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Author Archives: 1investor

Weekly Update for the week ending July 11, 2025

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What’s BRICS, and Why Is It Back in the Headlines?

I first heard the term BRIC – referring to Brazil, Russia, India, and China – back in the late 1990s when I was researching high-growth mutual funds. The pitch was that these were fast-growing economies, and investing in a BRIC-focused fund would add a boost to a long-term portfolio. I ended up passing on the fund… and promptly forgot about BRIC.

Fast forward to today, and the term is back in the spotlight – this time with an “S” on the end, as South Africa officially joined the group in 2010. With BRICS now grabbing headlines again, I thought it was a good time to revisit what the group is and why it’s suddenly become a target of President Trump’s latest trade threats.

Weekly Update for the week ending July 4, 2025

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When Good News Is Bad News (and Vice Versa)

This week brought a steady stream of US labour market data, and you might’ve noticed something that feels a little backwards: sometimes good news about jobs or the economy makes stocks fall, while disappointing news sends markets higher. At first, this can be hard to wrap your head around. After all, if more people are working and businesses are hiring, that should be a positive sign, right? But markets don’t just react to the data itself – they react to what that data means for interest rates and the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) next move.

Monthly Portfolio Update June 2025

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Monthly Market and Portfolio Review

Markets kicked off June with a bang, dipped mid-month, then came roaring back to close with back-to-back gains. The Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index (TSX) rose 2.6%, the S&P 500 (S&P) jumped 5.0%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq) surged 6.6%, with all three hitting record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) advanced 4.3%, flirting with its own all-time peak.

Weekly Update for the week ending June 27, 2025

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Why a Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran Matters for the Markets

This week brought a rare dose of geopolitical relief as reports of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran signalled a potential cooling of tensions in the Middle East. For us investors, that kind of news matters more than you might think. While peace is always welcome from a humanitarian standpoint, it also tends to be good for the markets.

When tensions rise in the Middle East, especially between major regional powers like Israel and Iran, it adds a wave of uncertainty to global markets. Oil prices typically spike, safe-haven assets like gold and US Treasuries become more attractive, and stock markets often react with caution. That’s because the region plays a key role in the global energy supply, and any threat to that supply chain can ripple through industries and economies. Investors start to worry about rising fuel costs, supply disruptions, and the possibility of a wider military conflict.

In short, markets don’t like uncertainty (I know, I’ve said that before 😊). And few things create more uncertainty than the threat of war.

Weekly Update for the week ending June 20, 2025

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When Giants Talk Trade, Canada Feels the Impact

Last week, I discussed the build-up to the China – US trade war and what each side is hoping to get from a deal. After tensions flared this spring, complete with sweeping tariffs and tech restrictions that rattled global markets, the two countries agreed to a temporary truce and resumed negotiations. There’s now a draft framework deal on the table, but it’s more of a ceasefire than a peace treaty. Still, even a partial deal could shift the global economic outlook – and that matters a lot to Canada.

Weekly Update for the week ending June 13, 2025

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Why You Should Care About US –China Trade Talks

Since April, tensions between the world’s two largest economies – China and the US – have escalated into a bruising trade war once again. But this isn’t new. The trade war between the two originally kicked off back in July 2018, after years of growing friction over trade imbalances, intellectual property, and market access. The first Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on US$34 billion worth of Chinese goods, and China retaliated with tariffs on US exports like soybeans and autos. That tit-for-tat quickly spiraled into a full-scale economic standoff, with hundreds of billions in tariffs and tech restrictions shaking global supply chains. While there were brief truces and ongoing negotiations over the years, the rivalry never really cooled.