Cardinal Update – November 2017
RESEARCH PROCESS IN FOCUS: IDEA GENERATION – In our regular correspondence, we tend to discuss why we bought, sold, or continue to hold stocks in the portfolio. This month, we thought it would be interesting to describe the process in how we actually come up with these ideas.
The first step is identifying the stocks we wish to research further. There is no magic formula here and we believe that the wider you cast your net, the more fish you’ll catch. Thus, we read a wide assortment of company financial reports and we also read broadly: newspapers, magazines, books, and trade journals……
COMPANY FOCUS: INTACT FINANCIAL – A year following our initial purchase of Intact Financial, we are happy with the share price performance (up approximately 12%) and take this as an opportunity to review the thesis……
Click here to read more: Cardinal Update – November 2017
DM Newsletter – November 2017
A RARE GREEN SHOOT ON THE SCORCHED EARTH OF RETAIL – We live in a period of rapid change. The same forces that have brought us previously unimagined technologies and conveniences, however, have also wreaked agonizing upheaval on certain parts of the economy. Perhaps nowhere has this dislocation been levelled with as much swiftness and ferocity as in the retail sector, where companies struggle to maintain relevancy and, in many cases, outright survival in the face of the “Amazon-ing” of their industry. One-time cornerstones like Sears Canada and Toys R Us have recently filed for bankruptcy, while outlets such as Foot Locker, Kmart, and Staples are either closing stores in multiples, selling off real estate, or paddling furiously against the unrelenting tsunami of competition.
Click here to read more: DM-Monthly-Report-Nov-17
DM Monthly Newsletter – October
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO JUMPSTART THE TSX? – In our third quarter portfolio commentary, we highlighted the recent contrast between the Canadian economy, which has led all G7 countries in growth for each of the past four quarters, and the TSX, which is the worst performing stock market amongst the same group so far this year. On the bright side, lethargic Canadian share prices combined with rising earnings have pushed the relative valuation of the TSX down to multi-year lows against the S&P 500; unfortunately, though, it’s hard to know when global capital will start to take notice of this comparative advantage and begin to shift back to our market.
Click here to read more: DM-Monthly-Report-Oct-17
DM – Q3 Portfolio Commentary
Best Economy, Worst Market – In last quarter’s edition of this report, we lamented that Canadian stocks hadn’t been doing much for investors in the months preceding, despite our economy having posted some of the strongest growth in the developed work. We also noted, however, that the silver lining of this stall in prices was that the valuation of the TSX has been pushed down to an uncommonly attractive level relative to the S&P 500, which we felt would eventually catch the attention of capital allocators around the world. Up until the last 2 weeks of September, though, it looked like the Canadian equity story would be little changed for this report.
Click here to read more: DM-Portfolio-Commentary-Q3-17
