Industry News

Accounting firms falling short

Canada’s four largest accounting firms still have some work to do to improve audit quality and achieve consistent adherence to internal and professional standards, according to the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB). “While a number of recommendations have been made to each firm, they have all made progress since we first inspected them in 2004, […]

By Steven Lamb |December 19, 2005

2 min read

Canadians less generous than Americans, survey suggests

‘Tis the season of tax deadlines and good cheer. Charitable contributions need to be made before the end of the year if clients want to apply the credit to the income they earned in 2004. Although charitable giving tax strategies are now more commonplace than ever before — boomers are wealthier, aging and thinking about […]

By Kate McCaffery |December 16, 2005

2 min read

Markets unaffected by

With a federal election about five weeks away, investors may be trying to shield their portfolios from the effects political uncertainty can have on the financial markets. The trouble is, elections don’t seem to affect the Canadian markets, according to a study by the BMO Financial economics department. BMO economists studied historical data from the […]

By Steven Lamb |December 16, 2005

2 min read

Strong markets boost IDA firms’ earnings

The third quarter of 2005 was particularly kind to the securities industry, with profits surging across most lines of business, according to the IDA’s quarterly Securities Industry Performance report. Operating profits hit $1.1 billion for the industry as a whole, up 26% from the second quarter and a massive 74% increase from Q3 a year […]

By Steven Lamb |December 15, 2005

3 min read