Products

Hedge funds face image problem

If you mentioned the names Bear Stearns, Ospraie and Sowood to investors a year ago, their eyes would likely have lit up with dollar signs flashing across their retinas. These hedge funds were powerful players, making big returns and helping investors get rich. But utter a word about these companies to investors today and you’ll […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |November 7, 2008

6 min read

PPNs fall out of favour with investors and issuers

When Desjardins Group announced Monday that it was closing two lines of its principal-protected notes (PPNs), it was just another nail in the coffin for the once-popular investment vehicle. Over the last few years it seemed as if everyone was offering PPNs, but lately that hasn’t been the case; Sun Life, for one, hasn’t issued […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |October 31, 2008

6 min read

How things work

"Is there a bear in your portfolio?" screamed the ad with the picture of a mean-looking grizzly. It sure got my attention. Bear or inverse ETFs are a new breed of leveraged instruments, which move opposite to the direction of a given market or sector. Offered in Canada by Horizons BetaPro, these bear-market versions are […]

By Marc Lamontagne |October 1, 2008

3 min read

Fundcos offering ETF access to MFDA advisors

(September 2008) The idea that exchange-traded funds can be used within an active investment portfolio is getting a big push from some of the country’s best-known actively managed mutual fund firms. Some fund companies believe ETFs are the most efficient way to offer some alternative asset classes, and by offering them within a mutual fund […]

By Mark Noble |September 18, 2008

4 min read