12. May 2011 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

The role reversal is hard to miss, filled with the kind of irony journalists and political activists love to pounce on. A Wall Street Journal editorial last week hailed Canada as a monument to good governance and fiscal soundness. The Weekly Standard’s Fred Barnes portrays Canada as a bastion of upright conservative values and home to “the most powerful conservative leader in the Americas.” More at the Financial Post here.

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23. April 2011 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

Every recession since 1973 has been precluded by by a rise in energy and food costs to over 6% of personal consumption with the exception of the the “tech meltdown”. The data suggests we are at the tipping point one more time. This bears a close watch as it has not been felt in the markets yet but if the past is any prelude to the future…

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14. April 2011 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

You would think with the Canadian dollar flirting with 104 USD that Canadian goods would be priced cheaper than than those in the USA. Wrong! A recent study shows that Canadians still pay a 20% premium relative to US consumers for the same goods. Read more here.

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29. March 2011 by David Parkinson, Ph.D.

To read our press release, please click here:    The Upside of Middle East Turmoil

Posted in Energy, Economics | No Comments »

20. December 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

The latest debt crisis. In addition to an increase in general interest rates US muni bond holders face increased risks.

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13. June 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

Up until now if you took more out of your checking account that you had, creating a negative balance your bank typically honoured your check and whacked you with an overdraft fee.

Not anymore.

If you try to overdraft your account your request will be denied—unless you pay for overdraft protection, more fees!

Read more here

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31. March 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

Investors who are under the illusion that all is well in Canada in regards to provincial finances may want to think twice.

Ontario leads the defict parade in Canada and for an interesting comparision between Ontario, Canada and California check it out here.

Posted in Tax, Taxation, Economics | No Comments »

15. March 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

As economist Xie points out, residential prices in China relative to per capita income are far and away the highest in the world. The housing price-to-income ratio in urban China is over 20, which means it takes the average citizen’s total wages for 20 years to buy an average dwelling. (By comparison, the highest housing affordability ratio for a U.S. city — Honolulu — is 8.2.)

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1971284,00.html#ixzz0iFWqVIxE

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15. March 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

At the beginning of the year we described China as one of our “5 biggest risks” of 2010.  Last week we mentioned (see here) the risks in the Chinese economy appear to be mounting as property prices surge and inflation begins to rear its ugly head.  Well, it looks as though we’re not the only ones who are concerned about the sustainability of the Chinese economic recovery.  According to Westpac Bank in Australia the leading economic indicators in China are beginning to roll over:

Read  more at the Pragmatic Capitalist here.

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15. March 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

China has succumbed to hubris. It has mistaken the soft diplomacy of Barack Obama for weakness, mistaken the US credit crisis for decline, and mistaken its own mercantilist bubble for ascendancy. There are echoes of Anglo-German spats before the First World War, when Wilhelmine Berlin so badly misjudged the strategic balance of power and over-played its hand. This is worth a read go here.

Posted in Investing, protectionism, Economics | No Comments »