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Empire Life Investments

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Financial markets at a glance - December 31, 2023

Investment Views, Investments

 

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Navigating markets in 2024

Investment Views, Investments

From regional bank failures to unresolved geopolitical tensions to explosive growth in artificial intelligence. We have seen it all in 2023, and there are still many questions investors face as we head into the new year. 

Paul Holba, SVP and CIO, Empire Life Investments Inc. breaks down some of the key themes that we expect will impact the markets in the coming year, such as potential rate cuts, unresolved geopolitical tensions and considerations when it comes to big tech and AI.  

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Market Bulletin: Market Implications of the Conflict in the Middle East

Investment Views, Investments

Market Implications of the Conflict in the Middle East

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated following the attack on Israel on October 7th by Hamas militants from the neighbouring Gaza Strip. The incursion sparked international backlash, and Israel announced a complete siege of Gaza on October 9th. This conflict has led to a considerable death toll on both sides, a hostage crisis involving over 200 Israeli and international citizens and a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

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2023 Mid-year review and a look ahead

Investment Views, Investments

Recently, we sat down with SVP and CIO, Paul Holba to get his thoughts on the events that have impacted markets year to date, and where the investment team sees opportunity going forward. In this video, Paul shares:

  • How almost 73% S&P500’s returns were attributed to the performance of a handful of companies known as the “Magnificent Seven Stocks”.
  • The impacts of the aggressive interest rate hikes by Central banks, what investors can expect and how it could affect their portfolios.
  • How staying true to an active management strategy may be instrumental in preserving wealth during a global economic slowdown.
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The risk of buying into hype

Investment Views, Investments

In early June, the S&P 500 rose by more than 20% from its October low, reaching its highest level since April of last year. Often observed as a barometer for the overall health of the U.S. economy, the index’s strong performance generated some optimism with respect to the trajectory of the U.S. economy. However, when considering the market breadth, which refers to the number of stocks that are moving the index, a less optimistic picture emerges.

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In a slowing economy, the right investment strategy plays a key role in downside protection

Investment Views, Investments

In a recent video, Paul Holba, CIO, reviews the key market events of 2022 and outlook for 2023. He also shares how the team’s investment strategies reflect our cautious view of the environment, but with some positive outlooks and opportunities.

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Emblem Portfolios in action - Asset allocation update, December 20, 2022

Investments, Tactical Updates

Key takeaways:  

  • Tactically moving to a more defensive positioning
  • Increased bonds, decreased equities (all portfolios except Emblem Aggressive Growth, which has no bond component)
  • Emblem Aggressive Growth – increased US equities, decreased international equities

Tactical update - December 20, 2022

We are choosing to adopt a more cautious posture and see increasingly attractive relative value in fixed income. As such, we have reduced our equity targets in the various Emblem funds and increased our fixed income targets.

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When defense is the best offense

Investment Views, Investments

From the desk of CIO Paul Holba: In this latest update from the Empire Life Investments team, Paul Holba discusses how 2022 continues to be a challenging year—but it’s not all bad news.

Market recap

2022 continues to be a challenging year for investors. As mentioned in my July update, the first half of the year produced some of the worst year-to-date returns in decades for many markets. At the end of the third quarter, market returns continued to incrementally trend in the wrong direction (albeit at a slower clip). However, many markets experienced a strong October rally, trimming the year’s losses to varying degrees. Supported by its resource sector orientation, Canadian equities held their value better over other markets, while the growth-oriented Nasdaq Composite continued to lag materially.

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A rude wake-up call

Investment Views, Investments

From the desk of CIO Paul Holba: In this latest update from the Empire Life Investments team, Paul Holba reviews the key market events impacting 2022 and beyond.

The first half of 2022 was turbulent, with major asset classes suffering from their worst first half of a year in decades. The year began with the world’s uneven emergence from the pandemic and supply chain disruptions affecting the global economy. Russia invaded Ukraine in February, spurring a major geopolitical event that pushed up prices of commodities, including energy and agricultural products. China’s zero-COVID policy has suppressed demand, weakened productivity, and spilled over into global supply chains.

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Corrections: What we can learn from the past

Investment Views, Investments

Corrections: What we can learn from the past - May 25, 2022. The Investments team looks at previous market corrections through the decades, the events that followed, and why staying invested through bouts of volatility has proven to be a beneficial strategy for the long-term investor.

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