AI Turns From Tailwind to Disruptive Headwind
This past week, markets came under pressure as investor sentiment around software companies shifted sharply. While higher interest rates and stretched valuations had already been weighing on the sector, what really rattled investors was a growing belief that parts of the software and professional services industry may be facing real disruption, not just a temporary slowdown.
Author Archives: 1investor
A Brief History of the North American Stock Exchanges
As I mentioned in my November 28, 2025 Weekly Update [link to Nov 28 update], I recently came across a stock I assumed was listed on Canada’s largest and most senior stock market, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE), only to discover it was actually trading on its junior counterpart, the TSX Venture Exchange. That small mix-up sent me down a rabbit hole into how Canada’s exchanges are structured and how they came to be.
Monthly Portfolio Update January 2026
January was a bit of a rollercoaster for markets. Indexes pushed to new highs, pulled back to catch their breath, and climbed again, before fading late in the month but still finishing in positive territory. Volatility (also known as buying opportunities 😊) was the name of the game.
Weekly Update for the week ending January 30, 2026
How Central Banks Set Interest Rates
Interest rates are one of those topics everyone hears about, but few people really understand how they actually work. With both the Bank of Canada (BoC) and the US Federal Reserve (the Fed) recently announcing that they were holding their policy rates steady, it felt like a good time to step back and look at what these rates actually are – and how they’re set.
Weekly Update for the week ending January 23, 2026
Sell America
Markets don’t always move because the economy changes – sometimes they move because confidence does. This week, that loss of confidence showed up in a phrase many investors hadn’t heard in a while: “Sell America.” And it returned with a vengeance.
But what is “Sell America”?
Weekly Update for the week ending January 16, 2026
Under Pressure: Fed Independence Under Fire
With apologies to Queen and David Bowie, the US government has turned up the pressure on the US Federal Reserve, and on Chair Jerome Powell in particular, to fall in line with President Trump’s push for lower interest rates. For investors, the question isn’t politics – it’s how this could rattle markets and shake confidence in US interest rates.