The Living Market Podcast

The markets are up probably more than anyone expected so far this year, says Ashish Utarid, IG Wealth Management’s Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy. In spite of ongoing threats of trade tariffs, AI and growth stocks continue to perform well, and even last year’s worst-performing stocks are bouncing back. Ashish covers the three main reasons behind the markets’ current momentum and dis...

Gold has performed really well in recent years, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Over the last one, three and five years, it has outperformed the S&P 500 Index. With gold once more making waves, Philip examines how gold is valued (including why it’s currently worth way more than its extraction costs), the history behind gold’s correlation with the U.S....

There’s been a lot of noise around trade announcements, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson, and it’s easy to assume the worst. However, Philip explains how trade tensions are nothing new and that this uncertainty can bring opportunities for Canada. He discusses the likelihood of tariffs being imposed on Canada, how tariffs on China could benefit Canadian expo...

In this special edition of the podcast, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson is joined by Aurèle Courcelles, Vice-President, Tax and Estate Planning at IG, as they discuss the essentials of retirement income. Aurèle explains how it’s important to plan your retirement paycheque in advance and how to work out how much it should be, depending on the kind of retirement...

Investors can get caught up in politics, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson, but it’s far more important to focus on current market and economic fundamentals. He gives a breakdown of three key economic truths; a solid U.S. economy, with low unemployment and encouraging growth expectations; forecasts for improved corporate earnings and greater manufacturing; a...

There’s a big divide within the investing community as to what value investing is and whether it’s relevant, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. However, Philip believes that valuation always matters, it just needs redefining. He explains what value investing is, why it’s underperformed recently and which metrics to use to discover value stocks with real pote...

To begin the new year, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson decides to deviate from his usual balanced approach and go all out with his wildest and most fearless predictions for 2025. Philip offers five possible scenarios, including a Chinese equities renaissance, a boom in mergers and acquisitions, a culling of profitless tech companies and the energy consequences...

The Canadian dollar was struggling even before this week’s political turmoil, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. A soft economy and the difference in monetary policy between Canada and the U.S. had already pushed the loonie down toward US$0.70. The uncertainty following Chrystia Freeland’s resignation means the loonie is likely to lose even more value. Phili...

There are several risks we should expect to come across in the new year, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. These include central bank rate cuts (or the lack of them), high valuations, extreme consumer optimism, ongoing geopolitical risks and highly concentrated equities. Philip offers advice on how to protect your portfolio from the volatility that some of...

November was a surprisingly good month for U.S. equities after a disappointing October, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Not only did the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 enjoy the best monthly returns of the year, but they were both outshone by the Russell 2000 (the index of smaller U.S. companies), which saw a monthly increase of 11%, a direct result of euphor...

In this special podcast, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson presents his economic outlook for the new year. He discusses how growing demand and manufacturing are boosting the global economy, how inflation is likely to develop, the pros and cons of a weak Canadian dollar and diverging central bank policies. Philip also explains how bonds are poised to deliver good...

The Forgotten 493 and smaller U.S. companies have been making a comeback since the U.S. elections, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. These smaller companies derive most of their income from within the U.S. and so are considered more likely to benefit from the American-first policies expected from the incoming government. Philip says that it’s the ideal time...

Markets have been on a wild ride since the U.S. election results, says Ashish Utarid, Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy at IG Wealth Management. The S&P 500 reached a new high, bitcoin mania is back, and credit spreads are reaching levels not seen in over a decade. However, Ashish believes that markets are too eager to price in the benefits while ignoring the risks. He explains the...

IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson discusses the most important things to understand to make sense of the market’s reaction to the U.S. election results. He explains how the post-election period has historically been a favourable time for the stock market, and how tax cuts, trade tariffs and futures are likely to pan out. He also provides three key take-aways arou...

The end of the year is often a time when investors think about ways to minimize next year’s tax bill, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. In this special edition of the podcast, Philip and his guest, IG’s Aurèle Courcelles, Assistant Vice-President, Tax and Estate Planning, explain how to make tax-efficient charitable donations. Aurèle discusses how to reduce...

Canadian consumers have been in need of some serious interest rate relief, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson, and the Bank of Canada gave them just that this week, with a half-a-percentage-point rate cut. While this came as little surprise (markets had been pricing in this rate cut for a couple of weeks) it was still very welcome. Philip explains what this w...

If elected, Donald Trump is promising to impose higher tariffs on imports from China and other countries, says Ashish Utarid, Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy at IG Wealth Management. Tariffs are designed to protect domestic industries, incentivize change in foreign countries and generate revenue for the U.S. federal government. However, as Ashish explains, there are several negative...

In the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) next meeting, a larger-than-previously-expected rate cut of 0.5 percentage points is likely, says Pierre-Benoît Gauthier, Vice-President, Investment Strategy at IG Wealth Management. Given that inflation has been tamed (it’s now down to 2% — or 0.5% if you cut out shelter costs) and the economy has stalled in the last couple of years, it makes sense that the BoC will...

In his review of the third quarter of the year, IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson delves into the reasons behind investors’ growing enthusiasm for higher-risk investments. He also gives an overview of the quarter’s highlights, including Canadian, European and (finally) U.S. central banks cutting interest rates (having won the battle with inflation); the shift to...

China is finally getting serious about its economy and its stock market, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. After seeing Chinese stocks lose $6 trillion in value over the last three years, the People’s Bank of China has just announced some significant policies aimed at giving its ailing stock market a huge boost. Philip discusses whether these policies will...

The longest inverted yield curve in history is finally coming to an end, says Ashish Utarid, Assistant Vice-President, Investment Strategy at IG Wealth Management. An inverted yield curve is when long-term bonds have lower yields than short-term bonds (an unnatural situation, given that long-term bonds are riskier and therefore typically provide a higher return). Ashish explains what the end of an...

The U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) needs to tread carefully with any upcoming rate cuts, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Many financial commentators are expecting a significant cut (of 50 basis points) because of weakening economic data and a more volatile market. However, Philip asks, will a large rate cut have the right effect? He argues that it’s not t...

Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company run by Warren Buffet, recently hit the $1-trillion-value mark, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Since 1987, Buffet’s company has returned an average of 16.7% annually, considerably more than the S&P 500’s average return of around 11% over the same period. Philip explains why the company often performs well whe...

What drives one stock index to outperform another? This is the key question that IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson explores in considering whether recent gains on the S&P/TSX Composite are coming from the success of the companies that make up the index, or are the gains the output of something else altogether.

IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson reviews the most recent earnings season. This is when companies report their quarterly revenue (sales) and earnings (profits). Philip explains the difference between the two, how disappointing revenue can still result in increased earnings, which sectors were this season’s winners and losers, and what needs to happen for S&P...