Skip to main content

Tag: cls

Monthly Portfolio Update September 2025

Posted on by

September flipped the script on its usual reputation as a tough month for stocks. North American markets finished strong, capping a solid third quarter and extending impressive streaks of gains. The Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index surged 5.1%, while the S&P 500 climbed 3.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 5.6%. Record highs were the theme of the month: the Nasdaq and S&P hit multiple peaks, delivering their best September since 2010 and strongest third quarter since 2020, while the Dow notched its fifth straight monthly gain. Up north, the TSX also marked its fifth consecutive monthly advance.

Let’s take a quick look at what moved the markets and how my three portfolios performed in September…

Monthly Portfolio Update August 2025

Posted on by

August is usually a sleepy month for markets, with many professional investors off on holiday and trading volumes thin. But this year, the supposedly quiet stretch turned into another winning month. All four major indexes extended their streaks, with the Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq) chalking up its fifth consecutive monthly gain – up 1.6%, its longest run in nearly a year and a half. The S&P 500 (S&P) added 1.9%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) climbed 3.2%, and the Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index (TSX) led the pack with a surge of 4.8%, its strongest showing of the summer. For the S&P and DJIA, it marked their longest streak since fall 2024.

The rally was less about confiden

Weekly Update for the week ending September 5, 2025

Posted on by

September Slump: Will This Year Be Different?
September has a bit of a bad reputation on Wall Street. Historically, it’s the weakest month for stocks – a pattern often called the “September Effect.” Unlike other market drops tied to clear events, this is more of a seasonal trend. Some say investors pull back after the summer rally to lock in profits. Others point to mutual funds and big institutions rebalancing portfolios ahead of year-end, which adds selling pressure. Add in traders returning from summer holidays with a cautious outlook, and September has often leaned negative.

History has delivered some painful reminders. In 2008, during the financial crisis, the S&P 500 plunged nearly 9% in a single September. In 2001, the 9/11 attacks triggered a steep selloff. More recently, in 2022, the index slid almost 10% as rising interest rates rattled investors.

So, what could make this September another challenging month?

Weekly Update for the week ending August 15, 2025

Posted on by

Paying to Play: What Nvidia and AMD’s China Access Means for Investors
The Trump administration has struck a highly unusual deal with Nvidia (NASD: NVDA) and AMD (NASD: AMD) to sell certain artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China – Nvidia’s H20 and AMD’s MI308 – the companies must hand over 15% of those sales to the US government. In return, they get the export licenses needed to ship the chips to China. This effectively reopens a market that had been closed off under earlier restrictions..
While it might sound like a simple trade-off – a cut for the US, access for the companies – it sets a dangerous precedent.

Monthly Portfolio Update July 2025

Posted on by

July was another milestone month for markets, powered by strong corporate earnings, growing artificial intelligence (AI) excitement, cautious central banks, and signs that both economies might be cooling. The Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index (TSX), S&P 500 Index (S&P), Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq) all surged to record highs mid-month, fueled by optimism on multiple fronts. But those gains didn’t fully stick – markets pulled back in the final stretch as fresh trade tensions and persistent inflation concerns crept back into the picture.

Weekly Update for the week ending August 1, 2025

Posted on by

Liberation Day, part 2

President Trump kicked off a new wave of tariffs this week, reigniting global trade tensions. The move came just days after progress with the European Union (EU) and Japan had boosted market optimism – but that optimism is now giving way to concern.

The latest action includes a sweeping 35% tariff on Canadian goods not covered by CUSMA, which caught many by surprise. It also targets exports from Brazil, India, and other trading partners, with tariffs ranging from 10% to 25%. These new duties hit a wide range of products, from industrial parts and electronics to everyday consumer goods, raising fears of a broader trade war.