The Smof Investment Blog

“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants” – Kevin James Third Quarter Market Recap Many of the main themes that have affected global asset markets in 2019 – including U.S.-China trade tensions, political uncertainty due to the Brexit negotiations, and slowing economic activity – continued in the third quarter, resulting in somewhat… Read More

“The genius of impeachment lay in the fact that it could punish the (wo)man without punishing the office” – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. How Have Markets Reacted to Previous Impeachment Processes? With news this week that the U.S. House of Representatives will open impeachment investigations on President Trump, you may be wondering how, if at… Read More

One of the most frequent questions asked by clients is the difference between net invested, book value, and market value.  A lot can be said of all three, but the simple explanation is as follows: Net invested: The amount you contributed (minus any money redeemed) Book Value: The amount you contributed plus distributions received Market… Read More

The past decade has seen a lot of positive evolution for Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). 10 years ago, only a few investment firms offered SRI options, and these funds were usually viewed as niche offerings with higher management fees and lower returns. This is certainly not the case today. In the past three years, Royal… Read More

We hope you all enjoyed your summer. The weather in New York was not always perfect, but a smoke-free August was certainly appreciated! Here is where markets stand for 2019 (year-to-date return as of August 30. Foreign market returns are expressed in Canadian dollar terms): –TSX (Canada): 14.8% –DOW Jones (U.S.): 10.5% –S&P 500 (U.S.): 13.9%… Read More

“I’m amazed how little politicians seem to have learned from history. Nobody is benefiting from a trade war” – Carlos Moedas Trump Tweetstorm – Following New Chinese Tariffs on Imported US Goods – Pushes Markets Lower to End Week Investors flocked to safe-haven assets on Friday following President Trump’s tweetstorm in response to the Chinese… Read More