April 20, 2015 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:

April’s the busy month, the month that grows
Faster than hand can follow at its task;
No time to relish and no time to bask,
(Though when indeed is that the gardener’s lot,
However large, however small his plot?)
April’s the month for pruning of the rose,
April’s the month when the good gardener sows
More annuals for summer, cheap and quick,
Yet always sows too thick
From penny packets scattered on  a patch
With here a batch of poppy, there a batch
Of the low candytuft or scabious tall
That country children call
Pincushions, with their gift
Of accurate observance and their swift
Naming more vivid than the botanist,
So the good gardener will sow his drift
Of larkspur and forget-me-not
To fill blank space, or recklessly to pick;
And gay nasturtium writhing up a fence
Splotching with mock of sunlight sunless days
When latening summer brings the usual mist.

     -V. Sackville-West, The Garden, Spring.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Customers watch android robot ‘Aiko Chihira’ at the reception of Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo, Monday. The lifelike android robot, which was developed by Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba, marked her first day at work as a receptionist at the department store on Monday, greetings customers as they walked in. Shizuo Kambayashi/AP

Boston Marathon runner Alberto De Bonis, of Trieste, Italy, poses before boarding a shuttle bus, Monday, in Boston, en route to the starting line in Hopkinton, Mass. Robert F. Bukaty/AP

Today we deal with 65,000 more pieces of information each day than did our ancestors 100 years ago. –Dr. Jean Houston.

Market Closes for April 20^th, 2015

International Markets

Bonds

Currencies

Commodities

MARKET COMMENTARY:

CANADA

By Jennifer Kaplan

     (Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks rose as railroad companies sent industrial shares higher while energy producers advanced with the price of crude amid signs of increased stimulus from China’s central bank.

     Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. jumped more than 2.2 percent to lead gains among industrial companies. Toronto-Dominion Bank climbed 0.7 percent as financial shares gained. Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. slid 1.6 percent to lead consumer shares lower.

     The Standard & Poor’s/TSX Composite Index gained 52.05 points, or 0.3 percent, to 15,412.60 at the close in Toronto. The gauge halted a two-day slide after closing April 15 at a seven-month high.

     China’s leaders swung into stimulus mode, cutting the amount of cash lenders must set aside as reserves by the most since the global financial crisis, just days after a report showed the slowest economic growth in six years. China is Canada’s second largest trading partner after the U.S.

     Seven of the 10 main industries in the S&P/TSX gained, with industrials jumping 1.5 percent. Trading volume was 17 percent below the 30-day average.

     Energy companies rose 0.3 percent. Trican Well Service Ltd. jumped 5 percent as U.S. crude settled at $56.38 a barrel in New York, near the highest level of the year.

     Encana Corp. surged 3.8 percent to a two-month high. The company announced it is seeking buyers for its natural gas properties in Louisiana as it focuses on drilling for oil and other liquids in Texas and Canada, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Haynesville Shale basin acreage is valued at as much as $1 billion, the people said.

     Financial companies rose 0.5 percent. The group accounts for about one-third of the S&P/TSX by weighting.

US

By Stephen Kirkland and Jeremy Herron

     (Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks rebounded from the worst slide in three weeks as IBM Corp. led a rally in technology shares. The euro halted its best winning streak in a year as tensions mounted over Greece’s debt repayments, while oil gained.

     The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 0.9 percent, after a 1.1 percent tumble on Friday. International Business Machines Corp. jumped 3.4 percent in regular trading before adding less than 0.1 percent at 5 p.m. in New York after the company reported profit that topped estimates. The Nasdaq 100 Index rallied the most in two months. The euro halted a four-day advance versus the dollar. Greece’s bonds declined after the government ordered municipalities to transfer cash to the central bank. Chinese shares retreated from levels last seen in 2008.

     Shares from Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. surged as technology companies in the S&P 500 rebounded from a selloff. The decision by Greece’s government is another sign of the worsening situation in a  standoff with creditors. China lowered the amount of cash lenders must set aside as reserves by the most since 2008 to support the economy amid the slowest expansion in six years.

     “If you want to foretell what may come down the pipe, tech companies are a good example of that,” Krishna Memani, the New York-based chief investment officer at Oppenheimer Funds Inc., said by phone. “Tech companies are often growth companies with a higher beta relative to the market. The world needs a good growth story.”                         

     A Friday rout in global equities sent U.S. stocks to their first weekly loss of the month, as disappointing earnings, signs of higher inflation and concerns from China to Greece curbed demand for risk assets.

  `   Technology shares in the S&P 500 surged 1.8 percet, rebounding from a 1.4 percent drop, as Apple, Microsoft and Facebook Inc. jumped at least 2.3 percent.

     As a group, the computer and biotechnology stocks that make up the Nasdaq 100 Index have seen their market value jump by $3.3 trillion since March 2009, more than any other industry. Now they’re on the hook to generate $320 billion in profits this year, more than technology companies ever made at the height of the Internet craze.

     Among other U.S. shares moving Monday, Morgan Stanley added 0.6 percent after reporting the highest adjusted revenue in more than five years. Hasbro Inc. jumped 13 percent as the toymaker posted better-than-estimated quarterly results. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. slumped 8 percent as the company cut its forecast for the full year.

     Transportation shares surged 1.7 percent, as railroads from CSX Corp. to Kansas City Southern jumped at least 2.7 percent.

     “There are still a lot of cards left to play this week with an extremely busy earnings calendar,” Michael James, a Los Angeles-based managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities Inc., said by phone. “The market was nervous for several weeks so it’s no surprise that a move like Friday happened. There were a lot of data points to heighten nervousness and things kind of crescendoed on Friday.”

     The twin pillars of earnings and Federal Reserve stimulus that have underpinned the bull market showed signs of wobbling. Results last week from American Express Co. to Norfolk Southern Corp. missed estimates while rising inflation bolstered the case for higher borrowing costs.

     Fed Bank of New York President William Dudley said Monday he is relatively optimistic that a rebound in U.S. growth will support a decision to raise interest rates later this year while highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the timing of an increase.                          

     The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index climbed 0.5 percent, with the euro slipping 0.6 percent to $1.0737. The single currency dropped versus most of its major peers. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said in Washington Saturday that while Greece’s situation is “urgent,” it’s premature to speculate about the nation quitting the currency union.

     Greek bonds fell, sending the three-year yield 193 basis points higher to 28.69 percent. Euro-area finance ministers meet this week to review what policy changes Greece can deliver by mid-May as the nation seeks to unlock new aid payments and avoid a default.

     The Greek government issued a decree that forces local governments to transfer cash balances to the central bank, as debt to the International Monetary Fund and month-end salary payments come due.                          

     Treasuries declined as haven demand waned after oil and stocks rallied on speculation Chinese policy makers will act to support economic growth. The U.S. 10-year yield rose two basis points to 1.88 percent.

     It touched 1.85 percent, close to the 1.82 percent on April 6 that was the lowest since January. That compares with a five- year average of 2.60 percent.

     “It’s still a very bullish environment for the market,” said Michael Kapler, who manages equities at Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse in Potsdam, Germany. “Central banks are extremely supportive around the world, and that will definitely stay that way for some time.”

     The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed 0.8 percent after its worst week of the year. Miners posted the best performance among 19 industry groups in the index, which has climbed 19 percent this year. BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group gained at least 2.4 percent.                    

     The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell for a second day, losing 1 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index slid 1.6 percent and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index of mainland shares listed in Hong Kong lost 2.9 percent, the most in three months.

     The reserve-requirement ratio will be cut 1 percentage point from Monday, the People’s Bank of China said. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced measures on Friday to clamp down on the use of sh`adow financing for equity purchases and increase the supply of shares available for short sellers.

     Chinese shares swung between gains and losses for much of early trading as investors weighed authorities’ steps to curb speculative trading against the cut in reserve requirements. The Shanghai gauge has jumped 79 percent in the past six months, the most among 93 benchmark indexes globally.

     Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. became China’s first developer to default on its U.S. currency debt after failing to honor missed payments on two dollar bonds.

     The ruble slid 2.8 percent after the central bank raised the cost of borrowing foreign currency. The dollar-denominated RTS Index of equities climbed 0.7 percent.

     U.S. oil futures climbed near their highest level of the year on speculation that supply growth is beginning to slow. West Texas Intermediate for May delivery rose to settle at $56.38 a barrel in New York. Futures touched $57.42 last week, the highest level since Dec. 23.

     Prices capped their biggest weekly advance in more than four years in New York on growing expectations that a decline in drilling will curb production. Brent futures closed unchanged at $63.45 a barrel in London.

     Gold futures fell the most in a week as rallies by equities and the dollar reduced demand for precious metals as alternative investments.

     Gold for June delivery fell 0.8 percent to settle at $1,193.70 an ounce in New York. The metal declined for three straight quarters amid concern that the Fed will raise interest rates.

Have a wonderful evening everyone.

Be magnificent!

The only way to achiever consciousness

is by concentrating on the physical, the mental, and the spiritual.

Concentration on the powers of the spirit to discover unity

in diversity is called consciousness.

All that draws on unity is moral, all that draws on diversity is immoral.

`

Swami Vivekananda

As ever,

Carolann

We are not the makers of history.  We are made by history.

                                -Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM

Senior Vice-President &

Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,

St. Andrew’s Square,

Suite 340A, 730 View St.,

Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7