How a Discretionary PM Has Managed Resurgent Global Markets
Francis Sabourin, senior investment advisor at Richardson Wealth, continues to keep U.S. equities at the heart of his portfolio while expanding exposure to developed and emerging markets that have outperformed North America in 2024‑2025. His strategy prioritizes business fundamentals over regional trends, seeking contrarian "unloved" stories that are poised for a turnaround. Sabourin blends direct stock and ADR purchases with locally‑managed mutual funds to capture global upside, and he emphasizes managing client emotions amid market volatility.
Fintrac Crypto Crackdown Tests Real Bite of Canada’s AML Regime
Fintrac, Canada’s AML watchdog, revoked the registrations of 23 cryptocurrency money‑services businesses on Tuesday, adding to 12 revocations earlier this month for a total of 35 firms in days. The moves represent over 10 percent of all revocations in the past...
Global Consumer Confidence Dips for First Time in Nearly a Year
Global consumer confidence slipped for the first time in nearly a year, with the Ipsos index dropping 0.6 points to 49.4 in March. The decline was driven mainly by weaker current financial assessments and investment intentions, while expectations about jobs...
Balanced Funds Power Mutual Fund Sales as Industry Assets Reach New Record Highs
Canada’s investment fund industry posted another month of growth in February, with mutual fund assets climbing to CAD $2.641 trillion (about $1.95 trillion USD), a 3% month‑over‑month increase, and net mutual fund sales hitting CAD $10.5 billion (~$7.8 billion USD). ETF assets also rose,...
Manulife RRSP: What Advisors Need to Know Before Recommending It
Manulife’s RRSP suite gives Canadian advisors a range of tax‑advantaged options, from high‑interest savings accounts to short‑ and long‑term GICs. Individual accounts and employer‑sponsored group plans both allow investments in stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds and guaranteed products, with no...
Markets React After US Bombing Pause Announced
President Donald Trump announced a five‑day pause on U.S. strikes against Iranian energy targets and extended the deadline for Iran to reopen the Hormuz Strait, prompting a rally across U.S. equities. The S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 all rose between...
Client Entering a Second Marriage? Lawyer Says Be Careful
Second marriages involving children and disparate wealth pose complex legal and financial challenges. Heela Donsky Walker, a partner at Robins Appleby LLP, warns that lack of communication and missing cohabitation agreements often lead to disputes, unintended tax consequences, and exposure...
Mercer to Boost Private Markets Scale Through AltamarCAM Acquisition
Mercer, the investment arm of Marsh McLennan, announced a deal to acquire AltamarCAM, a private‑markets manager with roughly $22 billion in assets under management. The acquisition will be folded into Mercer’s private‑markets platform, expanding its capabilities in secondaries, co‑investments, evergreen strategies...
CIRO Rolls Out Tiered Custody Framework for Crypto Platform Dealers
Canada’s investment regulator, the Canadian Investor Relations Office (CIRO), issued interim custody requirements for crypto‑asset trading platform dealers, establishing a four‑tier framework that ties capital, custody limits, and security assurances to the custodian’s risk‑management capacity. Tier 1 custodians must hold at...
CIRO to Return Misconduct Funds to Investors Starting April
Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) will roll out a Disgorgement Distribution Program on April 1, 2026, enabling funds seized from broker misconduct to be returned to affected investors. The initiative distributes disgorgement penalties on a prorated basis, with claimants given at least...
Domestic Investment Push Could Cost Pension Savers Dearly, Report Warns
The Fraser Institute warns that proposals forcing large Canadian pension plans to boost domestic allocations could dramatically erode long‑term returns, likening the effect to a 73% tax on equity performance. It argues that the strong track records of Canada’s public...
Appeal Court Ruling Boosts BCSC Bid to Recover Millions From Fraudster
The British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld a Supreme Court order that compels convicted fraudster Earle Douglas Pasquill to surrender all withdrawals from two Life Income Fund (LIF) accounts to the BCSC. The decision confirms that provincial pension legislation does...
Battle for Hormuz Shakes Markets as Oil Swings and Treasury Yields Climb
A US‑led air and naval campaign targeting Iranian forces aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil conduit, prompting heightened market volatility. Oil prices have swung as traders balance expectations of increased output against the risk of prolonged...
Why Women’s Longevity Is Now Shaping Wealth Management
Katelyn Aitcheson, a Sun Life advisor, highlights that Canadian women are set to control about $4 trillion in assets by 2028, driven by entrepreneurship and longer lifespans. She structures each meeting with a "social hour" to learn clients’ personal stories before...
New Feeder Fund Opens Macro Access for Canadian Advisors
Canadian advisors now have a domestic feeder fund that gives accredited investors access to Bridgewater Associates' flagship Pure Alpha strategy through a Wilshire‑managed account. The vehicle is structured as an Ontario mutual fund trust, with Oak Hill Asset Management acting...
Survey Shows More Young Canadians Choose Renos over Moves as Condo Values Slip
A Toronto Regional Real Estate Board report shows GTA condo sales fell 15% year‑over‑year in Q4 2025, with listings down 8.1% and average prices slipping 5.1% to $652,945. With a surplus of new units and falling rents, many owners—especially 18‑34‑year‑olds—are choosing...
Canadian Home Sales Dip Again in February as Market Waits for Spring Momentum
Canadian home sales declined again in February, falling 1.3% from January and 8.1% versus February 2025 on a non‑seasonally adjusted basis. New listings slipped 3.9% month‑over‑month, pushing the sales‑to‑new‑listings ratio up to 47.6% but still below the long‑term balanced benchmark...
Currency Hedging and the Nasdaq 100: When to Consider BMO’s ZQQ versus ZNQ
The Nasdaq 100, now a $28 trillion index, offers Canadian advisors exposure to leading U.S. innovators. A critical decision is whether to hedge the CAD‑USD exposure, which can materially affect client returns. BMO provides two ETFs—ZQQ, which hedges to CAD, and ZNQ,...
“The Market Is Way Too Aggressive with Its Rate Hike Forecast”
Russell Investments’ head of Canadian strategy, BeiChen Lin, warns that the market is over‑pricing rate hikes after Canada shed a record 84,000 jobs in February, the biggest monthly loss since 2022. He attributes the slowdown to trade‑policy uncertainty and a...
Monthly Spotlight: Global Investing
Wealth Professional’s March spotlight turns to global markets as Canadian advisors note a renewed appetite for international allocations. Since early 2024, global equities have outperformed key U.S. indices, ending a 12‑year period of lag. Tyler Mordy of Forstrong Global explains...
BMO CIO Sees Momentum in India, Despite Energy Shocks
Chief Investment Officer Sadiq Adatia of BMO Global Asset Management says India’s growth momentum remains strong despite short‑term energy shocks and medium‑term trade challenges. He cites a growing middle class, expanding infrastructure, and a new EU‑India trade agreement that could...
Competition Bureau Orders Sale of Waterloo Retirement Home in Deal with Chartwell
The Competition Bureau reached a consent agreement with Chartwell Master Care to address competition concerns surrounding Chartwell’s planned acquisition of six Sifton retirement homes in the Kitchener‑Waterloo region. The regulator determined the deal would substantially lessen competition in senior‑care housing,...
Canada Dodges Trump’s New Tariff Probe but CUSMA Clock Is Ticking
Canada escaped inclusion in the Trump administration's latest Section 301 tariff investigations, even as Washington revamps its trade‑war toolkit after a Supreme Court setback. The U.S. has imposed interim 10% tariffs under Section 122, with a potential rise to 15% before a...
Richardson’s New CEO Shares Her Plans for the Business
Julie Gallagher has taken the helm as President and CEO of Richardson Wealth, five months after its acquisition by iA Financial Group. She emphasizes protecting the firm’s independent, boutique culture while increasing her visibility through a coast‑to‑coast advisor road‑show and...
Entrepreneurs Bet on Growth and AI Despite Geopolitical Risks, UBS Survey Finds
The UBS 2026 Global Entrepreneur Report, based on 215 founders across 26 markets generating $34.3 billion in revenue, shows 68% of entrepreneurs remain optimistic despite geopolitical tensions. Over half plan to hire new staff this year and 80% expect headcount to...
Survey Finds AI Scams Push Canadians to Doubt Even Trusted Financial Messages
Interac’s latest Canadian survey finds that 79% of respondents believe artificial intelligence is enabling fraudsters to craft highly convincing scams faster than ever. Over half have encountered tariff‑related scams and more than half now doubt legitimate messages from trusted banks...
Former National Bank and CWB Executive to Lead ATB’s Wealth Arm
ATB Financial announced Matt Evans as the new head of wealth and investment management, effective March 30. He will oversee the bank’s wealth advisory, investment management, private banking and BCV Asset Management. Evans arrives with more than 18 years of...
“The Industry Doesn’t Have an Entry Problem, It Has a Mid-Career Retention Problem”
Sarah Bull, a managing partner at KJ Harrison Investors, says the financial‑advice sector has solved its entry‑level gender gap but now faces a mid‑career retention problem for women. Parenting leave and fee‑based compensation often derail advisors during the crucial transition...
Canada’s Long Medical Wait Times Drain More than $4.2B in Lost Wages
New Fraser Institute research reveals that 1.4 million Canadians awaiting medically necessary procedures in 2025 collectively lost more than $4.2 billion in wages and productivity. On average, each patient forfeited about $3,043 of earnings while waiting. The study highlights a median wait...
Investors Are Sculpting Art Collections Focused on Quality as Market Rebounds
After two years of contraction, U.S. auction sales rebounded in 2025, climbing 23% to $3.17 billion. The surge was driven by the release of major private collections and estate sales, which refocused buyer interest on high‑quality, provenance‑rich works. Sales in the...
Bank CEO Earns Roughly a Year’s Worth of the Average Worker’s Pay in About a Workday
Royal Bank of Canada disclosed that CEO Dave McKay earned $22.09 million in 2025, roughly 30 percent above his target and equivalent to a year’s average Canadian worker pay in a single workday. The bank posted record earnings of $20.4 billion, a 25 percent...
EQB Nears Takeover of PC Financial Arm After Competition Bureau Approval
EQB Inc. received Competition Bureau clearance to acquire President’s Choice Bank and related PC Financial assets from Loblaw, moving the deal closer to completion. The transaction still requires sign‑off from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the...
Canada’s Defence Spending Surge May Be Overstating Its Boost to GDP, Desjardins Warns
Canada’s defence‑related investment surged dramatically in late 2025, with weapons‑systems spending jumping over 800% quarter‑over‑quarter in Q4. The spike pushed real defence outlays to nearly double the 2010 peak, yet it still accounts for only about 0.2% of nominal GDP....
Canadian Corporate Profits Edge Higher as Tax Payments Surge
Canadian corporate profits rose modestly 2.9% to $620.3 billion in 2024, driven largely by micro‑enterprises and strong performance in Ontario, intermediation and real estate sectors. Ontario posted the biggest provincial gain at 6.1%. Corporate tax payments jumped 19.5% to $155.9 billion, with...
What Comes After Easy Yield in Equity Markets
Harvest Portfolios launched two premium‑yield ETFs—HPYB, anchored on Canadian banks, and HPYE, a globally diversified large‑cap fund—that combine core equity positions with active covered‑call and put‑selling overlays and moderate leverage. Both aim to generate high, tax‑efficient income through semi‑monthly distributions...
Is Your ETF Habit Hiding a Systemic Risk?
Passive and thematic ETFs are funneling large inflows into market‑cap‑weighted indices, disproportionately boosting the biggest and most volatile stocks and creating a systemic risk that may outpace liquidity. In Canada, strategist Michael Green warns that this distortion decouples prices from...
Leveraged ETFs Ride Retail Trading Boom as Single-Stock Bets Redefine Market Stress Playbook
Retail investors have turned leveraged ETFs from niche tools into a core trading instrument, driving a 29% annual growth in fund volume since 2020. By mid‑2025, roughly 452 leveraged funds existed, with single‑stock products accounting for half of equity‑fund turnover....
CIRO Hands Toronto Dealer Exec Rare Permanent UDP Ban After US$1.4 Million Loss
The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) imposed a permanent Ultimate Designated Person (UDP) ban on Peter Michael Deeb, a Toronto dealer executive, after leveraged ETF trading and capital reporting failures caused a US$1.419 million realized loss. Deeb faces a $500,000 fine,...
Canadian ETF Market Closes 2025 at Record $735B as Equity Dominance Reshapes Flows
Canada’s ETF industry closed 2025 with a record $735.1 billion in assets, a 37.5% increase over the prior year. Equity‑focused funds dominated, representing roughly 67.5% of total holdings, while the number of listed ETFs rose to 1,472, adding 255 new products....
