August 17, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
On Aug. 17, 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair concluded near Bethel, N.Y.  Go to article »

Sean Penn, actor, b. 1960.
Robert de Niro, actor, b. 1943.
Mae West, actor, b. 1898.

Ripples in Saturn’s rings reveal the planet may be ‘fuzzy’ and slushy at its core.  Ripples in Saturn’s rings reveal the planet may be ‘fuzzy’ and slushy at its core
Don’t worry, Saturn.
We still love you; weird, slushy core and all. 

Meet the ‘ecosexuals’ hosting joyful weddings to the Earth.  Not gonna lie, these weddings are a vibe
 
Being a better listener for your loved ones might protect their brain health, study finds.  Send this to, you know, whoever needs to hear it today

From the Late Night Hosts:
“The Taliban yesterday entered the city of Kabul and took control of Afghanistan’s presidential palace. Most Americans watched in horror, while some Americans watched for tips.” — SETH MEYERS

“Former President Trump released a statement on Friday amid the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and, yeah, he’s enjoying this.” — SETH MEYERS

“Pretty weird to blame Biden for withdrawing troops when this summer he was claiming credit for it.” — STEPHEN COLBERT

“Trump made a peace deal with the Taliban to end the war, and now after Biden’s withdrawal, they’re back in power. So, on the bright side, it’s nice to have a bipartisan screw-up.” — JIMMY FALLON

PHOTOS OF THE DAY


Selfie.. Photographer Paul Zizka has compiled a collection of epic self portraits, globe trotting from Asia to Antarctica in search of the world’s most stunning locations including the spectacular Aurora Borealis

CREDIT: PAUL ZIZKA / CATERS NEWS AGENCY

Ray of light.. A mum of two was left in hysterics after noticing a spooky resemblance between her daughter Daisy and an aquarium Stingray

CREDIT: WENDY ARMSTRONG / SWNS

One of the shortlisted entries for the Northern Photography Prize in which photographers were invited to capture the spirit and heart of the North East of England.. a rainbow at New Hartley taken by Michelle Williams

CREDIT: MICHELLE K. WILLAMS

A paraglider launches from Devils Dyke in the South Downs, West Sussex

CREDIT: DAVID BURR / ALAMY LIVE NEWS

Market Closes for August 17th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35343.28 -282.12
-0.79%
S&P 500 4448.08 -31.63
-0.71%
NASDAQ 14656.18 -137.58

-0.93%

TSX 20363.59 -119.83
-0.58%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27424.47 -98.72
-0.36%
HANG
SENG
25745.87 -435.59
-1.66%
SENSEX 55792.27 +209.69
+0.38%
FTSE 100* 7181.11 +27.13

+0.38%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.154 1.165
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.744 1.744
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.2617 1.2650
U.S.
30 Year Bond
 1.9189   1.9270

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7920 0.7955
US
$
1.2627 1.2571
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4784 0.6764
US
$
1.1709 0.8541

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1786.35 1773.85
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 66.59 67.29

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1998, the Russian government devalued the ruble and declared a moratorium on paying its foreign debt, a de facto default that sent the global bond markets crashing and triggered the ultimate collapse of the giant hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci and Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks fell Tuesday amid concern that the global economic recovery will lose momentum as the delta variant prompts further shutdowns to contain the renewed spread of the pandemic. The S&P/TSX Composite dropped 0.6%, the most since July 19. Seven of eleven sectors retreated. A Statistics Canada report due Wednesday is expected to show that price inflation accelerated in July to almost the fastest rate in two decades. Economists estimate that consumer prices jumped 3.4% last month on an annual basis, from 3.1% in June. Copper led most industrial metals lower amid ongoing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus delta variant in top consumer China, while a firmer dollar reduced their appeal to foreign investors.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $12.95 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 0.1% to $1,784.88 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.4% to C$1.2624 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield fell 1.2 basis points to 1.153%
–With assistance from Philip Sanders.

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite is falling for the fourth day, dropping 1 percent, or 204.11 to 20,279.31 in Toronto. In midday trading, financials stocks led the market lower, as 9 of 11 sectors lost; 189 of 229 shares fell, while 38 rose. Shopify Inc. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 1.3 percent. Lithium Americas Corp. had the largest drop, falling 11.9 percent.
Insights
* In the past year, the index had a similar or greater loss 18 times. The next day, it advanced 13 times for an average 1 percent and declined five times for an average 0.7 percent
* The index advanced 22 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 31 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1.4 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 13, 2021 and 31.5 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 1.1 percent in the past 5 days and rose 1.5 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.8 on a trailing basis and 16.2 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year

* The index’s dividend yield is 2.6 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.22t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 9.39 percent compared with 8.85 percent in the previous session and the average of 9.04 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | -69.9573| -1.1| 1/27
* Energy | -33.0678| -1.4| 0/23
* Materials | -30.9727| -1.3| 9/43
* Information Technology | -25.6355| -1.1| 2/10
* Industrials | -22.1783| -0.9| 4/26
* Consumer Discretionary | -15.7419| -2.0| 1/12
* Real Estate | -5.3228| -0.8| 5/20
* Health Care | -4.2335| -1.9| 2/7
* Utilities | -1.3157| -0.1| 5/11
* Communication Services | 0.5069| 0.1| 2/4
* Consumer Staples | 1.6656| 0.2| 7/6
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Shopify | -19.5200| -1.3| -60.3| 28.5
* Brookfield Asset | | | |
* Management | -15.5800| -2.2| -27.6| 33.4
* Royal Bank of Canada | -10.3200| -0.8| -39.8| 24.4
* Rogers Communications| 1.0130| 0.7| -10.0| 7.6
* Wheaton Precious | | | |
* Metals | 1.0660| 0.6| -16.9| 5.4
* Northland Power | 1.1300| 2.0| 11.0| -10.7

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Stocks posted their biggest decline in a month amid concern that the global economic recovery will lose momentum with further shutdowns to contain a coronavirus resurgence. Traders watched closely Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks during a town hall with educators and students, where he noted the central bank’s “powerful tools” have limitations. Powell also said that Covid-19 will likely stay “for a while,” and we’re not going back to a pre-pandemic economy. Policy makers will gather next week for the Jackson Hole symposium, the Fed’s most-prominent annual conference. “We’re essentially in a bit of a holding period ahead of Jackson Hole,” wrote Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda Europe. “While there is a fair amount of data releases this week, some of which may carry a little more weight than others, it’s all about the Fed in these markets at the minute, and that’s unlikely to change unless the delta situation gets dramatically worse. ”The S&P 500 snapped a five-day rally. Giants Tesla Inc. and Facebook Inc. slid at least 2.2%, while Home Depot Inc. tumbled after the retailer posted weaker-than-expected results.
Chinese stocks listed in the U.S. such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Baidu Inc. and JD.com Inc. faced another wave of selling as authorities in Beijing ramped up their crackdown on some of the nation’s largest companies. American homebuilder sentiment sank to a 13-month low in August amid high costs as well as continuing supply shortages. U.S. retail sales fell in July by more than forecast, reflecting a steady shift in spending toward services and indicating consumers may be growing more price conscious as inflation picks up. While factory production strengthened the most in four months, manufacturers continued to face higher input prices and a near record number of job vacancies. The U.S. government is poised to offer coronavirus booster shots as soon as next month, with the country facing a renewed wave of infections fueled by the delta variant. New Zealand will enter a lockdown after reporting its first community transmission since February. Switzerland recorded its biggest jump in infections in months, while South Africa expects a fourth wave to start in early December.

Here are some events to watch this week:
* Reserve Bank of New Zealand policy decision and briefing by Governor Adrian Orr Wednesday
* FOMC minutes released Wednesday
* Bank Indonesia rate decision and Governor Perry Warjiyo briefing Thursday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 0.7% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.9%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8%
* The MSCI World index fell 0.8%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.5%
* The euro fell 0.6% to $1.1713
* The British pound fell 0.8% to $1.3738
* The Japanese yen fell 0.3% to 109.58 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 1.26%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.47%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined one basis point to 0.56%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.8% to $66.76 a barrel
* Gold futures fell 0.1% to $1,787.30 an ounce
–With assistance from Andreea Papuc, Srinivasan Sivabalan, Kamaron Leach and Vildana Hajric

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

Art is not a thing; it is a way. –Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 16, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
On Aug. 16, 1977, singer Elvis Presley died at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., at age 42. Go to article »

Madonna, singer, b. 1958.
Babe Ruth, baseball player, d. 1948.

Why your old video games may be worth millions.  And to think, they used to say video games were a waste of time! 

Watch how CNN covered the birth of cell phones in 1982 
Then, they were clunky and weighed as much as a small dog. Now, you’re reading a newsletter on them.

It turns out Alexander Hamilton was Jewish. — Justin Fox 

These are the U.K.’s 100 best restaurants.

“I don’t know anything about music.  In my line you don’t have to.” -Elvis Presley, 1935-1977.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY


Pigs do fly.. a sea eagles swooped down and carried away a small pig over a lake in Queensland Australia

CREDIT: MEDIADRUMIMAGES/CLARKEESPIE

Choo choo.. a steam train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands

CREDIT: CHARLOTTE GRAHAM

In the pink.. photographer Nicolas leto captured this imaged of Hutt Lagoon, Port Gregory, Western Australia. This stunning natural body of water has a high salt concentration, paired with a special type of algae and bacteria, which produce the magnificent pink hue

CREDIT: NICOLAS LETOUBLON / CATERS NEWS

Perfect symmetry.. sunset over Central Pier in Blackpool 

CREDIT: GREGG WOLSTENHOLME/BAV MEDIA

So cute.. An eleven-day-old baby male Bornean orangutan is held by his mother Suli at Bioparc Fuengirola in Fuengirola, southern Spain

CREDIT: REUTERS/JON NAZCA

Market Closes for August 16th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35625.40 +110.02
+0.31%
S&P 500 4479.71 +11.71
+0.26%
NASDAQ 14793.76 -29.14

-0.20%

TSX 20483.42 -34.65
-0.17%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27523.19 -453.96
-1.62%
HANG
SENG
26181.46 -210.16
-0.80%
SENSEX 55582.58 +145.29
+0.26%
FTSE 100* 7153.98 -64.73

-0.90%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.165 1.185
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.744 1.753
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.2650 1.2817
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.9270   1.9325

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7955 0.7989
US
$
1.2571 1.2517
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4805 0.6754
US
$
1.1776 0.8492

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1773.85 1747.40
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 67.29 68.44

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1982, The Wall Street Journal reported that Richard I. Sichel, a respected portfolio manager at New Jersey National Bank, was keeping 30% of his equity funds in cash and considered high-grade bonds “the best investment.” Mr. Sichel warned, “There’s still room for disappointment on corporate earnings and the [Dow Jones] industrial average might hit the low 700s.” The Dow closed the day at 792.43, never came near the low 700s again, and finished the year at 1046.54.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equity markets fell on Monday, after cannabis and materials sectors declined. The S&P/TSX Composite index dropped 0.2% in Toronto. Health care was the worst performing sector, led by a decline in pot stocks, while communication services stocks were the best performers. Canada’s housing market posted its fourth month of sales declines as the number of people looking to sell their homes saw a precipitous decline despite prices near record levels.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $12.85 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 0.4% to $1,787.24 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.5% to C$1.2574 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield fell 2 basis points to 1.162%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell for the third day, dropping 0.2 percent, or 34.65 to 20,483.42 in Toronto. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 2.0 percent. Organigram Holdings Inc. had the largest drop, falling 13.9 percent. Today, 141 of 229 shares fell, while 81 rose; 6 of 11 sectors were lower, led by materials stocks.
Insights
* The index advanced 24 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 34 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.4 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 13, 2021 and 32.8 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is little changed in the past 5 days and rose 2.5 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.8 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.23t
* 30-day price volatility little changed to 8.85 percent compared with 8.86 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.95 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Materials | -20.1713| -0.9| 9/42
* Energy | -17.9761| -0.7| 2/20
* Real Estate | -2.9520| -0.5| 3/20
* Industrials | -2.8334| -0.1| 14/16
* Health Care | -2.2182| -1.0| 4/5
* Information Technology | -1.1983| -0.1| 6/6
* Consumer Discretionary | 1.2481| 0.2| 6/7
* Financials | 1.2661| 0.0| 15/11
* Consumer Staples | 2.2446| 0.3| 9/4
* Utilities | 3.8107| 0.4| 9/7
* Communication Services | 4.1215| 0.4| 4/3
================================================================
| | |Volume VS |
| Index | | 20D AVG |YTD Change
Top Contributors |Points Move| % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Canadian Natural | | | |
* Resources | -6.6950| -2.0| -35.9| 32.4
* Nutrien | -5.4450| -1.7| -26.8| 27.8
* Canadian Pacific | -4.9250| -1.2| 18.3| 1.6
* Brookfield Asset | | | |
* Management | 2.7330| 0.4| -37.4| 36.4
* BCE | 2.9000| 0.7| 22.8| 18.4
* Enbridge | 3.2470| 0.5| 43.7| 21.1

US
By Rita Nazareth and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — The stock market wiped out earlier losses, with the S&P 500 extending its surge from a March 2020 low to 100%.Treasuries climbed. The benchmark gauge of American shares closed at another record — its 49th since the end of last year — led by health-care and utility companies. Apple Inc. also climbed to an all-time high. Equities fell in the first few hours of trading on Monday after softer economic data from the world’s two biggest economies. Tesla Inc. sank as the U.S. opened an investigation on the electric-vehicle firm’s Autopilot system. Traders awaited signals from the Federal Reserve, with a town hall by Chair Jerome Powell Tuesday potentially acting as a precursor to the Jackson Hole symposium in late August. The market has viewed the event as a venue for the Fed to lay out the timing and contours of its expected move to taper the bond-buying program.
“The big question that’s hovering over the market is about the Fed — when the Fed is going to move, when the Fed is going to taper,” said Fiona Cincotta, senior financial markets analyst at City Index. “What we do know is that the recovery is going to be bumpy — it’s not going to be in a straight line.” Halfway through August, the S&P 500 is on track for one of the calmest months ever. Under the surface, however, there’s still a degree of anxiety about what’s coming. A measure of implied volatility in VIX options has advanced for five out of seven weeks — even as the Cboe Volatility Index kept falling. Citigroup Inc.’s Tobias Levkovich warned that investors should be bracing for more volatility as Fed tapering, the possibility of higher taxes, margin pressures and persistent inflation become forces “that the bond market has to respond to.” “We’re a bit more cautious,” Citigroup’s chief U.S. equity strategist said in an interview on Bloomberg TV, adding that these four potential issues “could cascade onto each other around September” as valuation is extended.

Here are some events to watch this week:
* U.S. Fed Chair Powell hosts a town hall discussion with educators Tuesday
* China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, begins a four-day meeting in Beijing Tuesday
* U.S. retail sales are due Tuesday
* Reserve Bank of Australia minutes are scheduled to be released Tuesday
* Reserve Bank of New Zealand policy decision and briefing by Governor Adrian Orr Wednesday
* FOMC minutes released Wednesday
* Bank Indonesia rate decision and Governor Perry Warjiyo briefing Thursday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.3% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 was little changed
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%
* The MSCI World index fell 0.2%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%
* The euro fell 0.2% to $1.1776
* The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.3836
* The Japanese yen rose 0.3% to 109.25 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined two basis points to 1.26%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.47%
* Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 0.57%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.5% to $67.42 a barrel
* Gold futures rose 0.6% to $1,788.90 an ounce
–With assistance from Andreea Papuc, Srinivasan Sivabalan, Sophie Caronello and Nancy Moran.

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing. -Friedrich Von Schiller, 1759-1805.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 13, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday.

1961~Berlin Wall erected.

On Aug. 13, 1961, Berlin was divided as East Germany sealed off the border between the city’s eastern and western sectors in order to halt the flight of refugees. Go to article »
Alfred Hitchcock, director, b.1899
Fidel Castro, Cuban President, b. 1926

It’s Friday the 13th. Why is it considered so unlucky?   The best Friday the 13ths are the ones when you don’t realize it’s Friday the 13th until they’re almost over. (Sorry about that.)

58 million: That’s about how many people in the US this weekend are under excessive heat warnings, considered the highest-level heat alert. This includes major cities like New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

from The Late Night Hosts:
Meyers and Stephen Colbert largely focused on Lindell, the MyPillow C.E.O., whose reaction to the news was caught on camera.
“Watching someone get bad news, in real time, at their own symposium is my new kink.” — SETH MEYERS

“This week, he held a livestreamed cybersymposium, for which he hired a cyberexpert ‘red team’ and gave them what he said was 37 terabytes of irrefutable evidence that hackers broke into election systems using intercepted ‘packet captures.’ ‘Packet captures,’ of course, is a technical term that you might know by their street name, ‘pillow cases.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT

“Honestly, poor cyberexperts. You go to school to get a degree in computer science, spend your whole career mastering a highly specialized skill that would be actually very helpful in today’s high-tech economy, and then a psycho pillow magnate hands you what I’m guessing is a garbage bag full of dry cleaning slips and CVS receipts and said, ‘I need you to switch who the president is.’” — SETH MEYERS

PHOTOS OF THE DAY


A man watches the Perseid meteor shower on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

CREDIT: VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES

A man paints his face in preparation for an event to mark the day before of the 500th Anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan in Mexico

CREDIT: REUTERS/GUSTAVO GRAF

People cool off in Crown Fountain in Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois, USA. As temperatures climb across the nation, nearly 200 million Americans are under some level of heat advisory.

CREDIT: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAHES

Animals eat frozen fruits at the Bioparc in Valencia, Spain, to help them cope with the ongoing heatwave

CREDIT: JUAN CARLOS CARDENAS/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Burryman Andrew Taylor parades through the town of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, encased in burrs. The parade takes place on the second Friday of August each year and although the exact meaning of this tradition has been lost, it is believed to bring good luck to the towns people if they give him whisky offered through a straw or a donation of money.

CREDIT: JANE BARLOW/PA|

Market Closes for August 13th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35515.38 +15.53
+0.04%
S&P 500 4468.00 +7.17
+0.16%
NASDAQ 14822.90 +6.64

+0.04%

TSX 20518.07 -2.53
-0.01%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27977.15 -37.87
-0.14%
HANG
SENG
26391.62 -126.20
-0.48%
SENSEX 55437.29 +593.31
+1.08%
FTSE 100* 7218.71 +25.48

+0.35%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.185 1.255
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.753 1.818
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.2817 1.3590
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.9325   1.9988

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7989 0.7984
US
$
1.2517 1.2525
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4765 0.6773
US
$
1.1796 0.8477

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1747.40 1743.60
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 68.44 69.09

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, the biggest tax cut in American history. It streamlined the federal income tax brackets, lowered the top rate to 36% and created the universally deductible individual retirement account.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities rose for a fourth week after a wide range of companies jumped on second-quarter earnings results. Nuvei Corp. and Stelco Holdings Inc. were among standouts. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was flat Friday, with materials leading the way while health care and energy lagged. Gold headed for a third straight gain as a falling dollar and a plunge in U.S. consumer confidence bolstered demand for the haven metal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government said it will make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for airline and rail passengers, transportation workers and federal employees, in one of its final announcements before the start of a Canadian election campaign.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $12.75 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 1.5% to $1,778.60 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.1% to C$1.2518 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield fell 6.3 basis points to 1.192%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite declined slightly to 20,518.07 in Toronto. Shopify Inc. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 0.4 percent.  Village Farms International Inc. had the largest drop, falling 6.5 percent. Today, 103 of 229 shares fell, while 121 rose; 6 of 11 sectors were lower, led by energy stocks.
Insights
* So far this week, the index was little changed
* The index advanced 24 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 33 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.2 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 13, 2021 and 33.1 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.7 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.23t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 8.86 percent compared with 8.89 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.68 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Energy | -16.0881| -0.7| 3/19
* Industrials | -10.0034| -0.4| 13/17
* Financials | -7.9983| -0.1| 11/16
* Consumer Discretionary | -4.7749| -0.6| 3/10
* Health Care | -2.6019| -1.2| 5/4
* Information Technology | -1.9424| -0.1| 7/5
* Real Estate | 0.5926| 0.1| 7/15
* Consumer Staples | 1.5310| 0.2| 8/5
* Communication Services | 2.5409| 0.3| 5/2
* Utilities | 4.0176| 0.4| 13/3
* Materials | 32.2012| 1.4| 46/7
================================================================
| | |Volume VS |
| Index | | 20D AVG |YTD Change
Top Contributors |Points Move| % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Shopify | -5.3970| -0.4| -67.2| 30.4
* Canadian National | -5.2380| -0.8| -47.2| -3.9
* Suncor Energy | -4.4080| -1.7| -14.1| 12.5
* Kirkland Lake | 3.4620| 3.8| 14.6| -3.7
* Barrick Gold | 3.5950| 1.2| -30.7| -12.0
* Wheaton Precious | | | |
* Metals | 5.6150| 3.3| 10.5| 4.6

US
By Vildana Hajric and Kamaron Leach
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks eked out another all-time high and Treasury yields declined after a report showed consumer sentiment fell to the lowest level in nearly a decade. The dollar weakened and crude oil slumped. The S&P 500 closed at a record for fourth consecutive session while trading within a 0.2% range Friday. The consumer staples and real estate sectors led gains, while energy and financial shares declined. The benchmark index has almost doubled since the pandemic lows reached in March 2020, with the energy sector the biggest gainer during that period. Walt Disney rose after its streaming subscriptions beat estimates. European stocks posted the longest winning streak since 1999.   “It’s just a quiet summer Friday,” said Matt Maley, chief market strategist for Miller Tabak + Co. “Most of the earnings season is behind us. Therefore, people are just taking a breath after a nice rally.”  The U.S. equity rally slowed Friday after data showed the University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index fell by 11 points to 70.2, the lowest since December 2011.
The slump in confidence risks a more pronounced slowing in economic growth in coming months should consumers rein in spending. The recent deterioration in sentiment highlights how rising prices and concerns about the delta variant’s potential impact on the economy are weighing on Americans. The easing in the energy sector rally has also raised concern. On Tuesday, the energy sector capped a 19-day streak in which no member of the index traded above its 50-day moving average, the second-longest span since the late-1950s, data compiled by SentimenTrader show. That’s something that hasn’t happened since the summer of 2001 when Enron and its ensuing bankruptcy was pressuring the energy complex. Crude oil futures eased in New York. The latest Covid-19 wave is leading to tighter curbs on movement across the globe, though there are mixed assessments on its impact. The International Energy Agency reduced its demand forecasts for the rest of the year, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicts only a transient hit to consumption.

These are the main moves in markets: 
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.2% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.3%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed
* The MSCI World index rose 0.2%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.5%
* The euro rose 0.6% to $1.1798
* The British pound rose 0.4% to $1.3870
* The Japanese yen rose 0.8% to 109.56 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined seven basis points to 1.29%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.47%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined three basis points to 0.57%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.6% to $67.97 a barrel
* Gold futures rose 1.6% to $1,780.20 an ounce
–With assistance from Justin Zacks.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

By words the mind is winged. -Aristophanes, c.450 BCE-388 BCE.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 12, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: UN World Youth Day.
1851 Isaac Singer was granted a patent on his sewing machine.  Go to article »

August 12, 1676~King Philip assassinated.

Mackenzie Scott’s money bombs are helping reshape America.

Meet the woman who gets your $30 million Ferrari to Pebble Beach.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY


A plane streaks through the sky during the Perseid meteor shower over the archaeological site Stobi in the Republic of North Macedonia. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year in August when the Earth passes through debris and dust of the Swift-Tuttle comet
CREDIT: GEORGI LICOVSKI/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

A digital render of the “Shishigami Shoes” made by the digital fashion company Auroboros, Auroboros said the shoes were inspired by Studio Ghiblis infamous forest spirit that appears in the animated film, Princess Mononoke 

CREDIT: AUROBOROS/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

A newly hatched turtle makes its way to the sea at Davultepe coast in Mersin, Turkey

CREDIT: MUSTAFA UNAL UYSAL/ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAHES

A man rides his bike on a small road in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany,

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MICHAEL PROBST

Market Closes for August 12th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35499.85 +14.88
+0.04%
S&P 500 4460.83 +13.13
+0.30%
NASDAQ 14816.26 +51.13

+0.35%

TSX 20520.60 -33.41
-0.16%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 28015.02 -55.49
-0.20%
HANG
SENG
26517.82 -142.34
-0.53%
SENSEX 54843.98 +318.05
+0.58%
FTSE 100* 7193.23 -26.91

-0.37%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.255 1.263
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.818 1.823
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.3590 1.3303
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.9988 1.9988

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7984 0.7967
US
$
1.2525 1.2502
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4693 0.6806
US
$
1.1731 0.8524

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1743.60 1723.35
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 69.09 69.25

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1920, Charles Ponzi was arrested for financial fraud in Boston after taking in more than $6 million from thousands of investors. He repaid each $1,000 invested with $1,500 just 90 days later—but only by taking more money from newcomers or, as a judge later put it, “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Such pyramid arrangements have ever since been known as “Ponzi schemes.”
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities declined Thursday, led by commodity-exposed sectors including energy and materials. The S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 0.2%, with seven of 11 sectors dropping. Oil closed lower as traders assess how the spreading delta variant will impact world fuel demand the rest of the year. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. aims to reap $25 billion from commercial property sales, banking on a rebound for pandemic-hit assets like malls and office towers to power its next stage of growth. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to call a snap election this weekend, seeking to capitalize on polls showing his Liberal Party with a large enough lead to retake a majority in Canada’s legislature.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $13.35 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 0.1% to $1,753.41 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.1% to C$1.2515 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield fell to 1.254%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.2 percent at 20,520.60 in Toronto. The move follows the previous session’s increase of 0.3 percent. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 1.3 percent. Northland Power Inc. had the largest drop, falling 5.7 percent. Today, 122 of 229 shares fell, while 102 rose; 7 of 11 sectors were lower, led by energy stocks.
Insights
* So far this week, the index was little changed
* The index advanced 24 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 33 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.2 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 11, 2021 and 33.1 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.7 percent in the past 5 days and rose 1.4 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.8 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.23t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 8.89 percent compared with 8.86 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.63 percent over the past month ================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Energy | -32.7226| -1.3| 1/22
* Materials | -19.6289| -0.8| 13/38
* Utilities | -3.9714| -0.4| 8/8
* Financials | -1.8750| 0.0| 13/15
* Health Care | -1.2055| -0.5| 2/6
* Industrials | -1.0592| 0.0| 21/9
* Consumer Discretionary | -0.1973| 0.0| 8/5
* Consumer Staples | 0.4775| 0.1| 7/6
* Communication Services | 0.7660| 0.1| 3/4
* Real Estate | 2.1300| 0.3| 17/6
* Information Technology | 23.8736| 1.0| 9/3
================================================================
| | |Volume VS |
| Index | | 20D AVG |YTD Change
Top Contributors |Points Move| % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Brookfield Asset | | | |
* Management | -9.4120| -1.3| 32.1| 35.6
* TC Energy | -4.9800| -1.2| -34.4| 16.4
* CAE | -4.0900| -5.2| -1.8| 3.5
* Canadian National | 2.1250| 0.3| 10.0| -3.1
* Intact Financial | 4.6650| 2.6| 115.1| 15.7
* Shopify | 18.8900| 1.3| -58.9| 30.9

US
By Lu Wang and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks set another record high even as the S&P 500 Index settles into the narrowest trading range since before the Covid pandemic roiled global financial markets.  The dollar strengthened and Treasury yields were mostly higher. Health care and technology shares helped push the S&P to a closing high for a third consecutive session and for the 47th time this year.  The benchmark has almost doubled in value from the pandemic lows reached in March last year, though the rate of change is slowing.  It has swung an average 0.5% each day in August, and is poised for the calmest month since November 2019. Micron Technology led chipmakers lower amid concern over the market for memory chips. “Equities become the proverbial term — there is no alternative — and that’s ultimately a money-flow story,” David Kostin, chief equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, said during a Bloomberg TV interview. “From a valuation perspective, equities are reasonably valued in the context of interest rates.” Treasuries were mostly lower. An earlier report showed applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits dropped for the third week in a row. “This is yet another data point indicating continued labor market recovery,” Anu Gaggar, global investment strategist at Commonwealth Financial Network, said of Thursday’s jobless claim data. Investors are continuing to evaluate the implications of a likely Federal Reserve tapering announcement in the months ahead, the spread of the delta virus variant and China’s clampdown.  Global stocks are up about 90% since the pandemic nadir in March 2020, spurring questions about how much further they can climb.     

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.3% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.4%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed
* The MSCI World index was little changed

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%
* The euro was little changed at $1.1734
* The British pound fell 0.5% to $1.3805
* The Japanese yen was little changed at 110.42 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced three basis points to 1.36%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.46%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced three basis points to 0.60%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.5% to $68.91 a barrel
* Gold futures were little changed
–With assistance from Kamaron Leach and Natalia Kniazhevich.

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

A woman would have run through fire and water for such a kind heart. –William Shakespeare, 1564-1616.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 11, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Night of the shooting Stars ~Perseid Meteor Showers.

1965~Watts Riot, Los Angeles:
On Aug. 11, 1965, deadly rioting and looting broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.  Go to article »

Alex Haley, author, b. 1921.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A lightning bolt strikes One World Trade Center as a thunderstorm passes through lower Manhattan in New York City, USA. The 546m skyscraper is one of the tallest buildings in the world, with 104 floors.

CREDIT: GARY HERHORN/ GETTY IMAGES

Gardeners tend to two phone boxes which have been turned into a very English hanging garden at Poole Park in Dorset. The phone boxes, believed to be the only remaining standing pair in the south, had seen better days before the team stepped in earlier this year. They were given a fresh coat of red paint before nine hanging baskets were added to each phone box

CREDIT: CORN MESSER/BNPS

European ground squirrels nibble on a poppy in a meadow in the Kiskunsag National Park, Hungary

CREDIT: THOMAS HINSCHE/SOLENT NEWS

An osprey catches a fish in Aviemore, Highlands. The bird of prey was snapped around 5:30am by amateur wildlife photographer Keith Cochrane, 55. Dad-of-two Keith was on holiday at a hide in Aviemore, Scottish Highlands, When he saw the male bird of prey swoop down and catch the trout. It then flew directly towards him.

CREDIT: KEITH COCHRANE/ SWNS

Tika the Labrador gun dog, excited and ready for work in Lammermuirs Scottish Borders as the grouse season begins on Thursday, the Glorious Twelfth

CREDIT: PHIL WILKINSON

Market Closes for August 11th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35484.97 +220.30
+0.62%
S&P 500 4447.70 +10.95
+0.25%
NASDAQ 14765.14 -22.95

-0.16%

TSX 20554.01 +58.27
+0.28%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 28070.51 +182.36
+0.65%
HANG
SENG
26660.16 +54.54
+0.20%
SENSEX 54525.93 -28.73
-0.05%
FTSE 100* 7220.14 +59.10

+0.83%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.263 1.272
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.823 1.811
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.3303 1.3490
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.9988   1.9988

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7967 0.7987
US
$
1.2502 1.2520
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4680 0.6812
US
$
1.1738 0.8519

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1723.35 1738.85
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 69.25 68.29

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1928, accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Herbert Hoover said, “We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us.” Just over one year later, the Great Depression arrived.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities rose for a second session as value sectors including materials, real estate, and financials rose. The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 0.3%, with 7 of eleven sectors higher. Gold rose the most in three months as the dollar fell after data showed U.S. inflation moderated, easing fears that the Federal Reserve may soon pare back stimulus. Canada Goose Holdings, in the midst of a move away from third-party retailers, says its strategy is working and the payoff is coming soon.  Wall Street, however, remains skeptical.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $13.15 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 1.4% to $1,752.55 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.1% to C$1.2505 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield fell 1.1 basis points to 1.260%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the second day, climbing 0.3 percent, or 58.27 to 20,554.01 in Toronto. Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 0.9 percent. ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. had the largest increase, rising 12.0 percent. Today, 155 of 229 shares rose, while 71 fell; 7 of 11 sectors were higher, led by financials stocks.
Insights
* The index advanced 25 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 35 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.1 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 11, 2021 and 33.3 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1.1 percent in the past 5 days and rose 1.5 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 20 on a trailing basis and 16.5 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.22t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 8.86 percent compared with 8.84 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.62 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | 38.9242| 0.6| 24/4
* Materials | 29.4387| 1.3| 44/8
* Industrials | 17.7872| 0.7| 19/11
* Energy | 10.4791| 0.4| 15/7
* Real Estate | 5.7431| 0.9| 20/5
* Utilities | 2.5238| 0.3| 7/8
* Communication Services | 1.8175| 0.2| 6/1
* Consumer Discretionary | -0.3405| 0.0| 9/4
* Consumer Staples | -2.1728| -0.3| 5/8
* Health Care | -4.6907| -2.0| 2/7
* Information Technology | -41.2523| -1.7| 4/8
================================================================
| | | | YTD
|Index Points| | Volume VS | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change |20D AVG (%)| (%)
================================================================
* TD Bank | 9.8960| 0.9| -41.1| 20.3
* Enbridge | 6.9180| 1.0| 115.6| 23.6
* Barrick Gold | 6.6930| 2.2| 3.9| -11.9
* CAE | -2.4540| -3.0| -55.1| 9.2
* Canada Goose | -3.0200| -13.1| 1,216.9| 27.9
* Shopify | -43.2200| -2.9| -48.7| 29.2

US
By Elaine Chen and Natalia Kniazhevich
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks rose to record highs and bonds rallied after a report showing inflation moderated reduced concern about the urgency for the easing of the stimulus that helped the economy recover from the Covid pandemic. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average indexes climbed to fresh records after data showed CPI rose 0.5% in July after rising 0.9% in June. The S&P has almost doubled from its low reached in March last year. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 declined as investors rotated to cyclical shares from traditional growth favorites such as Amazon.com. Treasuries extended gains after the government’s auction of 10-year notes was met with strong demand. Investor had focused on U.S. price data as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and other officials discuss the prospects of unwinding stimulus. Kansas City Fed President Esther George said the central bank needs to move ahead with reducing monetary stimulus, citing expectations for continued labor-market gains. “The Fed should find comfort in this report, but the Fed’s taper announcement in September is not a done deal,” said Anastasia Amoroso, iCapital Network’s chief investment strategist. “Policy makers should be focused on how the delta variant is impacting leisure and hospitality sector.
Possibly we’ll see lower activity in August due Covid-19.” While the CPI figures were in line with estimates, it could take several more months of data to settle the debate over whether inflation proves transitory or not. Year-over-year CPI rose 5.4%, compared with an estimate of 5.3%.“Today’s softer-than expected readings in the CPI core seem to validate the views of Powell, Williams and some of the other more moderate Fed members who are focusing on a slower path to normalization,” said Giorgio Caputo, senior portfolio manager at J O Hambro Capital Management.  Elsewhere, crude oil rose as the dollar weakened after earlier falling in the wake of a report that the U.S. will urge OPEC to revive production more quickly. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index edged higher amid strong earnings from the likes of ABN Amro Bank NV and Stop & Shop owner Royal Ahold Delhaize NV. Bitcoin rose back above $46,000 even as the Senate passed an infrastructure bill containing broad oversight of virtual currencies. Palm oil posted its biggest daily advance since 2009 after a report showed stockpiles contracting.   

Here are some key events to watch out for this week:
* OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report due Thursday

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.2% as of 4:01 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.2%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%
* The MSCI World index rose 0.3%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2%
* The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1742
* The British pound rose 0.2% to $1.3870
* The Japanese yen rose 0.1% to 110.41 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined two basis points to 1.33%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.46%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to 0.57%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.5% to $69.33 a barrel
* Gold futures rose 1.3% to $1,754.20 an ounce
–With assistance from Stephen Spratt.

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. -Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 10, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
The Perseid meteor shower began a couple of weeks ago and will continue through August 24th, with the peak being August 11-13.  Discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, the shower originates from Earth entering the orbit of debris from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun.  What makes the event so stunning is the shower’s bright, long streaks of light and dazzling “fireballs”, which are large bursts that last longer than typical meteors, according to NASA.  The shower is more visible in the Northern Hemisphere.  But it does require staying up late as the showers are best seen around 2 am but can be visible as early as 9 pm.  It has been an incredible year to witness some of the solar system’s visually stunning phenomena, from the super flower blood moon in May, the ring of fire solar eclipse in early June and the strawberry supermoon late last month.  Now it’s time for the best of the year – the annual meteor shower.

August 10, 1945-Japan surrenders.
1846~Smithsonian Institution established.
1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female Supreme Court justice. Go to article »

This terrifying ‘dragon’ was Australia’s largest flying reptile.  Leave it to Australia to always have the scariest animals — even in prehistoric times

Animals can count. No word on whether they’ve started trading.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Two of the worlds most endangered lemurs have been born at a wildlife park. The male and the female white-belted ruffled lemurs were born at Port Lympne reserve in Kent to mum Ikala and dad Mino. Ikala, who arrived at Port Lympne last year from Zoo Basel in Switzerland, is a first-time mum, and is doing well. Keepers say she has been enormously attentive to the busy, wide-eyed youngsters. The white-belted ruffed lemur is one of the worlds most endangered primates. Found exclusively on the island of Madagascar in lowland and mid-altitude rainforests, they are highly social animals, living in female-dominated groups

CREDIT: PORT LYMPNE/TRIANDLE NEWS

A small dog is seen towering over the camera in this picture by British photographer Bridget Davey in the picture titles Cat Day. Judges choice in The International Pet Photographer of the Year awards. The Awards are presented by the Pet Photographers Club and are an annual celebration of the artistry and skill that goes into pet photography

CREDIT: BRIGET DAVEY/MEDIADRUMWORLD.C

Local youths and volunteers gather in an open field and wait to support firefighters during a wildfire next to the village of Kamatriades, near Istiaia, northern Evia (Euboea) island.  Firefighters tried to prevent fires from reaching key communities and a thick forest that could fuel an inferno that one official said has destroyed hundreds of homes in seven days on the Greek island of Evia.

CREDIT: ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Market Closes for August 10th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35264.67 +162.82
+0.46%
S&P 500 4436.75 +4.40
+0.10%
NASDAQ 14788.09 -72.09

-0.49%

TSX 20495.74 +58.32
+0.29%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27888.15 +68.11
+0.24%
HANG
SENG
26605.62 +322.22
+1.23%
SENSEX 54554.66 +151.81
+0.28%
FTSE 100* 7161.04 +28.74

+0.40%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.272 1.254
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.811 1.794
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.3490 1.3237
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.9988   1.9703

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7987 0.7950
US
$
1.2520 1.2579
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 0.4675 0.6815
US
$
1.1721 0.8532

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1738.85 1762.90
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 68.29 66.48

Market Commentary:
      On this day in 1945, as Allied air raids reached a crescendo, Japan’s stock exchanges closed down. Trading would remain suspended until 1949.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities rose Tuesday as investors continued to weigh strong earnings against the risks of the spreading delta virus variant. The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 0.3%. Oil rose alongside broader equity gains with investors optimistic global economic growth will continue even amid Covid-19’s resurgence.Soaring crop prices and global demand for food encouraged farmers to pay up for inputs produced by Nutrien Ltd., the world’s largest fertilizer firm, boosting its profit. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. made a new, higher bid for Kansas City Southern, looking to derail the U.S. railroad’s pending merger with rival Canadian National Railway Co. ahead of an important shareholder vote less than two weeks away.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $13.35 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 0.1% to $1,728.95 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.4% to C$1.2525 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield rose 1.5 basis points to 1.269%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.3 percent at 20,495.74 in Toronto. The move follows the previous session’s decrease of 0.2 percent. Nutrien Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 5.5 percent. Nuvei Corp. had the largest increase, rising 15.0 percent. Today, 117 of 229 shares rose, while 108 fell; 6 of 11 sectors were higher, led by financials stocks.
Insights
* The index advanced 23 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 33 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.2 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 10, 2021 and 32.9 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.6 percent in the past 5 days and rose 1.2 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 20 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.21t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 8.84 percent compared with 8.93 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.60 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | 41.8959| 0.6| 18/10
* Energy | 38.4513| 1.6| 20/3
* Consumer Discretionary | 12.4315| 1.6| 13/0
* Materials | 3.6180| 0.2| 22/29
* Consumer Staples | 1.6666| 0.2| 5/8
* Communication Services | 1.3135| 0.1| 4/3
* Health Care | -1.0844| -0.5| 3/6
* Real Estate | -3.1895| -0.5| 4/20
* Utilities | -5.9604| -0.6| 3/12
* Industrials | -6.4959| -0.3| 20/10
* Information Technology | -24.3177| -1.0| 5/7
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Nutrien | 16.5300| 5.5| 138.2| 30.9
* TD Bank | 14.5900| 1.4| -24.9| 19.2
* Royal Bank of | | | |
* Canada | 10.0300| 0.8| -71.5| 24.6
* Canadian National | -7.2640| -1.1| -2.2| -3.9
* Barrick Gold | -12.1500| -3.8| 59.8| -13.8
* Shopify | -28.6600| -1.9| 43.4| 33.1

US
By Kamaron Leach and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — Slumping technology stocks stood in contrast to a broader gain in U.S. equities, exposing the lingering concerns about the ability of the economy  to weather less stimulus and rising Covid outbreaks. While the S&P 500 climbed to another all-time high, the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 declined along with Amazon.com Inc.  Micron Technology Inc. led a decline in chip stocks, which slid for a fourth session. Energy shares rallied with oil. In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index climbed for a seventh day. “The move lower in growth, especially the tech sector, may be two-fold,” said Dave Mazza, head of product at Direxion. “First, with the recent outperformance in the space, investors may be taking profits ahead of this week’s inflation data. Secondly, investors may be pricing in tapering by the Federal Reserve sooner than expected considering recent comments from officials.” Crude oil bounced back from a three-week low on bets that the global demand recovery will remain intact despite the fast-spreading delta virus variant.  Treasuries declined while the dollar was stronger against major peers. Remarks from Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic on Monday added to the mix of commentary and economic indicators traders are parsing for clues on the Federal Reserve’s next move. With stocks at or near records on the back of extraordinary stimulus measures, Bostic said that another strong month or two of employment gains should prompt the central bank to taper its asset purchases, and that the Fed should move faster than in past episodes. U.S. price data later this week will also be closely watched after Friday’s jobs report fanned expectations that unwinding will start soon.
At the same time, the spread of the highly contagious delta in corners of the world has raised concern the recovery from the pandemic will be derailed. New coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged to the highest weekly level since early February, while deaths increased the most since December. “While we may see an increase in market volatility due to the delta variant, we believe the S&P 500 is still likely to see more gains through the end of the year,” said Barry Gilbert, asset allocation strategist at LPL Financial. “Widespread vaccine distribution and distancing measures have helped limit the variant’s impact, but we could still see some drag on economic growth as some restrictions are reintroduced and consumers potentially become more cautious.” David Donabedian, chief investment officer of CIBC Private Wealth Management, said he also sees equities marching higher. “There’s clearly more focus and concern on the delta variant of Covid, but, to this point, markets have appraised that as a manageable risk and instead are leaning on a strong economy, a boom in corporate profits — not just currently reported but upwardly revised for the rest of this year and next year — and a belief that stocks still are the asset class to be,” Donabedian said. “The market is climbing the wall of worry.” Elsewhere, stocks rose in Japan, which reopened after a holiday, as well as in Hong Kong and China.

Here are some key events to watch out for this week:
* Kansas City Fed President Esther George among Fed speakers through the week
* The U.S. consumer price index on Wednesday is forecast to show prices increased again in July
* OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report due Thursday

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.1% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.5%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%
* The MSCI World index rose 0.1%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
* The euro fell 0.2% to $1.1719
* The British pound was little changed at $1.3835
* The Japanese yen fell 0.3% to 110.58 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced two basis points to 1.35%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.46%
* Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 0.59%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.9% to $68.44 a barrel
* Gold futures rose 0.2% to $1,730.20 an ounce

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

It is a painful thing to look at your own trouble and know that you yourself, and no one else, has made it. –Sophocles, c.496 BC-406 BC.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 9, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
In 1945, an atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, containing plutonium manufactured at Hanford, north of Richland. Just three days earlier, area residents learned the truth about what they were producing at Hanford, after President Truman announced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Key atom-bomb components were produced at the secret Hanford Engineer Works. The chief of construction says not more than 1% of the workers knew what they had been working on since 1943, with guesses ranging from a rocket bomb to a nylon derivative. Go to article »

Instagram rock art is making hikers confused and cranky.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Eruption of the Etna volcano in Sicily

CREDIT: MARCO RESTIVO/BARCROFT MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES

An aircraft approaches the international airport in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises on Monday

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MICHAEL PROBST

A fishing boat (L) heads out to sea at dawn in Lhokseumawe, Aceh

CREDIT: AZWAR IPANK/AFT VIA GETTY IMAGES

Hannah Farthing, Paintings Department Assistant at Woolley and Wallis, with ‘The Laughing Girl’ by Sir Joshua Reynolds. A ‘Lost’ painting by famed artist Sir Joshua Reynolds that had not been seen for 84 years has emerged for sale. The oil painting was discovered hanging on a wall of a private family home in Hampshire, where the owners believed it was a copy. Eagle-eyed valuers from Woolley and Wallis auction house in Salisbury, Wilts, were looking at various items around the house when they spotted the artwork hanging in the stairwell. The picture, titled The Laughing Girl was painted by Reynolds, King George III’s principal painter, in 1787 but had not been seen since 1937.

Market Closes for August 9th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35101.85 -106.66
-0.30%
S&P 500 4432.35 -4.17
-0.09%
NASDAQ 14860.18 +24.42

+0.16%

TSX 20437.42 -38.00
-0.19%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27820.04 +91.92
+0.33%
HANG
SENG
26283.40 +104.00
+0.40%
SENSEX 54402.85 +125.13
+0.23%
FTSE 100* 7132.30 +9.35

+0.13%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.254 1.243
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.794 1.763
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.3237 1.3019
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.9703  1.9526

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7950 0.7964
US
$
1.2579 1.2557
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4764 0.6773
US
$
1.1737 0.8520

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1762.90 1800.75
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 66.48 68.28

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon, crippled by the Watergate scandal, resigned. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1%.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities fell Monday as investors digest the resurgence of Covid through the fast-spreading delta virus variant, while commodities dipped. The S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 0.2%, with energy and materials leading the drop. Health care and tech jumped. Oil slid to a three-week low with new waves of Covid-19 exacerbating demand concerns as investors weighed concerns about a pullback in stimulus. On the deal front, Blackstone Real Estate Investment Trust Inc. is acquiring WPT Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust in a cash deal valued at $3.1 billion, including debt. Meanwhile, Brookfield Asset Management Reinsurance Partners Ltd. agreed to buy American National Group Inc. for about $5.1 billion in cash.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $13.65 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 1.9% to $1,729.99 an ounce

FX/Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.2% to C$1.2582 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield rose 1.1 basis points to 1.254%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.2 percent at 20,437.42 in Toronto. The move was the biggest since falling 1.3 percent on July 19 and follows the previous session’s increase of 0.5 percent. Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 3.7 percent. Endeavour Silver Corp. had the largest drop, falling 7.9 percent. Today, 137 of 229 shares fell, while 87 rose; 6 of 11 sectors were lower, led by materials stocks.
Insights
* The index advanced 24 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 33 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.3 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 6, 2021 and 32.6 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.7 percent in the past 5 days and rose 0.9 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.9 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.22t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 8.93 percent compared with 8.90 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.55 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Materials | -39.2920| -1.7| 6/47
* Energy | -34.8233| -1.4| 1/22
* Communication Services | -2.7453| -0.3| 3/4
* Consumer Staples | -1.6883| -0.2| 5/6
* Industrials | -1.1815| 0.0| 16/14
* Utilities | -0.1567| 0.0| 7/8
* Consumer Discretionary | 1.1775| 0.2| 7/6
* Real Estate | 3.1939| 0.5| 13/11
* Health Care | 3.1963| 1.4| 4/4
* Financials | 12.8833| 0.2| 20/8
* Information Technology | 21.4478| 0.9| 5/7
================================================================
| | |Volume VS |
| Index | | 20D AVG |YTD Change
Top Contributors |Points Move| % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Wheaton Precious | | | |
* Metals | -6.3680| -3.7| 13.6| 0.9
* Suncor Energy | -6.1920| -2.4| 21.3| 13.0
* TC Energy | -5.8660| -1.4| -47.9| 16.7
* Nutrien | 4.9680| 1.7| 12.7| 24.1
* Brookfield Asset | | | |
* Management | 5.2630| 0.7| -7.0| 37.4
* Shopify | 26.2900| 1.7| 123.0| 35.6

US
By Kamaron Leach and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks dropped from record highs, and commodities slumped as investors weighed concerns about a pullback in stimulus and a resurgence in the fast-spreading delta virus variant. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial indexes closed lower to start the week, with the energy and real estate sectors leading the declines.

Moderna kept the Nasdaq Composite in the green. Treasury yields edged higher and the dollar strengthened. Crude oil touched the lowest in three weeks on concern the delta virus strain will hamper demand growth. “Most of the sectors within the S&P 500 continue to trade above their long-term averages and while there is some deterioration in the technical picture, stocks still look to see-saw higher through the last dog days of summer, wrote Paul Nolte, a portfolio manager at Kingsview Investment Management. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said the central bank should move to taper its asset purchases with another strong month or two of employment gains, and proceed with that scaling-back process faster than in past episodes. “His comments are another trial balloon preparing us for an end-of-year start to tapering,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.  Investors in general would prefer a sooner and more drawn-out tapering, than a delayed one that would then require sharper action. The big concern is that a delayed tapering would put the Fed behind the curve — if they aren’t there already.” Precious metals also sold off, with gold touching the lowest since March before paring losses. Silver dropped to its lowest since November. Strong U.S. payrolls data on Friday raised the prospect of higher rates, which would make precious metals less attractive relative to other assets.
Asian stocks were mixed, as shares rose in Hong Kong and China and fluctuated in South Korea.  The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield climbed to about 1.32%, while the dollar pushed higher. Chinese bond yields gained after inflation data came in above expectations. Friday’s payrolls report fanned expectations that the Fed may soon start paring back its massive monetary stimulus.  Along with the rampaging delta variant, that’s hitting commodities as investors also keep an eye on rising price pressures.  U.S. inflation data later this week will be a key marker ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium later this month. Elsewhere, Chinese technology shares remained under pressure amid concerns about Beijing’s crackdown. Bitcoin rose to more than $45,000.

Here are some key events to watch out for this week:
* Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester; Kansas City Fed President Esther George among Fed speakers through the week
* The U.S. consumer price index on Wednesday is forecast to show prices increased again in July
* OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report due Thursday

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 was little changed as of 4:01 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.2%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%
* The MSCI World index was little changed

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.2%
* The euro fell 0.2% to $1.1736
* The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.3848
* The Japanese yen was little changed at 110.32 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced three basis points to 1.32%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.46%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined three basis points to 0.58%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 2.2% to $66.78 a barrel
* Gold futures fell 1.8% to $1,731.40 an ounce

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less, but to dream more, to dream all the time. -Marcel Proust, 1871-1922.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 6, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, that instantly killed an estimated 66,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare.  Go to article »

Andy Warhol, artist, b. 1928.
Lucille Ball, comic actor, b. 1911.
Alfred Lord Tennyson, b. 1809.

A black hole warping space and time. 

Cave lion cub found frozen in Siberia is 28,000 years old.  The cat is “probably the best preserved Ice Age animal ever found.” Even its whiskers are intact. 

Virgin Galactic reopens ticket sales.  It will cost you $450,000 per seat. 

In 1945, Col. Dave Severance sent U.S. Marines to the top of Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima to plant a flag. The moment, captured in a photograph, remains an enduring image of America at war. Severance died at 102.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

“Stars over the Cathedral” by Alex van Harmelen. This shot of the Milky Way over Mount Buffalo National Park, Victoria Australia, was nominated for the 2021 CWAS David Malin Awards.
CREDIT: ALEX VAN HARMELEN/CWAS DAVID MALIN AWARDS/TNG

Giraffes walk beneath a luminous rainbow in the Masai Mara, Kenya

CREDIT: TOEHOLD PHOTOGRAPHY/SOLENT NEWS & PHOTO AGENCY

Rubber ducks float in the Chicago River during the Chicago Ducky Derby in Illinois, US. Derby organizers dropped 70,000 rubber ducks into the river to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois.

CREDIT: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES

Market Closes for August 6th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35208.51 +144.26
+0.41%
S&P 500 4436.52 +7.42
+0.17%
NASDAQ 14835.76 -59.36

-0.40%

TSX 20475.42 +99.94
+0.49%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27820.04 +91.92
+0.33%
HANG
SENG
26179.40 -25.29
-0.10%
SENSEX 54277.72 -215.12
-0.39%
FTSE 100* 7122.95 +2.52

+0.04%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.243 1.171
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.763 1.704
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.3019 1.2235
U.S.
30 Year Bond
 1.9526   1.8612

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7964 0.8002
US
$
1.2557 1.2497
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4768 0.6771
US
$
1.1760 0.8503

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1800.75 1829.10
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 68.28 69.09

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1979, Paul Volcker took office as chairman of the Federal Reserve. Inflation, the chief destroyer of America’s household wealth, would soon be on the run—and interest rates would drop almost continuously for the next twenty years, creating a stock-market boom and a flood of new home ownership.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks climbed on Friday, along with U.S. equity markets, after better-than-expected payrolls data in that country. The S&P/TSX Composite index rose as much as 0.4% in Toronto, extending its third consecutive weekly gain.  Financials were the best performers led by insurance companies.  Materials were the worst, led by gold and silver miners as prices for the precious metals tumbled after strong U.S. jobs data fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve may start scaling back stimulus measures soon. Meanwhile, Canada’s labor market continued its recovery in July as health restrictions were lifted, but the gains were less than expected.  The country’s economy added 94,000 jobs last month, Statistics Canada reported Friday in Ottawa. Economists were predicting a jobs gain of 150,000. The unemployment rate fell to 7.5% from 7.8% in July.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $13.55 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 2.2% to $1,764.65 an ounce

FX/ Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.3% to C$1.2543 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield rose about 6 basis points to 1.227%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the second day, climbing 0.5 percent, or 99.94 to 20,475.42 in Toronto. The move was the biggest since rising 0.8 percent on July 21. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 2.1 percent.  Westport Fuel Systems Inc. had the largest increase, rising 27.8 percent. Today, 132 of 229 shares rose, while 97 fell; 8 of 11 sectors were higher, led by financials stocks.
Insights
* So far this week, the index rose 0.9 percent
* The index advanced 24 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 33 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.1 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 6, 2021 and 32.8 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.2 on a trailing basis and 16.5 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.2t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 8.90 percent compared with 8.82 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.32 percent over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | 77.3756| 1.2| 20/8
* Energy | 17.1415| 0.7| 16/7
* Communication Services | 4.5154| 0.5| 5/2
* Consumer Staples | 4.1885| 0.5| 10/3
* Real Estate | 3.5295| 0.6| 19/6
* Industrials | 3.0492| 0.1| 19/11
* Health Care | 2.5580| 1.1| 5/4
* Consumer Discretionary | 2.4366| 0.3| 6/7
* Utilities | -1.3521| -0.1| 4/12
* Materials | -6.1770| -0.3| 19/34
* Information Technology | -7.3244| -0.3| 9/3
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Brookfield Asset | | | |
* Management | 14.6800| 2.1| -10.3| 36.4
* TD Bank | 13.7000| 1.3| -29.9| 17.9
* Royal Bank of | | | |
* Canada | 12.1100| 1.0| -59.8| 23.5
* Wheaton Precious | | | |
* Metals | -3.4190| -1.9| -14.8| 4.7
* Barrick Gold | -5.0820| -1.5| 29.6| -9.3
* Shopify | -12.7500| -0.8| -28.8| 33.3

US
By Kamaron Leach and Elaine Chen
(Bloomberg) — U.S. equities rose on Friday after a better-than-expected increase in U.S. payrolls fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve is moving closer to a pullback of stimulus. The S&P 500 climbed to a record, led by financials and materials, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 fell. U.S. job growth accelerated in July by the most in almost a year and the unemployment rate declined, illustrating momentum in the labor market as it grapples with hiring challenges. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 1.3% and the dollar strengthened against major peers. “Today’s bumper payrolls report highlights a roaring recovery in the labor market and increases the chances of the Fed tapering their asset purchases sooner rather than later,”  Mike Bell, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, said. The report marked another step toward the Fed’s goal of “substantial” further progress in the labor market and rises expectations the central bank will start to cut back stimulus as it wrestles with inflation well above target. Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan also added to the speculation Friday, saying he’d support adjusting purchases soon but in a gradual manner. “I imagine the Fed wants to see another good report like this, but this is going to probably edge them a lot closer to tapering sooner,” said Kathy Jones, chief fixed income strategist for Schwab Center for Financial Research. “There’s not a lot to not like here.”
The jobs data showed continued momentum in the U.S.’s economic recovery and traders will be looking for data on price pressures next week and how hot inflation is running ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium later this month. “When you rub all that together you have an economy that’s been in recovery for a year,” David Petrosinelli, senior trader at InspereX, said in a phone interview.  “I think that’s going to force the Fed’s hand a little bit on being a bit more deliberate on the language vis-à-vis tapering to try to cool things down.” The read-through on the report could also bode well for corporate earnings in the second half of the year, which has helped propel stocks to record highs as the economy recovers, Matt Peron, director of research at Janus Henderson Investors, said. “Friday’s jobs report was strong on almost all measures, suggesting the economy continued its robust expansion despite recent delta fears,” he said. “Risks remain, but so far there are few signs of significant impact from the summer wave.” Gold fell below $1,800. Bitcoin rose to almost $43,000 and WTI crude oil fell. Equities in Europe drifted higher while stocks in Japan gained and those in China fell.

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.2% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.5%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%
* The MSCI World index fell 0.2%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.5%
* The euro fell 0.6% to $1.1759
* The British pound fell 0.4% to $1.3877
* The Japanese yen fell 0.4% to 110.23 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced eight basis points to 1.30%
* Germany’s 10-year yield advanced four basis points to -0.46%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced nine basis points to 0.61%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.4% to $68.13 a barrel
* Gold futures fell 2.6% to $1,762 an ounce
–With assistance from Vildana Hajric, Anchalee Worrachate and Robert Brand.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it’s because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it’s because we all came from the sea.  And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears.  We are tied to the ocean. 
And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came. -John Fitzgerald Kennedy,  1917-1963.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 5, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
2011 Standard & Poor’s lowered the United States’ AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus.  Go to article »

Hubble captures a stunning image of squabbling galaxies.  If you thought the rivalry with your sibling was a big deal, you might want to check this out. A triplet of galaxies is locked in a gravitational tug-of-war. 

Star Wars hotel comes with out-of-this-world price tag.  You might need more than the Force to be with you if you’re staying here. You may have to shell out $6,000 for two nights.

Giraffes are as socially complex as elephants.  We have truly misunderstood our long-necked friends, and we are sorry. 

The streaming market keeps getting bigger

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Heptathlon athletes pose for a group photo after competing in the Women’s 800m at the Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan.

CREDIT: REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH

Workers stand on boats to hang colourful sheets of cotton out to dry above the tranquil waters of a floating village on Inle Lake, Myanmar. Having been weaved in the village the dyed cotton is dried for around a day before being sold at nearby markets as curtains, clothes and table cloths.

CREDIT: SARAH WOUTERS/SOLENT NEWS & PHOTO AGENCY

Flames consume a home on Highway 89 as the Dixie Fire tears through the Greenville community of Plumas County, California. The fire levelled multiple historic buildings and dozens of homes in central Greenville. 

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/NOAH BERGER|

Market Closes for August 5th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
35064.25 +271.58
+0.78%
S&P 500 4429.10 +26.44
+0.60%
NASDAQ 14895.12 +114.59

+0.78%

TSX 20375.48 +45.75
+0.22%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27728.12 +144.04
+0.52%
HANG
SENG
26204.69 -221.86
-0.84%
SENSEX 54492.84 +123.07
+0.23%
FTSE 100* 7120.43 -3.43

-0.05%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.171 1.132
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.704 1.698
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.2235 1.1820
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.8612   1.8382

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.8002 0.7973
US
$
1.2497 1.2542
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4788 0.6762
US
$
1.1834 0.8450

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1829.10 1812.65
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 69.09 68.15

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1861, federal income tax was inflicted on the public for the first time, as the Revenue Act of 1861 became law, assessing a tax of 3% on all personal income in excess of $800 a year to help pay for the Civil War.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks bounced back from Wednesday’s losses to reach a new record on Thursday.
The S&P/TSX Composite index rose 0.2% in Toronto.

Health care, financials were the best performers, while materials stocks were the worst.
On the M&A front, Canada’s antitrust agency says it has received court orders to help its review of Rogers Communications Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $13.55 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 0.4% to $1,804.56 an ounce

FX/ Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.3% to C$1.2500 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield rose about 4 basis points to 1.169%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.2 percent at 20,375.48 in Toronto. The move follows the previous session’s decrease of 0.2 percent. Thomson Reuters Corp. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 5.6 percent. Organigram Holdings Inc. had the largest increase, rising 7.7 percent. Today, 136 of 229 shares rose, while 89 fell; 8 of 11 sectors were higher, led by financials stocks.
Insights
* So far this week, the index rose 0.4 percent
* The index advanced 23 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 34 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.3 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 4, 2021 and 32.1 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.7 percent in the past 5 days and rose 0.5 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.1 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.19t
* 30-day price volatility little changed to 8.82 percent compared with 8.82 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.23 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | 44.2775| 0.7| 22/6
* Energy | 12.2289| 0.5| 16/7
* Industrials | 10.3197| 0.4| 19/10
* Health Care | 7.2088| 3.3| 9/0
* Utilities | 5.6132| 0.6| 14/2
* Communication Services | 5.5127| 0.6| 5/2
* Consumer Discretionary | 0.6022| 0.1| 10/2
* Real Estate | 0.5159| 0.1| 15/10
* Consumer Staples | -3.0416| -0.4| 6/7
* Information Technology | -4.7262| -0.2| 9/3
* Materials | -32.7558| -1.4| 11/40
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Thomson Reuters | 8.6570| 5.6| 200.9| 34.5
* Royal Bank of | | | |
* Canada | 7.1490| 0.6| 78.1| 22.3
* Bank of Montreal | 6.6770| 1.2| -22.1| 29.6
* Restaurant Brands | -4.5410| -2.6| 76.7| 2.6
* Barrick Gold | -7.4370| -2.2| 22.4| -7.9
* Shopify | -16.2400| -1.1| -17.2| 34.4

US
By Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. equities gained ahead of Friday’s jobs report as investors balanced corporate results and jobless claims against the economic threat of the delta virus variant. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose to record highs, with Booking Holdings Inc., Fox Corp. and MercadoLibre Inc. higher after earnings. Meanwhile, the dollar was weaker, gold fell and Treasuries slid after initial unemployment claims declined for a second week. In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index also notched an all-time high following more mixed corporate earnings. Drugmakers Novo Nordisk A/S and Merck KGaA gained after raising forecasts while Bayer AG plunged on margin concerns. The pound also extended a gain against the greenback after the Bank of England left its benchmark interest rate unchanged. “This continues to be a favorable market for equities and will probably remain that way as long as the Fed stays accommodative and companies’ earnings continue to rebound,” Carter Henderson, portfolio manager at Fort Pitt Capital Group, said by phone. “That being said, the market is up 17% for the year. We believe room to the upside is probably limited.” The U.S. job market remains a key window onto the economic outlook, with the latest reports showing a much softer-than-expected ADP employment report but a record expansion for U.S. service industries.
Data on new unemployment claims Thursday also suggested incremental improvement, with the focus now turning to Friday’s key non-farm payrolls numbers. “While jobless claims have been a bit erratic over the last few months, we’re starting to see less file for unemployment week over week, suggesting that more are taking jobs. And the historic low on the trade deficit front is a testament to the demand we’re seeing from consumers,” Mike Loewengart, managing director of investment strategy at E*Trade Financial, said.  “So while there may be supply shortages on the labor and goods front, it’s encouraging to see robust demand in the face of delta fears weighing on investors.” Crude oil was higher after several days of losses. Bitcoin rose above $40,000. And in Asia, equities edged up in Japan but slipped in Hong Kong and China.

Here are some key events to watch this week:
* Reserve Bank of India monetary policy decision, briefing Friday
* The U.S. jobs report is expected to show another robust month of hiring Friday

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.6% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.7%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8%
* The MSCI World index rose 0.4%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
* The euro was little changed at $1.1836
* The British pound rose 0.3% to $1.3931
* The Japanese yen fell 0.2% to 109.75 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced four basis points to 1.22%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.50%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced one basis point to 0.52%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.5% to $69.20 a barrel
* Gold futures fell 0.4% to $1,806.70 an ounce
–With assistance from Robert Brand.

Have  a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Omnia Romae cum pretio.  (Everything in Rome has its price.) –Juvenal, 55 AD-127 AD.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

August 4, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
On Aug. 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany while the United States proclaimed its neutrality. Go to article »
1962~Nelson Mandela arrested.
Louis Armstrong, b. 1900.

Percy Bysshe Shelley, b. August 4, 1792.  Percy Bysshe Shelley was a radical, championing the likes of Tom Paine and getting expelled from Oxford in 1811 for The Necessity of Atheism, his tract against compulsory Christianity.  His short life seemed like a mad dash against the conventions of the day – both political and social – as he took up the causes of working-class education, free love, non-violent protests, vegetarianism, and electoral reform.  Among his most well known works are To the West Wind, Queen Mab, To a Skylark, and Adonais, an elegy for Keats.  In 1822, Shelley was lost at sea in Italy, where he had moved with his family and his friends, Leigh Hunt and Lord Byron.  His body washed ashore and was burned on the beach in the presence of his companions.  His remains were later buried in Rome.

Archaeological ‘treasures’ include (really) old fruit.  If you thought eating an overripe banana was bad, you might want to steer clear of this 2,400-year-old discovery. 

Machu Picchu is older than previously thought.  The Inca citadel wasn’t built in 1450, for your information. It was actually decades earlier, according to a new study. 

Fishless fish are coming.

Applied geometry found on 3,700-year-old tablet

Longer days may have fostered complex life on Earth.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY


Cloudbursting…Hot air balloons pass by colourful cloud irisation, an optical phenomenon that appears in clouds, resembling the rainbow colours seen in soap bubbles or oil on a water surface, during ‘Fiesta Fortnight’ in Bristol

CREDIT: BEN BIRCHALL/PA WIRE

I’m not going any faster…Sheep are shephered to fresh grazing at Mindrum Mill, just inside the English border in Northumberland

CREDIT: CHRIS STRICKLAND / ALAMY LIVE NEWS

Hanging around…Kyra Condie of the USA in action in the new Olympic event Sport Climbing

CREDIT: TSUYOSHI UEDA – POOL/POOL

Sky’s the limit… 13 year old skateboarder Sky Brown becomes Britain’s youngest medal winner aged 13 winning a bronze 

CREDIT: PAUL GROVER  FOR THE TELEGRAPH

Market Closes for August 4th, 2021

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
34792.67 -323.73
-0.92%
S&P 500 4402.66 -20.49
-0.46%
NASDAQ 14780.54 +19.25

+0.13%

TSX 20329.73 -36.12
-0.18%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 27584.08 -57.75
-0.21%
HANG
SENG
26426.55 +231.73
+0.88%
SENSEX 54369.77 +546.41
+1.02%
FTSE 100* 7123.86 +18.14

+0.26%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.132 1.117
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.698 1.688
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.1820 1.1722
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  1.8382   1.8408

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7973 0.7977
US
$
1.2542 1.2537
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4848 0.6735
US
$
1.1838 0.8448

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1812.65 1811.45
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 68.15 70.56

Market Commentary:
     On this day in 1790, Congress enacted Alexander Hamilton’s plan to fund the public debt, ending years of turmoil and haggling over the junk bonds issued by the federal and state governments during the Revolution. The shift made government spending possible, and gave birth to the American securities markets.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks pared their earlier gains to end the session in the red after the health-care sector underperformed. The S&P/TSX Composite index fell 0.2% in Toronto, after rising as much as 0.3% earlier. Health care, energy and materials stocks underperformed, while tech and financials were the only sector that were in the green. Meanwhile, Canadian exchange-traded funds generated net inflows of C$2.3 billion ($1.8 billion) in July, a nine-month low, as a BlackRock Inc. bond fund appeared to suffer a large withdrawal by an institutional investor, according to National Bank of Canada.

Commodities:
* Western Canadian Select crude oil traded at a $14.40 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold was flat around $1,812 an ounce

FX/ Bonds:
* The Canadian dollar was unchanged around C$1.2550 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year Canada government bond yield rose slightly to 1.131%

By Bloomberg Automation:
     (Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.2 percent at 20,329.73 in Toronto. The move was the biggest since falling 1.3 percent on July 19 and follows the previous session’s increase of 0.4 percent. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 3.0 percent.  Enerplus Corp. had the largest drop, falling 7.6 percent. Today, 156 of 229 shares fell, while 68 rose; 9 of 11 sectors were lower, led by energy stocks.
Insights
* The index advanced 24 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 34 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.5 percent below its 52-week high on Aug. 4, 2021 and 31.9 percent above its low on Oct. 30, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.8 percent in the past 5 days and rose 0.5 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.2 on a trailing basis and 16.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.5 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.2t
* 30-day price volatility little changed to 8.82 percent compared with 8.82 percent in the previous session and the average of 8.20 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Energy | -47.4695| -1.9| 1/22
* Materials | -24.3392| -1.0| 12/40
* Health Care | -6.8412| -3.0| 1/8
* Communication Services | -4.3286| -0.4| 1/6
* Consumer Staples | -3.7865| -0.5| 2/10
* Consumer Discretionary | -2.9090| -0.4| 6/7
* Utilities | -2.4506| -0.3| 5/10
* Industrials | -2.1151| -0.1| 12/18
* Real Estate | -0.5135| -0.1| 6/17
* Financials | 23.8852| 0.4| 15/13
* Information Technology | 34.7467| 1.5| 7/5
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* Canadian Natural | | | |
* Resources | -10.5000| -3.0| -38.9| 32.3
* Suncor Energy | -8.7100| -3.4| -12.4| 12.0
* Nutrien | -6.5580| -2.2| -13.1| 18.3
* Royal Bank of | | | |
* Canada | 9.1350| 0.7| -66.5| 21.6
* Brookfield Asset | | | |
* Management | 9.3110| 1.4| 63.6| 32.4
* Shopify | 33.2200| 2.2| -43.8| 35.8

US
By Kamaron Leach and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. equities slumped after the vice-chair of the Federal Reserve suggested rates could rise by 2023 and mixed economic data for July  showed U.S. companies adding far fewer jobs than expected. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.17%, gold pared back a more than 1% increase, and the dollar was stronger after initial weakness. The Fed’s Richard Clarida said the central bank was on track to begin interest rates hikes in 2023 with a possible taper announcement later this year.  The comments came after hints the U.S. Treasury may cut bond sales this fall, and an ADP employment report was at odds with record ISM services index growth, indicating persistent hiring obstacles despite improvements in the economy. The S&P 500 fell as General Motors Co. and CVS Health Corp. declined after earnings, while the Nasdaq 100 gained as technology stocks outperformed. “After losing 19.6 million jobs in March and April last year, we’ve since added back 13.1 million,” Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer for Bleakley Advisory Group, wrote in a note ahead of Friday’s U.S. jobs report.  “I really don’t like to use the word ‘stagflation’ but we have a form of it now, unfortunately, which will make the job of the Federal Reserve even that much more difficult.” Earlier in the day, the Stoxx Europe 600 index hit a fresh record, with technology stocks leading the advance.
The travel and leisure sector also outperformed as shares of online gaming companies recovered after Chinese state media toned down their criticism of the industry. The day’s rotation calls the reopening trade into question, Cate Faddis, Grace Capital president and chief investment officer, said in an interview.  “The market’s signaling we’re not out of the woods yet. On the other hand, we’ve had a very strong year. It’s rational for the market to take a deep breath.”  With stocks in Europe and the U.S. at or around record highs, equities have weathered concerns about the spread of delta virus variant as expectations for continued stimulus and solid earnings have propelled shares higher. However, risks still remain. “Volatility has been high really over the course of the past 18 months and I think that reflects just continued uncertainty,” Wes Crill of Dimensional Fund Advisors said by phone. “Now you have the variant strain. Now you have concern over vaccination rates not being as high as maybe some would like to see. And that’s continuing to, in some ways,

fuel market volatility, because that just increases the uncertainty.” Oil fell to around $68 a barrel. Bitcoin rose to above $39,000.

Here are some key events to watch this week:
* Bank of England is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate and its bond-buying target unchanged Thursday
* Reserve Bank of India monetary policy decision, briefing Friday
* The U.S. jobs report is expected to show another robust month of hiring Friday

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 0.5% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.1%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9%
* The MSCI World index fell 0.1%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.2%
* The euro fell 0.2% to $1.1838
* The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.3888
* The Japanese yen fell 0.4% to 109.47 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 1.17%
* Germany’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to -0.50%
* Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 0.51%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 3.7% to $67.94 a barrel
* Gold futures were little changed
–With assistance from Natalia Kniazhevich.

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. –Confucius, 551 BC-479 BC.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com