3.1% in October, but it would have been much lower if it weren’t for the rise in mortgage interest costs, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. He examines the impacts of higher mortgage payments on consumer behaviour and retail sales, and discusses the likely timing for the Bank of Canada to make a rate cut.

There are three key reasons behind the recent fall in oil prices, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Conflicts are not having the impact on prices that was expected, which has reduced the impact of speculators. Oil output is up, with stockpiles increasing, and demand (particularly from China) is down. Philip explains what this means for the economy in general and Canada in particular.

This earnings season delivered some mixed messages, says IG’s Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy,  Ashish Utarid. While 82% of S&P 500 companies outperformed earnings projections, only 48% outperformed total sales expectations. Ashish dives into these apparently contradictory results to explain what they mean for manufacturing, consumer behaviour and a likely recovery.

IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson says that while the current investing landscape is undoubtedly challenging, it’s important to remember that a weak economy does not automatically mean poor market returns. Philip shares his tips for investing in a volatile environment and reminds us that negative economic data has historically been followed by strong market returns.

The U.S. Federal Reserve, or the Fed as it’s known, is once again caught between a rock and a hard place, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. On one hand, the Fed doesn’t want to hike interest rates and trigger a recession into 2024. On the other, it sure doesn’t want to slash them. Philip says markets are beginning to come to terms with this standoff.

IG Wealth Management’s Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy, Ashish Utarid says, when we delve into investment risks, it’s essential to discern between two primary types: systemic and non-systemic risk. He says investment strategy takes empirical data from around the world, and by interpreting these indicators, his team provides insights for an investment decision or thesis. He says what has changed in the last decade is the impact of mass media on investor sentiment — which requires insights into geopolitical risk.

It can be impossible to truly predict the markets, even when you think you have all the data at your fingertips, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Philip explains what happened when Jane Street, a quantitative trading firm, managed to predict Donald Trump’s election victory in 2016 and used that information to bet on the overnight futures market.

This week, IG Wealth Management’s Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy Ashish Utarid explains how the markets are reacting to long-term bond yields outpacing short-term yields. While this situation often foreshadows a recession (as do higher-for-longer interest rates), other economic data — such as the strong labour market, tamed inflation and improving manufacturing — suggest a soft landing.