Contrarian indicators can often play a crucial role in forecasting market trends, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Last year, during peak economic pessimism, markets anticipated up to six interest rate cuts for this year, and those forecasts bolstered the markets. Now that we’re in a period of greater economic optimism, will that have a negative impact on the markets?

This summer, the price of crude oil could reach its highest level in almost two years, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. While this could be good for Canadian equities (which typically benefit from rising oil prices), it could have a negative effect on the markets in general. Philip explains how expensive oil drives up inflation, which could delay central bank interest rate cuts, which in turn could cause a drop in bond and equity markets.

In the first quarter of 2024 alone, the S&P 500 Index (containing the biggest U.S. companies) had 24 all-time highs. While some economic commentators believe that this rally is due a correction, simply because of the pace of its growth, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson says don’t believe the hype. While volatility may pop up again, history and current economic data suggest that this rally still has legs.

In the first quarter of the year the economic landscape in Canada wasn't particularly stirring, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. He says, however, that equity markets pretty much everywhere are booming. This week Philip takes a closer look and highlights market action over the past three months.

Strong language and buzzwords can have a significant impact on Wall Street, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Just two or three impactful words per 1,000 in earnings calls can boost stock volume by almost 7%, while using more cautious language typically results in just a 2.3% uptick. However, Philip wonders, can tracking these buzzwords give us clues into future trends?

Canada faces a wall of economic disparities that have widened over time when compared to the United States, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. In 1981, per capita GDP in Canada was 91% of what it was in the U.S. Last year, it was down to 73%. Philip says one step towards bridging that gap is to lower interest rates: lower inflation has given the Bank of Canada some breathing room on the path toward those interest rate cuts.   

Maintaining the right balance in an investment portfolio is very much like adding the right ingredients to a batch of cookies, says Ashish Utarid, Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy at IG Wealth Management. It’s essential to maintain the right allocations, and too much of a good thing can spoil the whole batch. Ashish provides an update on where the opportunities lie in U.S., Canadian, international and emerging market equities, and why it’s essential to avoid the temptation to go all-in on the current big hitters.

Gold reached an all-time high this week, making it more valuable than ever says Ashish Utarid, Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy. This week he asks if that makes gold a good investment choice. He dives into what makes it so valuable and considers the future for this treasured metal.

lG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson reviews Canada’s fourth quarter economic growth and says it’s a modest surprise to the upside. He looks at the flat domestic GDP growth and says the economy has stalled out, and questions when the Bank of Canada might react and start cutting its overnight interest rates.

Are we witnessing a new tech bubble, asks IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Stock prices for the Magnificent Seven (Amazon, Google, Apple, Meta, Tesla, Microsoft and Nvidia) are already up by 10% for the year. However, unlike the tech bubble of the 2000s, when stock prices soared on hopes and dreams, this time it’s rooted in substantial profits. Philip explains why you should beware of being caught up in the euphoria and instead be cautious about going all-in on tech stocks