March 3, 2022 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
March 3, 1805: Louisiana/Missouri Territory formed.
On March 3, 1991, in a case that sparked a national outcry, motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured on amateur video.  Go to article »

March 3, 1943: WW II, In London, 173 people are killed in a crush while trying to enter an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor, b. 1847.
Ring Lardner Sr., writer, b.1885.
Elvis Presley first TV appearance, 1955.

Amazon is closing all of its physical bookstores.  First, Amazon shuttered the doors of traditional bookstores worldwide. Then it opened its own. Now, they’re closing them all.

Sportswear brand Fila is opening a hotel in Shanghai.  Luxury hotels are collaborating with popular brands to create the ultimate customer experience.

Western Australia opens its borders after 697 days.  One of the world’s longest border closures ends today

The 10 best new books to read this spring. 

Some tech companies think holograms are the future of communication.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A green frog sits on a moth orchid at an agricultural research centre two days before Gyeongchip, the day when frogs awaken from hibernation
CREDIT: Yonhap/EPA

The Swiss-French artist Saype (Guillaume Legros) works on his giant ephemeral land art painting World in Progress III, representing two children drawing and building their ideal world, at the United Nations headquarters
CREDIT: Valentin Flauraud/AP

Children look out of a carriage window as a train prepares to depart for the town of Uzhhorod, near the border with Slovakia
CREDIT:  Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

Market Closes for March 3rd, 2022

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
33794.66 -96.69
-0.29%
S&P 500 4363.49 -23.05
-0.53%
NASDAQ 13437.94 -214.08

-1.56%

TSX 21250.41 -5.23
-0.02%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 26577.27 +184.24
+0.70%
HANG
SENG
22467.34 +123.42
+0.55%
SENSEX 55102.68 -366.22
-0.66%
FTSE 100* 7238.85 -190.71

-2.57%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.779 1.818
CND.
30 Year
Bond
2.029 2.057
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.8422 1.8767
U.S.
30 Year Bond
   2.2256   2.2485

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7887 0.7917
US
$
1.2679 1.2631
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4030 0.7128
US
$
1.1066 0.9037

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1928.50 1922.00
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 107.67 110.60

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1901, John Pierpont Morgan said he was organizing the largest corporation the world had yet seen by merging his Federal Steel conglomerate with Andrew Carnegie’s Carnegie Co. The company was initially capitalized at $1.4 billion—the first billion-dollar company ever—four times the budget of the U.S. government and 7% of the gross national product
Canada
By Geoffrey Morgan
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities dipped Thursday, weighed down by the country’s two biggest industry sectors, financial and energy stocks.

The S&P/TSX Composite declined slightly to 21,250.41 in Toronto.
Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 3.1%.

Docebo Inc. had the largest percentage drop, falling 10.6%.
Today, 120 of 239 shares fell, while 118 rose; 5 of 11 sectors were lower, led by information technology stocks.

Insights
* This quarter, the index was little changed
* So far this week, the index rose 0.7%
* The index advanced 16% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 13% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 2.5% below its 52-week high on Nov. 16, 2021 and 18.4% above its low on March 4, 2021
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 2.4% in the past 5 days and rose 0.7% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.4 on a trailing basis and 14.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.6% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.39t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 14.29% compared with 14.45% in the previous session and the average of 13.59% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Information Technology | -21.6433| -1.5| 4/12
* Financials | -21.1181| -0.3| 16/12
* Energy | -20.0565| -0.6| 5/27
* Consumer Discretionary | -17.2241| -2.4| 0/14
* Health Care | -4.2421| -3.0| 1/7
* Utilities | 1.2162| 0.1| 11/5
* Real Estate | 2.1699| 0.4| 18/5
* Consumer Staples | 2.7470| 0.4| 7/4
* Communication Services | 11.0170| 1.0| 5/2
* Industrials | 20.0759| 0.8| 13/16
* Materials | 41.6581| 1.5| 38/16
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* TD Bank | -39.9000| -3.1| 22.5| 1.4
* Shopify | -16.4000| -2.5| -49.3| -53.3
* Magna International | -8.1180| -4.8| 90.3| -17.6
* Nutrien | 10.2700| 2.4| 14.1| 19.6
* Royal Bank of Canada | 13.7900| 1.0| -19.1| 3.6
* Canadian Pacific | 14.4100| 2.5| -8.1| 3.4

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Technology stocks dragged down the equity market ahead of Friday’s jobs report as traders weighed the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine.

The rally in oil eased, with crude experiencing an extraordinary run of volatility.
The S&P 500 erased gains, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 underperformed major benchmarks as megacaps Tesla Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. sank at least 2.7%.

West Texas Intermediate topped $116 before pulling back.
Zinc reached its highest since 2007 and aluminum jumped to a record as industrial metals extended a surge fueled by trade turmoil and the increasing economic isolation of Russia.

Traders awaited the government’s employment report, which is currently forecast to show the U.S. added 415,000 jobs in February.
Rapid wage growth in the U.S. likely isn’t retreating any time soon.
Along with soaring commodities prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, high labor costs are yet another factor the Federal Reserve will have to contend with as it prepares to raise interest rates to tamp down inflation.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the surge in energy prices will likely spill into inflation and if that shift proved to be lasting, it could put upward pressure at the “margin” to longer-term expectations that the central bank wants to stop creeping up.

He also noted the conflict in Ukraine could hit sentiment, harming investment spending.
President Joe Biden’s administration said it would sanction eight wealthy Russians and their families and impose visa restrictions on 19 others and 47 of their family, as the U.S. and its allies seek to raise pressure on the elites around President Vladimir Putin in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Comments:
* “Rising commodity prices are a big concern for the market, prompting fears of stagflation,” said Fiona Cincotta, senior financial markets analyst at City Index. “The economic clinch point of this war is commodity prices. Higher energy prices, slowing growth, and surging inflation are not a good outlook.”
* “There has been a lot of daily volatility which I don’t expect to subside,” said Megan Horneman, chief investment officer at Verdence Capital Advisors. “Even if volatility will remain heightened, we are not worried for a recession. I believe there will be a growth slowdown, specifically because of heightened global commodity prices.”
* “Volatility is going to continue to be around and an issue,” said Mark Stoeckle, chief executive officer of Adams Funds. “We are positioned for oil to go higher. There’s no question that this is going to be a headwind.”
* “Policy makers are facing an unenviable situation over the near-term; inflationary pressures are mounting while the broader outlook grows more uncertain by the day,” wrote Deutsche Bank

strategist Jim Reid.

Investors dumped risk assets during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but they found a haven in junk.
U.S. high-yield corporate bonds rallied over the last week, thrashing investment-grade, which is much more susceptible to rising rates.
Strategists expect the debt to continue to do well, even as higher-rated bonds sell off.
Treasuries reached “extreme overbought territory” prior to Wednesday’s rebound in yields, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. strategists.

On a technical basis, the bank’s strategists still view the bear market as intact and expect the 10-year yield to exceed 2% in the months ahead.
What to watch this week:
* U.S. unemployment, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 0.5% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 1.5%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%
* The MSCI World index fell 0.6%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.3%
* The euro fell 0.5% to $1.1063
* The British pound fell 0.5% to $1.3339
* The Japanese yen was little changed at 115.45 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined three basis points to 1.85%
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at 0.02%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced four basis points to 1.30%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 2.2% to $108.20 a barrel
* Gold futures rose 0.9% to $1,939.50 an ounce
–With assistance from Andreea Papuc, Abigail Moses, Vildana Hajric, Isabelle Lee and Emily Graffeo.

Have a wonderful evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Whatever task you undertake, do it with all your heart and soul.  Always be courteous, never be discouraged.  Beware of him who promises something for nothing. 
Do not blame anybody for your mistakes and failures. -Bernard M. Baruch, 1870-1965.

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

March 2, 2022 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Ash Wednesday today: The first day of Lent, so called from the Roman Catholic custom of sprinkling on the heads of penitents the consecrated ashes of palms remaining from the previous Palm Sunday.  The custom is of uncertain date but is commonly held to have  been introduced during the pontificate of Gregory the Great (reigned from 590-604 AD).  Lent derives from the Old English lencten, “spring” literally “lengthening”.  The Saxons called March Lenctenmōnath because in this month  the days noticeably lengthen.  As the chief part of the great fast, from Ash Wednesday to Easter, falls in March, it received the name lenctenfœsten or Lent.  The fast of 36 days was introduced in the 4th century, but it did not become fixed at 40 days until the early 7th century, thus corresponding with Christ’s fast in the wilderness.

A priest, a rabbit, and a minister walk into a bar.  The rabbit says, I might be a typo.

March 2, 1962: Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks, an NBA record that still stands.  Go to article »
1925: Highway numbers introduced.
1899: Mount Rainier National Park established.
Theodore Geisel, “Dr. Seuss” author, b. 1904.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not. –Dr. Seuss.

Fear less, hope more.  Whine less, breathe more.  Talk less, say more.  Hate less, love more.  And all good things are yours. –Swedish Proverb.

How to talk to your kids about Ukraine, according to psychologists.  It’s not an easy discussion, but a very important one. Here are tips to help your children understand – and open up – about the conflict in Ukraine.

New satellite launches to track Earth’s wild weather and dangerous space storms.  Experts say it has the most sophisticated and sharpest view yet of Earth’s Western Hemisphere – and it can spot wildfires before we do.

New astrobiology research predicts life “ as we don’t know it.” 

The history of the horned rabbit.

Russian oligarchs’ yachts head for the Maldives as sanctions are levied.

Late Show Hosts’ take on Biden’s First Sate of the Union Speech:

“Keep in mind, a week ago, this was going to be a totally different speech. But when Ukraine was invaded, the world changed. Because right now, there is a dictator who thinks he can violently conquer a sovereign democracy, but Joe Biden beat him in the last election.” — STEPHEN COLBERT

“Not everyone was focused on the speech. Kevin McCarthy was there but busy looking at his phone. To be fair, today’s Wordle was pretty tricky.” — STEPHEN COLBERT

“Of course the minority leader in the House not paying attention looked disrespectful. But keep in mind, he might’ve been on Amazon shopping for a spine.” — STEPHEN COLBERT

“It was a tough speech. Biden said that even though the country is divided right now — right now, we all need to come together and agree that the ‘Sex and the City’ reboot wasn’t anywhere near what we hoped it would be.” — JIMMY KIMMEL
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A woman prepares for a performance during Nyepi, the annual day of silence marking Balinese Hindu new year
CREDIT: Firdia Lisnawati/AP

People gather at Menelik II Square to celebrate the 126th anniversary of Ethiopia’s victory over Italy at the Battle of Adwa
CREDIT: Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

MPs in the House of Commons give a standing ovation to the ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, who was sitting in the public gallery
CREDIT: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/PA

Market Closes for March 2nd, 2022

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
33891.35 +596.40
+1.79%
S&P 500 4386.54 +80.28
+1.86%
NASDAQ 13752.02 +219.56

+1.62%

TSX 21255.64 +251.13
+1.20%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 26393.03 -451.69
-1.68%
HANG
SENG
22343.92 -417.79
-1.84%
SENSEX 55468.90 -778.38
-1.38%
FTSE 100* 7429.56 +99.36

+1.36%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.818 1.711
CND.
30 Year
Bond
2.057 1.987
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.8767 1.7122
U.S.
30 Year Bond
  2.2485    2.0991

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7917 0.7848
US
$
1.2631 1.2742
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4044 0.7120
US
$
1.1119 0.8994

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1922.00 1909.85
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 110.60 103.41

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1844, the New York Stock Exchange raised the initiation fee for new members to $400 (or more than $9,400 in modern money).

Ukraine is a stark reminder that market forecasts are garbage, even though they’re made by thoughtful people. — Jared Dillian.
Canada
By Geoffrey Morgan
(Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks rallied Wednesday after the Bank of Canada raised interest rates for the first time since 2018.

Financial and industrial stocks led the S&P/TSX Composite 1.2% higher in Toronto.
Today, information technology was the only industry group to fall, as 10 of 11 sectors gained; 164 of 240 shares rose, while 73 fell.
Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 2.6%.

Converge Technology Solutions Corp. had the largest percentage increase, rising 6.3%.
Insights
* In the past year, the index had a similar or greater gain nine times. The next day, it advanced six times for an average 0.5% and declined three times for an average 0.3%
* This quarter, the index was little changed
* The index advanced 15% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 12% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 2.5% below its 52-week high on Nov. 16, 2021 and 18.4% above its low on March 4, 2021
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 2.5% in the past 5 days and fell 0.5% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.5 on a trailing basis and 14.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.6% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.35t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 14.45% compared with 14.01% in the previous session and the average of 13.55% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | 105.1710| 1.5| 25/3
* Industrials | 66.8757| 2.8| 23/7
* Energy | 45.9534| 1.4| 23/9
* Communication Services | 15.8564| 1.5| 6/1
* Consumer Discretionary | 10.5166| 1.5| 11/3
* Consumer Staples | 8.2933| 1.1| 10/1
* Real Estate | 4.9832| 0.8| 19/3
* Materials | 3.9115| 0.1| 23/31
* Health Care | 0.9445| 0.7| 3/4
* Utilities | 0.4575| 0.0| 9/7
* Information Technology | -11.9788| -0.8| 12/4
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* TD Bank | 32.2500| 2.6| -15.3| 4.7
* Canadian National | 25.4800| 4.0| 28.0| 1.6
* Canadian Pacific | 24.6600| 4.4| 21.2| 0.9
* Wheaton Precious Metals | -3.7380| -2.1| -0.2| 5.4
* Barrick Gold | -7.8050| -2.1| 0.6| 21.6
* Shopify | -19.0700| -2.9| -7.8| -52.1

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Stocks climbed after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. economy is expanding with enough force to withstand rate hikes while pledging to be judicious in removing stimulus.
More than 90% of the companies in the S&P 500 advanced, with financial, material and energy shares leading the charge.
Two-year Treasury yields surpassed 1.5%, up from as little as 1.26% on Tuesday.

Global commodity markets surged to multiyear highs after traders backed away from Russia, sparking anxiety that supply will fall short in everything from wheat to natural gas.
Oil topped $110 a barrel.
Powell said the central bank will “proceed carefully,” emphasizing the “need to be nimble in responding to incoming data and the evolving outlook.”

The Fed chief also noted he’s inclined to back a quarter-point hike in March — in line with market expectations — and is open to “series of rate increases” in 2022.
Comments:
* “It is worth pointing out the great stress he placed, again, on being data-driven and nimble. Whereas a few weeks ago, that might have meant a very dynamic approach to inflation, it is quite likely this now means keeping a close eye on the economic growth numbers, said Jeanette Garretty, managing director at Robertson Stephens Wealth Management.
* “In light of the Chair’s testimony, and events so far this week, we retain our monetary policy outlook, which anticipates five 25bp hikes to the policy rate in 2022, starting in March.  We continue to expect a plan for (passive) balance-sheet normalization to be announced in May, and to be implemented in June,” said Barclays economists, led by Michael Gapen.  Earlier Wednesday, Fed Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard called for a “rapid withdrawal of policy accommodation,” while his Chicago counterpart Charles Evans said monetary policy is currently “wrong-footed” and needs to be upwardly adjusted toward neutrality.

Russia’s invasion was denounced by the United Nations General Assembly, underscoring Moscow’s increasing isolation on the global stage, as U.S. authorities weighed restrictions on imports.
The Russian military’s advance continued, while Ukraine said it will take part in a second round of talks with Moscow on Thursday.
The U.S. will postpone a Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missile test planned for this week to show restraint after President Vladimir Putin raised Russia’s nuclear alert level over the weekend, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
In U.S. corporate news, Citigroup Inc. said profitability will fall as the bank pursues a strategy shift that will raise expenses in the near term.

Nordstrom Inc. soared after the retailer’s sales and guidance topped expectations.
Ford Motor Co. will separate its electric-vehicle operations from its legacy combustion-engine business in a historic reorganization of the 118-year-old company.
Sell-side analysts in the U.S. are getting more nervous about earnings forecasts, with profit revisions turning most negative since May 2020.

Downgrades are now outweighing upgrades as the war in Ukraine, rising oil prices and policy tightening may weigh on economic growth.
What to watch this week:
* ECB publishes the account of its February meeting, Thursday
* Eurozone Markit services PMI, PPI, unemployment, Thursday
* U.S. factory orders, initial jobless claims, U.S. durable goods, Thursday
* U.S. unemployment, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 1.9% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 1.7%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.8%
* The MSCI World index rose 1.1%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1%
* The euro was little changed at $1.1123
* The British pound rose 0.6% to $1.3403
* The Japanese yen fell 0.5% to 115.54 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced 17 basis points to 1.90%
* Germany’s 10-year yield advanced 10 basis points to 0.03%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced 13 basis points to 1.26%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 7.5% to $111.20 a barrel
* Gold futures fell 0.8% to $1,929 an ounce
–With assistance from Emily Barrett, Sunil Jagtiani, Andreea Papuc, Vildana Hajric, Peyton Forte and Emily Graffeo.

Have a wonderful evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him. -Rabbi Sidney Greenberg, 1918-2003.

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

March 1, 2022 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Shrove Tuesday today, otherwise Pancake Day, the day before Ash Wednesday.

March: the month is so called from MARS, the Roman god of war. The old Dutch name for it was Lentmaand.  The old Saxon name was Hrēthmōnath, perhaps meaning “rough month”, from its boisterous winds.  This subsequently became Lenctenmōnath, “lengthening month”.  In the French Revolutionary calendar, the corresponding month was called Ventôse, meaning “windy”, extending from February 20th – March 21st.
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  March begins with rough boisterous weather and ends calmly.

March 1, 1872: Yellowstone National Park established.
Yellowstone National Park celebrates 150 years.  Never stop exploring! This stunning photo gallery celebrating the park’s special anniversary may inspire you to visit.

1961: Peace Corps established.
1999: UN Land Mine Ban.

March1, 1974: Former Nixon White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman and former Attorney General John Mitchell were indicted on obstruction of justice charges related to
the Watergate break-in.  Go to article »

Physicists are doubting everything about the structure of reality.

Tyrannosaurus rex may have been misunderstood.  Cue the ‘Jurassic Park’ theme song… Apparently, the T. rex may have had two equally terrifying sibling species.

The sad demise of that ship with all the Porsches and Lamborghinis.

Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter auditions on ‘American Idol’.  R-E-S-P-E-C-T to 15-year-old Grace Franklin who went for it – knowing she had very big shoes to fill.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A worker inspects a wind turbine at a power plant in the Gevaş district of Van. Van, with its deep valleys between the high mountains, is among the country’s most productive areas for wind energy
CREDIT: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

High school students run at sunset as they practise for the track and field season in Kansas
CREDIT: Charlie Riedel/AP

Mayara Magri as Odette/Odile and Cesar Corrals as Prince Siegfried appear in the Royal Ballet’s production of Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House
CREDIT: Robbie Jack/Corbis/Getty Images

Market Closes for March 1st, 2022

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
33294.95 -597.65
-1.76%
S&P 500 4306.26 -67.68
-1.55%
NASDAQ 13532.46 -218.94

-1.59%

TSX 21004.51 -121.85
-0.58%

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 26844.72 +317.90
+1.20%
HANG
SENG
22761.71 +48.69
+0.21%
SENSEX 56247.28 +388.76
+0.70%
FTSE 100* 7330.20 -128.05

-1.72%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
1.711 1.813
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.987 2.092
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
1.7122 1.8250
U.S.
30 Year Bond
   2.0991    2.1611

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7848 0.7891
US
$
1.2742 1.2673
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.4177 0.7053
US
$
1.1127 0.8987

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1,909.85 1884.80
 
Oil
WTI Crude Future 103.41 95.72

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1935, the first U.S. savings bond was issued after Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau observed that the U.S. lacked a government savings plan like those of France and Great Britain.
Canada
By Geoffrey Morgan
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities tumbled as investors plowed into safe haven investments Tuesday, and precious metals continued to gain on risks that sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine would hamper global growth.

The S&P/TSX  Composite fell 0.6% to 21,004.51 in Toronto.
Today, financial stocks led the market lower, as 7 of 11 sectors lost; 130 of 240 shares fell, while 108 rose.

Gold and silver miners surged and dominated the 10 top performing stocks on the Composite on Tuesday.
Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 3.3%.

Magna International Inc. had the largest drop, falling 7.9%.
Insights
* This quarter, the index has fallen 1%, heading for the biggest decline since the first quarter of 2020
* The index has advanced 15% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 8.7% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 3.6% below its 52-week high on Nov. 16, 2021 and 17% above its low on March 4, 2021
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.5% in the past 5 days and fell 1.5% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.4 on a trailing basis and 14.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 2.6% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.37t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 14.01% compared with 14.37% in the previous session and the average of 13.51% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
* Financials | -135.5380| -1.9| 2/26
* Industrials | -28.7181| -1.2| 10/20
* Consumer Discretionary| -23.9850| -3.3| 0/14
* Information Technology| -22.9021| -1.5| 1/14
* Consumer Staples | -6.5934| -0.9| 3/7
* Real Estate | -4.1625| -0.7| 13/11
* Health Care | -3.0577| -2.1| 1/7
* Communication Services| 2.5672| 0.2| 4/3
* Utilities | 6.5942| 0.7| 10/6
* Energy | 28.5215| 0.9| 24/8
* Materials | 65.4135| 2.4| 40/14
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
* TD Bank | -42.1200| -3.3| 37.1| 2.0
* Royal Bank of Canada | -27.4600| -2.0| 4.2| 2.3
* Canadian National | -22.7200| -3.5| 23.1| -2.3
* Wheaton Precious Metals | 8.8970| 5.2| 36.0| 7.6
* Agnico Eagle Mines | 10.4900| 5.3| -12.8| 0.3
* Barrick Gold | 15.1200| 4.3| 75.7| 24.3

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — A surge in oil sent shivers through risky assets Tuesday, reversing an early recovery in American stocks and sending some European markets down 4%.

Bonds rallied amid concern about the impact of war on global economies, with 10-year U.S. yields posting their worst four-day drop since December.
In the final moments of trading, the S&P 500 sank more than 2% as Apple Inc. said it has halted product sales in Russia.

The equity gauge rebounded from session lows, while closing down for a second straight day. Crude traded near $105 a barrel, raising fears about potentially higher inflation that could complicate
the Federal Reserve’s job at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is seen as a threat to global growth.

Bonds climbed, with swaps linked to the Fed’s March 16 meeting dwindling to 22 basis points of tightening.
That suggests traders don’t even expect a full quarter-point hike — a contrast from last month, when a half-point move was all but fully priced.
“Investors struggle to go long risk as the Russia-Ukraine crisis intensifies and as surging oil prices threaten economic growth prospects,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda. “Stagflation risks have never been greater, and that should continue to fuel the many commodity super cycles that are running hot.”
Commodity prices soared the most since 2009 as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens key supplies of energy, crops and metals that were already tight as major economies emerged from the pandemic. President Joe Biden is being pressured by lawmakers in both parties to cut off U.S. imports of Russian oil and gas.

Such a move would likely send gasoline prices surging, adding to inflation pressures.
Biden will deliver his State of the Union speech at 9 p.m. in Washington.

Not since 2003, when George W. Bush laid out his case for war against Iraq, or 2010, when Barack Obama was confronting the financial crisis, has a U.S. leader delivered his annual address to Congress in such a fraught moment.
Meantime, Fed Chair Jerome Powell will try to reassure lawmakers this week that the central bank will act to curb the hottest inflation in four decades while remaining flexible in the face of geopolitical uncertainties.

He’s set to testify in a semiannual monetary-policy testimony to House and Senate panels starting Wednesday.

More comments:
* “The Russia/Ukraine conflict is driving oil and other commodity prices higher, which does present the possibility of inflation remaining higher for longer,” wrote Lindsey Bell, chief markets and money strategist at Ally.
* “We are wrestling with the news cycle, and how prolonged hostilities in Ukraine would slow economic growth,” said Larry Weiss, head of equity trading at Instinet. “There’s thoughts that this slowdown would be cause for less hawkish moves by the Fed.”
* Given the heightened uncertainty surrounding Ukraine, a half-point Fed hike “would simply be too aggressive at the moment,” wrote Win Thin, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman.
Russia said it would press forward with its invasion of Ukraine as the war enters a more brutal stage. European Union ambassadors agreed to exclude seven Russian banks from the SWIFT financial-messaging system, but spared the nation’s biggest lender Sberbank and a bank part-owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom.

U.S. equities are off to another rocky start this year as prospects for higher interest rates and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine combine to put the “stocks-only-go-up” mantra to the test.
The S&P 500 saw back-to-back monthly declines for the first time in almost a year and a half.
One ray of hope for investors: Each of the last four times the gauge closed lower through February, it finished the year higher by at least 9.5%.
What to watch this week:
* Fed Chair Jerome Powell testifies to Congress on monetary policy, Wednesday and Thursday
* OPEC+ meeting, Wednesday
* Eurozone CPI, Wednesday
* Bank of Canada rate decision, Wednesday
* ECB publishes the account of its February meeting, Thursday
* U.S. unemployment, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 1.5% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 1.6%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.8%
* The MSCI World index fell 1.4%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.4%
* The euro fell 0.8% to $1.1134
* The British pound fell 0.7% to $1.3328
* The Japanese yen rose 0.2% to 114.81 per dollar

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined 10 basis points to 1.73%
* Germany’s 10-year yield declined 21 basis points to -0.07%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined 28 basis points to 1.13%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 9.5% to $104.80 a barrel
* Gold futures rose 2.6% to $1,949.70 an ounce
–With assistance from Andreea Papuc, Robert Brand, Matt Turner, Divya Balji, Lu Wang, Isabelle Lee and Vildana Hajric.

Have  a wonderful evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann

The future is always beginning now. –Mark Strand, 1934-2014.

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