Investments

Feed the income hungry

Editorial: Ultra-low interest rates limit choices for conservative investors

By Melissa Shin |May 9, 2014

2 min read

Conservative clients could hedge bonds

Fixed-income investing’s never been more challenging. All traditional bond investors have been able to do, says Philip Mesman, a portfolio manager at Picton Mahoney Asset Management in Toronto, is decrease bond duration and increase cash. “That results in mediocre returns; or, as we saw last year, negative returns.”

By Dean DiSpalatro |May 9, 2014

3 min read

Odd lots: The invisible’s now visible

Millions of hidden U.S. trades were revealed for the first time last December when a new SEC rule took effect. For the first time, odd-lot trades—those with fewer than 100 shares—appeared on the consolidated order book. That means information on those deals is available to everyone, not just investment banks and sophisticated traders.

By Jessica Bruno |May 9, 2014

1 min read

An uncommon approach to stock selection

It was 12 years ago when Steve Barban received a referral from an accountant. The prospective clients were uber-wealthy, well-known Canadian icons. They weren’t happy with their current advisor, and wanted to recoup some of the $38 million they’d lost when the tech bubble burst. And they wanted to invest exclusively in stocks.

By Suzanne Yar Khan |May 9, 2014

5 min read