October 8, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
In need of some escapism? Here’s an updated list of the 50 best TV shows to check out on Netflix. -NYT.

1871 – Great Chicago Fire.
2001 – US President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
2004 – Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart reported to prison to begin serving a sentence for lying about a stock sale. Go to article »

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Turkeys are seen at Chilcott Turkeys farm in Owermoigne, England.  Mark Chilcott of free-range Chilcott Turkeys farm has reared 1200 smaller turkeys to cater for the low demand for large birds due to the COVID-19 Rule of Six and smaller gatherings this coming Christmas.
CREDIT: FINNBARR WEBSTER/GETTY IMAGES

Shiite pilgrims arrive Karbala, Iraq, for the Arbaeen ritual. Arbaeen holiday marks the end of the forty day mourning period after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson in the 7th century.
CREDIT: AP PHOTO/ANMAR KHALIL

Twins Buddy Mae Walker (L) and Eleanor Walker (R), examine each other through their child respirators provided by the non-profit TeamRaccoonPDX in Portland, Oregon. The children were told their grandparents sent them space suits to keep them safe. The family sought out the respirators after police used tear gas near their residential street in  Portland.
CREDIT: NATHAN HOWARD/GETTY IMAGES

Market Closes for October 8th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
28425.51 +122.05
+0.43%
S&P 500 3446.83 +27.38
+0.80%
NASDAQ 11420.980 +56.381

+0.50%

TSX 16534.54 +106.24
+0.65%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23647.07 +224.25
+0.96%
HANG
SENG
24193.35 -49.51
-0.20%
SENSEX 40182.67 +303.72
+0.76%
FTSE 100* 5978.03 +31.78

+0.53%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.610 0.624
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.200 1.196
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.7685 0.7868
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.5703 1.5872

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75765 0.75403
US
$
1.31987 1.32620
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.55216 0.64426
US
$
1.17600 0.85034

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1884.50 1913.40
Oil
WTI Crude Future 41.19 39.95

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1871, no, a cow didn’t kick over a lantern, but the barn behind Patrick O’Leary’s cottage at 137 DeKoven St. burst into flames that swiftly spread to engulf almost four square miles in the heart of Chicago, destroying the entire downtown overnight. Real-estate prices exploded, capital poured into the city, and Chicago was reborn as the “city of the big shoulders,” with skyscrapers of brick and stone.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities advanced to their highest level since Sept. 2. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 0.7% on Thursday, with marijuana shares leading after positive commentary from U.S. vice president candidate Kamala Harris. Six of eleven sectors rose. Oil climbed to the highest in more than a month as Hurricane Delta forces operators to shut in nearly 92% of crude output in the Gulf of Mexico. RP Investment Advisors LP raised C$213 million ($161 million) from University of Toronto Asset Management, the manager of the university’s pension, endowment and short-term working capital funds, at the beginning of this year. It will invest in the debt of companies that have committed to reducing their carbon footprint. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said negative interest rates remain an option, even if policy makers aren’t currently considering such a move.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $9.60 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,893.75 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.4% to C$1.3200 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield fell 1.7 basis points to 0.607%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the second  day, climbing 0.6 percent, or 106.24 to 16,534.54 in Toronto. The index advanced to the highest closing level since Sept. 2. Today, energy stocks led the market higher, as 6 of 11 sectors gained; 162 of 223 shares rose, while 57 fell. Enbridge Inc. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.2 percent. Canopy Growth Corp. had the largest increase, rising 13.0 percent.

Insights
* So far this week, the index rose 2.1 percent, heading for the biggest advance since the week ended Aug. 7
* This year, the index fell 3.1 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index advanced 1.5 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 19 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 8 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 48 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 2.2 percent in the past 5 days and rose 2.7 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.4 on a trailing basis and 23.6 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.1 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.51t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 16.06 percent compared with 15.94 percent in the previous session and the average of 14.03 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | | Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Energy | 71.3422| 4.1| 21/2
Materials | 25.0110| 1.0| 45/7
Health Care | 13.0932| 8.2| 8/2
Consumer Discretionary | 9.7464| 1.6| 12/1
Communication Services | 6.9862| 0.8| 5/2
Real Estate | 5.4811| 1.1| 25/2
Financials | -0.6638| 0.0| 17/7
Utilities | -1.6177| -0.2| 11/5
Consumer Staples | -2.9562| -0.4| 2/9
Industrials | -8.4918| -0.4| 12/15
Information Technology | -11.7073| -0.7| 4/5

US
By Claire Ballentine and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks rose to almost five-week highs as traders speculated that lawmakers will eventually provide more stimulus and corporate deal activity increased. Treasury bond yields dropped and the dollar weakened. The S&P 500 finished up 0.8% after conflicting comments from President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whipsawed equity markets earlier in the day. Energy, utilities and financials were the biggest gainers in the benchmark index, with crude oil rallying as Hurricane Delta approached the already battered Louisiana coast. ”It’s likely that there will continue to be near-term volatility due to the back-and-forth over a deal,” UBS Global Wealth Management strategists led by Mark Haefele wrote in a note. “A stimulus deal will be struck eventually, central banks will continue to stay supportive, and medical developments still have scope to surprise, in our view.”
Eaton Vance Corp. leaped after the investment firm agreed to be taken over by Morgan Stanley. IBM surged after saying it will spin off its infrastructure unit.  Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. rose after Trump said its antibody cocktail was the “key” to his quick recovery. The president said he would authorize its emergency use. Bulls are now back in control of a market that’s increasingly betting that a Joe Biden presidential victory and gains by Democrats in Congress will be good for equities. The scenario seems to be somewhat quelling volatility even as risks from a split in government to a resurgence of coronavirus cases threaten the economic rebound.
“At this point the market is likely projecting a Biden victory,” said Bill Fitzpatrick, managing director at Logan Capital Management. “It’s a scenario worth considering that we don’t get results for a month or so after the election, that’s a real possibility.” Meanwhile, Pelosi said there won’t be a standalone bill on airlines without a guarantee the other stimulus items are going to be addressed. Trump had earlier touted progress in talks even though there was no sign the two sides are any closer on a deal.
Elsewhere in markets, airlines led European shares higher, helped by as optimism over a Covid-19 treatment. U.K. jet engine-maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc posted its best five-day performance on record, after shoring up its finances. Oil futures rose 3.1% after Gulf of Mexico producers shut in 1.7 million barrels a day of crude production ahead of the storm that’s expected to slam into the Louisiana coast on Friday. Gold increased for a second day.

These are some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The S&P 500 Index increased 0.8% to 3,446.85 as of 4:01 p.m. New York time, the highest in almost five weeks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 28,425.71, the highest in five weeks.
The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 0.4% to 11,420.98, the highest in almost five weeks.
The Nasdaq 100 Index gained 0.4% to 11,550.94.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index jumped 0.8% to 368.31, the highest in almost three weeks.

Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index decreased 0.2% to 1,170.35.
The euro was little changed at $1.176.
The Japanese yen was little changed at 106 per dollar, the weakest in almost four weeks.

Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell two basis points to 0.76%.
The yield on 30-year Treasuries decreased two basis points to 1.56%.
Germany’s 10-year yield fell three basis points to -0.52%, the largest drop in more than two weeks.
Britain’s 10-year yield declined one basis point to 0.289%, the biggest fall in more than a week.

Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 3.2% to $41.26 a barrel, the highest in almost three weeks.
Gold strengthened 0.3% to $1,894.64 an ounce.
Copper gained 0.2% to $3.04 a pound, the highest in more than two weeks.


Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

There is no path to happiness.  Happiness is the path.
                             –Buddha, c. 5th-4th century 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

October 7, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
Niels Bohr, mathematician, b. 1885
Desmond Tutu, b. 1931
Vladimir Putin, b. 1952
Yo-Yo Ma, b. 1955

On Oct. 7, 1985 Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean with more than 400 people aboard. Go to article »

2001 – US invasion of Afghanistan starts with an air assault and covert operations on the ground.

Here’s how to watch the Draconid meteor shower tonight and tomorrow.  It seems like a good time to stare up into the night sky and contemplate just how cosmically small we are. –CNN.

French professor and researcher in microbiology, genetics and biochemistry Emmanuelle Charpentier and American biochemist Jennifer A. Doudna have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of a method for genome editing.

Take a break and listen to five minutes that will make you love Baroque music. –NYT.

A predecessor to this universe can still be observed today.-Bloomberg.

Grapefruit is a very weird fruit.
     
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

The sun rises over Boscombe beach in Dorset.
CREDIT: ANDREW MATTHES/PA WIRE

An extreme closeup of pink lotus known primarily as blue lotus at a public garden in outskirts of New Delhi, India.
CREDIT: HARISH TYAGI/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

A family of Working Cocker Spaniels at Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey in Wales, who love to pose for a photo for their owner Kelly Roberts a vet during their daily walk.
CREDIT: KELLY ROBERTS/PICTUREEXCLUSIVE.COM
Market Closes for October 7th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
28303.46 +530.70
+1.91%
S&P 500 3419.44 +58.49
+1.74%
NASDAQ 11364.598 +209.994

+1.88%

TSX 16428.30 +192.17
+1.18%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23422.82 -10.91
-0.05%
HANG
SENG
24242.86 +262.21
+1.09%
SENSEX 39878.95 +304.38
+0.77%
FTSE 100* 5946.25 -3.69

-0.06%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.624 0.564
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.196 1.132
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.7868 0.7370
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.5872 1.5366

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75403 0.75113
US
$
1.32620 1.33133
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.55991 0.64106
US
$
1.17623 0.85018

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1913.40 1909.60
Oil
WTI Crude Future 39.95 40.67

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average began continuous daily publication. Its 12 members were the great industrial giants of the time: American Cotton Oil, American Sugar, American Tobacco, Chicago Gas, American Spirits Manufacturing, General Electric, Laclede Gas, National Lead, U.S. Cordage, Tennessee Coal & Iron, U.S. Leather, and U.S. Rubber.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equity markets climbed with broader markets on renewed optimism that U.S. lawmakers could still reach an agreement on additional stimulus.
The S&P/TSX Composite index rose 1.2% in Toronto. All eleven sectors rallied, led by health care and consumer discretionary stocks. Pot stock Canopy Growth was the best performing stock, while Maple Leaf Foods posted the biggest drop within the index.
Meanwhile, Barrick Gold Corp.’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow said the gold industry needs more consolidation so it can increase exploration to boost depleting reserves, lure more generalist investors and improve efficiencies.
In real estate, Montreal, like Toronto, is seeing a flurry of condos being put up for sale, suggesting the city’s housing boom may be fading as the effects of the pandemic start to bite.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $9.90 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 0.5% to $1,887.07 an ounce
FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.3% to C$1.3267 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield rose 6 basis points to 0.625%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 1.2 percent at 16,428.30 in Toronto. The index advanced to the highest closing level since Sept. 15 after the previous session’s decrease of 1.1 percent.
Today, financials stocks led the market higher, as all sectors gained; 154 of 223 shares rose, while 66 fell.
Shopify Inc. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.0 percent. Canopy Growth Corp. had the largest increase, rising 7.9 percent.

Insights
* This year, the index fell 3.7 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index was little changed in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 16 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 8.6 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 47 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1.9 percent in the past 5 days and rose 1.3 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.2 on a trailing basis and 23.5 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.48t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 15.94 percent compared with 15.84 percent in the previous session and the average of 13.94 percent over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | 67.1254| 1.4| 23/2
Industrials | 36.2977| 1.8| 25/3
Information Technology | 35.7159| 2.1| 8/2
Energy | 22.2024| 1.3| 20/3
Consumer Discretionary | 14.5703| 2.5| 13/0
Health Care | 5.9747| 3.9| 8/2
Communication Services | 4.0206| 0.5| 4/3
Consumer Staples | 3.0274| 0.4| 4/7
Utilities | 2.3670| 0.3| 11/5
Materials | 0.6671| 0.0| 28/23
Real Estate | 0.2033| 0.0| 10/16

US
By Vildana Hajric and Claire Ballentine
(Bloomberg) — Stocks climbed to a more than one-month high on renewed optimism that U.S. lawmakers could still reach an agreement on additional stimulus. Treasuries and the dollar fell.
The S&P 500 gained 1.7% after a barrage of overnight tweets from President Donald Trump advocating a piecemeal approach. Trump sent stocks tumbling late Tuesday by ending talks with Democrats. Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled openness to a standalone airline relief bill in a conversation with Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday. “The seesaw we’ve seen since yesterday’s plunge is just case and point for the volatility we may encounter as we close in on the election,” said Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investment product at E*Trade Financial. “That said, with President Trump’s call for aid to airlines, an obviously hard-hit area of the market, traders may be eyeing bullish opportunities.”
Some investors who’ve watched Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s lead in the polls swell in recent days are now speculating that a victory by him would bring an increase of federal spending to boost the economy. Biden leads among likely voters Florida, Iowa and Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University polls found. Tech stocks also mostly rose, even after a House panel’s proposal late Tuesday for stricter antitrust rules to curb the power of Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. The four tech giants account for more than 15% of the S&P 500. Eli Lilly & Co. gained after advances on its Covid-19 antibody drug. “People are now talking again about this blue wave,” or election sweep by Democrats in Congress and the presidency, said Marc Odo, client portfolio manager at Swan Global Investments. “The one thing we do need is a very clear cut result coming out of this election.” Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s Sept. 15-16 meeting released Wednesday showed some U.S. central bankers sought further debate on the future of the Federal Reserve’s asset purchase program when they met last month, signaling they’d be open to altering or increasing bond buying going forward.
Meanwhile, with Trump now out of the hospital, investors continue to monitor the virus’s impact on economic recoveries around the world. Signs are mounting the virus is returning to the New York area, with infections reaching three-month highs. “There is going to be heightened volatility,” said Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager at Sit Investment Associates. “You have an extraordinary amount of uncertainty between timing of vaccine, when will this current uptick in cases top out.”
Oil fell after U.S. government data showed crude stockpiles increased.
The European Commission, meantime, is close to a deal to procure more of the Covid-19 treatment remdesivir from Gilead Sciences Inc.
Here are some key events coming up:
* The U.S. Vice Presidential debate takes place in Salt Lake City on Wednesday

These are some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index rose 1.7% to 3,419.45 as of 4:07 p.m. New York time, the highest in more than a month.
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.9% to 28,303.46, the highest in five weeks on the biggest rise in 12 weeks.
* The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 1.9% to 11,364.60, the highest in almost five weeks.
* The Nasdaq 100 Index climbed 1.9% to 11,503.20.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell 0.1% to 365.45, the first retreat in a week and the largest fall in more than a week.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1% to 1,172.49.
* The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1763.
* The Japanese yen depreciated 0.3% to 105.99 per dollar, the weakest in almost four weeks.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries increased five basis points to 0.79%, the highest in almost four months.
* The yield on 30-year Treasuries increased five basis points to 1.59%, the highest in four months.
* Germany’s 10-year yield gained one basis point to -0.49%, the highest in almost three weeks.
* Britain’s 10-year yield rose two basis points to 0.303%, the highest in more than five weeks.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude decreased 1.7% to $39.98 a barrel.
* Gold strengthened 0.5% to $1,887.65 an ounce.
* Copper climbed 2.1% to $3.03 a pound, the highest in a week.

Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

We can try to avoid making choices by doing nothing, but even that is a decision.
                                                                         -Gary Collins, 1938-2012

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

October 6, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
Le Corbusier, architect, b. 1887.

Scientists find intact brain cells in skull of man killed in Vesuvius eruption nearly 2,000 years ago.  Leave the brain cells alone. It’s 2020, OK? Who knows what could happen!

Three scientists were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics today for their work on understanding black holes, which the committee called “one of the most exotic phenomena in the universe.” -NYT.
Take a virtual tour of Nupi Keithel, a 16th-century bazaar in the Indian state of Manipur where all of the vendors are women.-NYT.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named 21 fellows who are being honored this year for their “exceptional creativity” in a wide range of fields and specialties. Known as the “genius” grant, this year’s recipients include the writers N.K. Jemisin and Jacqueline Woodson and the playwright Larissa FastHorse, above. Here’s the full list.
The National Book Award announced the 25 finalists across five categories — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and young people’s literature. The winners will be named in November.-NYT.

 On Oct. 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by Islamic militants while reviewing a military parade.  Go to article »
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A picture taken from Geneva, Switzerland at sunrise shows a ray of light touching “le Mole” mountain, located in the French Alps.
CREDTI: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Conservation semi-feral Welsh Mountain Ponies graze with the stunning landscape of Worm’s Head, Gower, Wakes, in the background. Located at the most Westerly point of the Gower, legend has it that the Vikings believed the rock formation looked like a sleeping dragon, therefore, giving the Norse name “Wurme” meaning dragon or serpent.
CREDIT: JOANN RANDLES/ COVER IMAGES

A Tasmanian devil walking in the wild in mainland Australia. Tasmanian devils have been released into the wild on Australia’s mainland 3,000 years after the feisty marsupials went extinct there, in what conservationists described as a “historic” step.
CREDIT: HANDOUT/AUSSIE ARK/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Market Closes for October 6th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27772.76 -375.88
-1.34%
S&P 500 3360.97 -47.66
-1.40%
NASDAQ 11154.605 -177.880

-1.57%

TSX 16236.13 -174.06
-1.06%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23433.73 +121.59
+0.52%
HANG
SENG
23980.65 +212.87
+0.90%
SENSEX 39574.57 +600.87
+1.54%
FTSE 100* 5949.94 +7.00

+0.12%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.564 0.620
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.132 1.185
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.7370 0.7817
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.5366 1.5906

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75113 0.75410
US
$
1.33133 1.32608
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.56236 0.64006
US
$
1.17353 0.85213

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1909.60 1903.05
Oil
WTI Crude Future 40.67 39.22

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1846, George Westinghouse, Jr., was born in Central Bridge, N.Y. He later invented the Westinghouse air brake, making train travel safe and comfortable,
and founded the Westinghouse Electric Co.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities reversed an earlier gain Tuesday after President Trump ended stimulus talks until after the election.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 1.1%, with 10 of 11 sectors falling. Materials led the decline as gold extended its drop after Trump signaled a stop to fiscal stimulus talks. Real estate shares advanced.
Ontario raised C$1.5 billion ($1.13 billion) through its largest-ever sale of green bonds in a fresh sign that environmental, social and governance debt is gaining traction in Canada.
Minority shareholders at a GMP Capital Inc. meeting voted 95% in favor of the firm acquiring shares it doesn’t already own in Richardson GMP Ltd. wealth manager.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $9.65 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 1.5% to $1,885 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.3% to C$1.3306 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield fell 4.5 basis points to 0.575%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 1.1 percent at 16,236.13 in Toronto. The move was the biggest since falling 2 percent on Sept. 23 and follows the previous session’s increase of 1.3 percent.
Barrick Gold Corp. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 4.5 percent. Centerra Gold Inc. had the largest drop, falling 15.3 percent.
Today, 158 of 223 shares fell, while 60 rose; 10 of 11 sectors were lower, led by materials stocks.
Terminal users can read more in our markets live blog.

Insights
* This year, the index fell 4.8 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 1.3 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 14 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 9.7 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 45.3 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is little changed in the past 5 days and was little changed in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.9 on a trailing basis and 23.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.51t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 15.84 percent compared with 15.54 percent in the previous session and the average of 13.84 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Materials | -95.6280| -3.8| 6/46
Information Technology | -29.8492| -1.7| 3/7
Energy | -21.7096| -1.2| 4/18
Consumer Staples | -6.9241| -1.0| 2/8
Communication Services | -6.1966| -0.7| 1/6
Industrials | -5.5373| -0.3| 9/19
Health Care | -3.5885| -2.3| 4/6
Consumer Discretionary | -2.8490| -0.5| 1/12
Financials | -1.2325| 0.0| 5/21
Utilities | -0.7816| -0.1| 10/4
Real Estate | 0.2285| 0.0| 15/11

US
By Claire Ballentine and Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks tumbled and bonds soared after President Donald Trump said he is ending stimulus talks until after the election, just hours after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell renewed his warning that the economy will stumble without additional fiscal support.
The benchmark S&P 500 slumped 1.4% after Trump tweeted his comments late in the trading session, erasing a gain of as much as 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite indexes also turned negative. Treasuries surged and the dollar jumped against most its major peers. An ETF that tracks the largest tech stocks fell an additional 0.6% in late trading after a House panel proposed a series of far-reaching antitrust reforms to curb the power of U.S. technology giants including Amazon.com Inc. And Alphabet Inc.
“It was certainly a surprise to the market that had started to price in another stimulus,” Ed Clissold, chief U.S. equity strategist at Ned Davis Research, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “It’s going to be difficult for the economy to gain much traction until there is another round of stimulus.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had called on Republicans to get on board with a version of the stimulus bill the House passed last week with only Democratic votes. But significant gaps remained between the Democrats’ $2.2 trillion

proposal and a $1.6 trillion offer backed by the White House. “Over the past few trading sessions the market had rallied around stimulus
talks and now it’s almost a slap in the face,” said Gene Goldman, chief investment officer at Cetera Financial Group
There are also lingering concerns about the trajectory of the pandemic and its effect on the economy. New York City’s seven-day average of daily cases is approaching Mayor Bill de Blasio’s warning threshold of 550. In France, the country’s statistics agency, downgraded its growth forecast to zero.
Elsewhere, the pound weakened after a report that the European Union has no plans to offer concessions to Boris Johnson before next week’s Brexit deadline.
Oil rose further after the biggest gain since May.
Here are some key events coming up:
* On Wednesday, the minutes of the Sept. 15-16 meeting of the FOMC could be especially fruitful for Fed watchers, beginning with details of the debate on conditions necessary to trigger a rate increase
* The U.S. Vice Presidential debate takes place in Salt Lake City on Wednesday
* Though the final formal round of talks is over, the British government expects trade negotiations to continue up to the EU summit in mid-October.

These are some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
*The S&P 500 Index declined 1.4% to 3,360.75 as of 4:00 p.m. New York time, the largest drop in almost two weeks.
*The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.3% to 27,770.65, the biggest drop in almost two weeks.
*The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 1.6% to 11,154.61.
*The Nasdaq 100 Index sank 1.9% to 11,291.27.
*The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.1% to 365.88, the highest in more than two weeks.

Currencies
*The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index gained 0.4% to 1,173.78, the biggest rise in almost two weeks.
*The euro fell 0.3% to $1.1751.
*The British pound decreased 0.6% to $1.2907, the biggest dip in two weeks.
*The Japanese yen strengthened 0.1% to 105.60 per dollar.

Bonds
*The yield on 10-year Treasuries decreased four basis points to 0.75%, the biggest tumble in four weeks.
*Germany’s 10-year yield advanced less than one basis point to -0.51%, the highest in more than a week.
*Britain’s 10-year yield declined less than one basis point to 0.287%, the first retreat in a week.

Commodities
*West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 2.3% to $40.13 a barrel.
*Gold weakened 1.3% to $1,888 an ounce, the biggest drop in almost two weeks.
*Copper declined 0.7% to $2.94 a pound.
–With assistance from Lu Wang.

Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
                                          -Anaïs Nin, 1903-1977

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

October 5, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
Here are nine new songs to kick off your week, including tracks by Maren Morris and Jorja Smith. -NYT.

Some planets may be better for life than Earth. -Bloomberg.

Discoverers of Hepatitis C vaccine win Nobel Prize

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into orbit.  Go to article »
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A mountaineering team including a Bahraini prince completed the first summit this autumn season of a Himalayan peak in Nepal, after the government made an exception to a coronavirus ban on foreign arrivals.
CREDIT: TASHI LAKPA SHERPA/ SEVEN SUMMIT TREKS/ AFP

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) cub on ice, Svalbard, Norway.
CREDIT: MEDIADRUMIMAGES/PHILP DALTON/NA

This snow monkey looks like it’s playing a bad game of hide and seek in the Japanese Alps in Japan.
CREDIT: ROIE GALITZ/SOLENT NEWS

Britain’s last timber railway bridge will begin a £25 million facelift – to keep trains chugging over the track. The grade -II listed Barmouth Bridge, North Wales, was built over 150 years ago and it the only wooden bridge left in use for trains.
CREDIT: SIMON TURTON/WALES NEWS
Market Closes for October 5th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
28148.64 +465.83
+1.68%
S&P 500 3408.60 +60.16
+1.80%
NASDAQ 11332.484 +257.467

+2.32%

TSX 16410.19 +210.94
+1.30%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23312.14 +282.24
+1.23%
HANG
SENG
23767.78 +308.73
+1.32%
SENSEX 38973.70 +276.65
+0.71%
FTSE 100* 5942.94 +40.82

+0.69%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.620 0.565
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.185 1.120
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.7817 0.7022
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.5906 1.4914

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75410 0.75149
US
$
1.32608 1.33068
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.56255 0.63998
US
$
1.17167 0.84866

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1903.05 1902.00
Oil
WTI Crude Future 39.22 37.05

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1993, Daimler-Benz became the first German company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks rose Monday for a third-straight session, gaining alongside U.S. shares after President Donald Trump said he planned to leave the hospital Monday evening.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 1.3%, the most since Sept. 9. Health care and tech rallies were among leaders as all sectors gained.
Meanwhile, oil climbed the most since May in New York, rallying in tandem with equity markets on optimism over the potential for more U.S. fiscal relief. Gold and silver also rose.
Cineplex Inc. plunged 29% to a record low on Monday, following the decline of cinema stocks after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer delayed the release of the James Bond movie ‘No Time to Die’ until April due to the pandemic. Canada is drafting a new Covid-19 aid program that will subsidize rent for businesses without putting the onus on commercial landlords to request that help.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $9.90 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 0.7% to $1,913.47 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.3% to C$1.3265 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield rose 5.1 basis points to 0.613%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the third day, climbing 1.3 percent, or 210.94 to 16,410.19 in Toronto.
The move was the biggest since rising 1.8 percent on Sept. 9.
Today, financials stocks led the market higher, as all sectors gained; 191 of 223 shares rose, while 28 fell.
Shopify Inc. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.0 percent. Aphria Inc. had the largest increase, rising 13.8 percent.

Insights
* This year, the index fell 3.8 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index was little changed in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 15 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 8.7 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 46.9 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1 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 25.2 on a trailing basis and 23.5 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.48t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 15.54 percent compared with 15.14 percent in the previous session and the average of 13.74 percent over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | 51.5733| 1.1| 26/0
Materials | 43.3901| 1.7| 45/5
Information Technology | 37.7967| 2.3| 10/0
Energy | 26.1904| 1.5| 22/1
Industrials | 18.1868| 0.9| 22/6
Utilities | 11.1730| 1.3| 16/0
Consumer Discretionary | 8.1313| 1.4| 10/3
Health Care | 6.4766| 4.3| 8/2
Consumer Staples | 4.5139| 0.6| 10/1
Communication Services | 2.9462| 0.3| 7/0
Real Estate | 0.5506| 0.1| 15/10

US
By Vildana Hajric and Claire Ballentine
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks closed at the highest levels of the day amid optimism that President Donald Trump will leave the hospital and lawmakers will move closer to providing more stimulus. Treasury yields jumped and the dollar weakened.
The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average all rebounded from Friday’s swoon in the wake of Trump’s coronavirus disclosure. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. rallied after Trump was given an experimental antibody treatment made by the drug maker. Energy, health care and technology shares were the biggest gainers in the S&P, pushing the benchmark index up by the most in almost four weeks.
“Fiscal stimulus continues to be a wild card for the market, and uncertainty around the health of the president certainly looms large,” said Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investment product at E*Trade Financial. “So while there’s a lot of noise out there, experienced traders may find bullish opportunities.” Trump said on Twitter that he’ll leave Walter Reed hospital Monday evening after being treated since Friday for Covid-19. With less than a month until Election Day, Trump’s hospitalization has jolted the presidential campaign, forcing him to scrap rallies and other events as polls show him trailing Joe Biden nationally and in swing states.
On the stimulus front, Trump tweeted from the hospital that a deal needs to get done. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was optimistic on Friday that a bipartisan stimulus bill can be done. “Absent of vaccine breakthrough, we’re in an economy that is modestly recovering from the lows of March and April, but it can only go so far,” said Tom Hainlin, national investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management’s Ascent Private Wealth Group. “Areas of the economy that are susceptible are still feeling the pain. That’s why we need so much stimulus from the Federal Reserve and Congress.” Traders also pointed to polls suggesting a stronger lead for Biden and the possibility that a clear winner will emerge from the Nov. 3 election. U.S. markets have been nervous in recent weeks about a close election and the risk of a long and messy legal battle.
Elsewhere, consumer companies and banks led a broad advance among European stocks. Equities in Asia notched gains, while crude oil rebounded from a three-week low and gold advanced.
Here are some key events coming up:
* The Reserve Bank of Australia is forecast to keep interest rates and its three-year yield target unchanged at 0.25% on Tuesday
* Also Tuesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane deliver keynote addresses at the NABE conference
* On Wednesday, the minutes of the Sept. 15-16 meeting of the FOMC could be especially fruitful for Fed watchers, beginning with details of the debate on conditions necessary to trigger a rate increase
* The U.S. Vice Presidential debate takes place in Salt Lake City on Wednesday
* Though the final formal round of talks is over, the British government expects trade negotiations to continue up to the EU summit in mid-October.

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
*The S&P 500 Index climbed 1.8% to 3,408.56 as of 4:01 p.m. New York time, the highest in a month on the largest increase in almost four weeks.
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.7% to 28,148.18, the highest in more than a month on the biggest jump in almost 12 weeks.
*The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 2.3% to 11,332.48, the highest in more than a month on the largest increase in almost four weeks.
*The Nasdaq 100 Index gained 2.3% to 11,509.06, the biggest rise in more than a week.
*The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.8% to 365.63, the highest in  more than two weeks on the largest advance in a week.

Currencies
*The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index sank 0.4% to 1,169.13, the lowest in more than two weeks on the biggest dip in more than five weeks.
*The Japanese yen depreciated 0.5% to 105.77 per dollar, the weakest in more than three weeks on the largest decrease in five weeks.
*The euro climbed 0.6% to $1.1783, the strongest in more than two weeks.

Bonds
*The yield on 10-year Treasuries climbed seven basis points to 0.78%, the highest in almost four months on the largest surge in a month.
*The yield on 30-year Treasuries climbed nine basis points to 1.58%, reaching the highest in almost four months on its sixth straight advance and the biggest surge in a month.
*Germany’s 10-year yield increased three basis points to -0.51%,  the highest in more than a week on the largest climb in more than three weeks.
*Britain’s 10-year yield rose four basis points to 0.288%, the highest in almost five weeks.

Commodities
*West Texas Intermediate crude surged 6.2% to $39.36 a barrel, the largest jump in 20 weeks.
*Gold strengthened 0.6% to $1,911.48 an ounce, the highest in two weeks.
*Copper declined 0.4% to $2.97 a pound.

Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.
                                                           -Claude Monet, 1840-1926

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

October 2, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
1950-“Peanuts” comic strip debuts.
1968-Redwood National Park established.
Mahatma Gandhi, b. 1869
Groucho Marx, b. 1890
Sting, b.1951

Your first look at Jim Carrey as Joe Biden on ‘SNL’ has arrived.  The white wig is a work of art. –CNN.

On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the first black to serve on the high court.  Go to article »

And finally, new music from Ella Fitzgerald.
The singer’s concert recordings have always had a power that her studio outings could only imply, our jazz critic Giovanni Russonello writes. Of those live albums, few made a longer-lasting impression than “Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin,” from 1960, widely considered one of her greatest performances. This week, the pleasure grows.
Today, her record label will release “Ella: The Lost Berlin Tapes,” which was recorded at a 1962 concert. Her manager had stashed away the recordings and they were uncovered earlier this year. The new tapes, Giovanni writes, magnify her legacy. – NYT.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

The moon shines in glorious detail in false colour picture created by Andrew McCarthy which blends over 50,000 images to produce a stunningly detailed image. Taken from Andrew’s garden in California, USA the composite images is created by a variety of post processing techniques to reveal details that are hidden to the naked eye. See SWNS copy SWCAmoon: A photographer has captured world’s most intricate and detailed photos of the moon – combining thousands of images to show with great clarity the moon’s surface.
CREDIT: ANDREW MCCARTHY/SWNS.COM

The Harvest Moon behind Darwen Tower in Lancashire, UK.
CREDIT: LEE MANSFIELD/BAV MEDIA

Birds fly over the medieval Charles Bridge as the sun rises in Prague, Czech Republic.
CREDIT: REUTERS/ DAVID W CERNY
Market Closes for October 2nd, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27682.81 -134.09
-0.48%
S&P 500 3348.42 -32.38
-0.96%
NASDAQ 11075.016 -251.491

-2.22%

TSX 16199.25 +14.71
+0.09%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23029.90 -155.22
-0.67%
HANG
SENG
23459.05 +183.52
+0.79%
SENSEX 38697.05 +629.12
+1.65%
FTSE 100* 5902.12 +22.67

+0.39%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.565 0.553
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.120 1.102
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.7022 0.6774
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.4914 1.4552

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75149 0.75266
US
$
1.33068 1.32862
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.55912 0.64139
US
$
1.17167 0.85348

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1902.00 1886.90
Oil
WTI Crude Future 37.05 38.72

Market Commentary:
Ireland’s top court says it knows what bread is, and the stuff Subway uses for its sandwiches isn’t it. To be considered bread under the country’s Value Added Tax Act, which dates to 1972, sugar can make up no more than 2% of the weight of the flour used to make dough for bread, according to the ruling.  Sugar makes up 10% of the weight of Subway’s flour in dough for heated sandwiches, the judgment says. Bread that meets the definition isn’t taxed under the law.
Canada
(MT Newswires)
     Canada’s main stock market, the Toronto Stock Exchange, completed a near 200 points turn around in closing Friday up a modest 15 points at about 16,200, but this came after the Index had dropped to early Friday session lows just above 16,000. This added to the more than 60 points gained Thursday, the first day of the new month and quarter. It comes after September was the first losing month in Canada since March, so the pick up of the last two days may mark some bargain buying.
In comparison, for something of a change, today in the US the S&P lost 1% and the Dow Jones lost 0.5% — although they were above intraday lows — on solid, but restrained, payrolls data and, of course, news that US President Trump had tested positive to COVID-19. Among sectors on the TSX, Financials gained near 0.95%, Materials rose near 0.85% and Energy was up near 0.6%.Story of the day may have involved Suncor Energy Inc. (SU.TO, SU), which is slashing as many as 2,000 jobs, to reflect difficulties stemming from the current oil price environment. Its stock gained 2.9%.
Of commodities, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil fell more than 4% to the lowest in three weeks on Friday on fading hopes for the United States to pass a new stimulus bill and on demand worries as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread, with U.S. President Donald Trump testing positive for the coronavirus. WTI crude for November delivery settled down $1.67 to US$37.05 per barrel, Marketwatch reported, the lowest since Sept.9. Brent crude for December delivery was last seen down $1.76 to US$39.17 while Western Canada Select dropped $1.15 to US$26.58 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold edged lower on Friday as the U.S. dollar strengthened following a positive Covid-19 diagnosis for the president of the United States. Gold for December delivery closed down $8.70 to US$1,907.60 per ounce in Comex trade. Price: 16199.25, Change: +14.7, Percent Change: +0.1

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite advanced slightly to 16,199.25 in Toronto.
Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 1.2 percent. Vermilion Energy Inc. had the largest increase, rising 5.7 percent.
Today, 100 of 223 shares rose, while 120 fell; 7 of 11 sectors were higher, led by financials stocks.

Insights
* So far this week, the index rose 0.8 percent, heading for the biggest advance since the week ended Aug. 28
* This year, the index fell 5.1 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 0.7 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 16 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 9.9 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 45 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.9 on a trailing basis and 23.2 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.48t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 15.14 percent compared with 15.20 percent in the previous session and the average of 13.30 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | 43.1397| 0.9| 23/3
Energy | 10.4931| 0.6| 13/10
Communication Services | 6.3492| 0.8| 7/0
Utilities | 4.0821| 0.5| 10/5
Industrials | 2.4985| 0.1| 10/18
Consumer Discretionary | 2.3529| 0.4| 6/7
Real Estate | 0.2495| 0.0| 14/12
Health Care | -1.7735| -1.2| 1/8
Consumer Staples | -2.8303| -0.4| 2/9
Materials | -21.2432| -0.8| 13/39
Information Technology | -28.6333| -1.7| 1/9

US
By Claire Ballentine and Lu Wang
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks slumped in volatile trading as investors weighed the implications of President Donald Trump’s positive test for the coronavirus along with renewed efforts to forge agreement on fiscal stimulus.
The Nasdaq 100 led losses amid declines for tech companies  including Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.com. The megacap shares also dragged down the S&P 500 Index, even as most stocks on the gauge gained. A disappointing jobs report that showed less hiring than analysts had estimated underscored the urgency to push through an aid measure, and stocks were pushed around by conflicting signals on the prospects for reaching a compromise in Washington.
Crude oil tumbled for a second day. The yen, often seen as a haven in times of market stress, edged higher amid the increased uncertainty in the runup to the Nov. 3 presidential election. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals rose in after-hours trading after Trump’s doctor said the president was treated with its antibody cocktail.
Traders had already been bracing for turmoil ahead of the ballot and in the months afterward, and the CBOE Volatility Index, known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, jumped the most in a month at one point Friday before paring most of the increase.
“Whether it’s the president’s health situation or the payrolls report, this pandemic is still very much with us,” Anastasia Amoroso, head of cross-asset thematic strategy at JPMorgan Private Bank, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “This really raises the specter of the importance for getting the fiscal stimulus done and for making sure people have access to enhanced unemployment benefits.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged airlines to delay job cuts, saying an aid package was on the way. She said negotiations with the White House on a new stimulus will press ahead and Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis might change the tenor of the talks by emphasizing the seriousness of the pandemic.
While Trump was said to be experiencing only mild symptoms, the president’s diagnosis adds to gloomy developments around the virus as big cities once again turn into hotspots. New York reported the most new cases since May, while London is said to be at a “tipping point” with infections continuing to rise. Thousands of job cuts this week showed how firms are still wrestling with readjustments needed to survive.
In Europe, stocks edged higher. The pound gained on news U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will intervene in the Brexit negotiations for the first time since June when he holds talks with his EU counterpart on Saturday. Investors will also be watching this weekend for news on Trump’s health and the spread of the coronavirus. “To the extent that government functions as normal, markets will be concerned, but not necessarily panic,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Independent Advisor
Alliance. “However, this incident highlights how Covid-19 continues to be a threat to the economy and markets.”

    These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index fell 1% as of 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.3%.
* The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 0.5%.
* The MSCI Emerging Market Index decreased 0.3%.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed.
* The euro dipped 0.3% to $1.1713.
* The British pound advanced 0.3% to $1.2934.
* The Japanese yen strengthened 0.1% to 105.39 per dollar.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose one basis point to 0.69%.
* Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at -0.54%.
* Britain’s 10-year yield rose one basis point to 0.24%.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude sank 4.3% to $37.06 a barrel.
* Gold fell 0.2% to $1,903.17 an ounce.
–With assistance from Chikako Mogi, Nancy Moran, Adam Haigh, Joe Easton, Yakob Peterseil and Robert Brand

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Kind words do not cost much.  Yet they accomplish much.
                                          -Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662

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

October 1, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Harvest full moon tonight.  There will be  two full moons in October this year, the Harvest moon tonight and a rare blue moon on  Halloween, October 31st
 

 
1908 – Henry Ford introduced the Model T automobile to the market; each car cost $825.Go to Article >>

1890: Yosemite National Park established.
Jimmy Carter, 39th President, b. 1924.
Julie Andrews, b. 1935.

Scientists find evidence of a long-ago supernova near Earth.

October – The eighth month of the ancient Roman calendar (Latin octo, “eight”) when the year began in March.  The old Dutch name was Wynmaand, the Old English name Winmōnath, “wine month” or the time of vintage.  Another old English name was Winterfylleth, perhaps meaning “winter full moon”, but possibly from fyllan, “to fell”, a  time of tree-felling.  In the French Revolutionary calendar, the equivalent month was Vendémiaire, “time of vintage”, corresponding to the period from September 23rd to October 22nd. –Brewster’s Dictionary.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Riders and their horses pass through autumn colors in the woods near Cremona, Alberta, Canada.
CREDIT: JEFF MCINTOSH/THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

A model walks the runway during the Kenzo Womenswear Spring/ Summer 2021 show as part of Paris Fashion Week
CREDIT: KRISTY SPAROW/ GETTY IMAGES

Harry Potter fan Joey Bruce during the unveiling of the new statue at Leicester Square in London, England. The statue is part of the “ Scenes in the Square” film trail
CREDIT; IAN GAVAN/GETTY IMAGES

The “Knittingdale”, a model hospital created by great-great-grandmother Margaret Seaman, 91, at a photocall at the Forum in Norwich. Mrs. Seaman made the woollen masterpiece, which features four wards, an X-ray department, a coffee shop and car park ticket machines, at the home she shares with her 72-year-old daughter Tricia Wilson in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, to raise funds for the NHS
CREDIT: JOE GIDDENS/PA WIRE
Market Closes for October 1st, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27816.90 +35.20
+0.13%
S&P 500 3380.80 +17.80
+0.53%
NASDAQ 11326.508 +159.001

+1.42%

TSX 16184.54 +63.16
+0.39%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23185.12 N.A
HANG
SENG
23459.05 +183.52
+0.79%
SENSEX 38697.05 +629.12
+1.65%
FTSE 100* 5879.45 +13.35

+0.23%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.553 0.564
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.102 1.113
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.6774 0.6840
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.4552 1.4591

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75266 0.75076
US
$
1.32862 1.33198
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.56072 0.64073
US
$
1.17469 0.85129

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1886.90 1883.95
Oil
WTI Crude Future 38.72 40.22

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1928, the Dow Jones Industrial Average assumed its modern form, adding 10 new members so that it comprised 30 of the country’s greatest growth stocks. Among them were such giants as American Smelting, Nash Motors, Postum, Texas Gulf Sulphur and Victor Talking Machine.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equity markets rose for the first time in three sessions Thursday as technology and real-estate stocks outperformed.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index climbed 0.4%. Constellation Software led the rally in tech stocks, while Brookfield Property Partners was among the best real estate stocks. The energy sector was the worst performer, led by large to medium-cap companies such as Suncor and Cenovus.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mapped out a new plan for Canada’s infrastructure bank as his government looks for ways to spur long-term economic growth after the Covid-19 pandemic. The new strategy commits C$10 billion ($7.5 billion) over three years through the Canada Infrastructure Bank and is expected to create 60,000 jobs across the country, the government said Thursday.
Moreover, the number of insolvency filings in Canada plunged to the lowest level since 1997 as massive cash injections from the federal government kept households afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $10.95 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 1% to $1,905 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.3% to C$1.3280 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield fell slightly to 0.551%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.4 percent at 16,184.54 in Toronto. The move follows the previous session’s decrease of 0.6 percent.
Shopify Inc. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 2.9 percent. Ballard Power Systems Inc. had the largest increase, rising 8.7 percent.
Today, 161 of 223 shares rose, while 59 fell; 9 of 11 sectors were higher, led by information technology stocks.

Insights
* So far this week, the index rose 0.7 percent, heading for the  biggest advance since the week ended Aug. 28
* This year, the index fell 5.2 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 1.6 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 15 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 9.9 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 44.9 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1.7 percent in the past 5 days and fell 2.8 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.9 on a trailing basis and 23.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.46t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 15.20 percent compared with 15.15 percent in the previous session and the average of 13.08 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Information Technology | 43.4095| 2.6| 9/1
Materials | 17.1881| 0.7| 43/9
Financials | 8.7660| 0.2| 19/7
Real Estate | 7.1797| 1.4| 25/2
Consumer Discretionary | 6.9314| 1.2| 13/0
Utilities | 5.5878| 0.7| 14/2
Industrials | 1.2027| 0.1| 20/8
Consumer Staples | 0.6857| 0.1| 6/5
Health Care | 0.4992| 0.3| 4/5
Communication Services | -0.0214| 0.0| 4/2
Energy | -28.2780| -1.6| 4/18

US
By Vildana Hajric
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks advanced, led by gains in the biggest technology companies, as investors weighed the chances Democratic lawmakers and the White House will reach a deal for a fiscal-stimulus package. Oil tumbled on concern the market may be oversupplied.
The Nasdaq 100 reached the highest in almost a month as Amazon.com, Microsoft and Tesla rose. The S&P 500 Index’s advance was limited by declines in energy producers. Trading was volatile, with stocks pushed around by the latest developments in efforts to forge a stimulus bill acceptable to Democrats and Republicans. Talks were set to continue Thursday as officials sought a breakthrough.
European stocks closed slightly higher. Gold advanced, while Treasury yields dipped. Oil tumbled to about $39 a barrel on concern about oversupply amid sluggish economic growth.
U.S. stock markets have been whipsawed this week by speculation over whether lawmakers will agree to provide new pandemic-relief aid amid high unemployment and growing rates of infection in some areas. While the S&P 500 Index is up more than 50% from its March low, it’s still down more than 5% from a record high reached last month.
In Asia, the Tokyo Stock Exchange halted trading for the entire day Thursday because of technical problems. The exchange will replace hardware and restart its system, aiming to resume trading Friday.
Here are some key events coming up:
* The September U.S. employment report on Friday will be the last before the November election.

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index rose 0.5% as of 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.2%.
* The MSCI Emerging Market Index rose 0.3%.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index declined 0.3%.
* The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.2889.
* The Japanese yen fell 0.1% to 105.56 per dollar.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell one basis point to 0.68%.
* Germany’s 10-year yield fell one basis point to -0.54%.
* Britain’s 10-year yield climbed less than one basis point to 0.23%.
* New Zealand’s 10-year yield climbed two basis points to 0.505%.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude tumbled 3.8% to $38.70 a barrel.
* Gold strengthened 1% to $1,905.27 an ounce.
* Silver rose 2.5% to $23.81 per ounce.
–With assistance from Adam Haigh and Todd White.

Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.
                                        -Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881

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

September 30, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
1452 – Guttenberg Bible published.
1955 – James Dean killed in car crash.
Truman Capote, b. 1924
Elie Wiesel, b. 1928

Take a virtual tour along the Ket River in Siberia, home to a range of solitary settlements. -NYT.

How Iceland’s medieval past affects it today.

On Sept. 30, 1938, British, French, German and Italian leaders agreed at a meeting in Munich that Nazi Germany would be allowed to annex Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. Go to article »

5 parrots at a wildlife park were moved after swearing at visitors. Nature is beautiful -CNN.

Since a fossilized feather was pulled out of the ground in Germany in 1861, the identity of the creature that shed it has long been debated. A new study claims to have settled the mystery: The feather belongs to archaeopteryx, a herald of the evolutionary transition between dinosaurs and birds.  The researchers also found that the feather fit perfectly into the wing of a archaeopteryx fossil found at nearby site, reuniting the feather with the dinosaur that may have dropped it. One paleontologist was so jubilant and certain about his finding that he got it tattooed on his body. -NYT.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Tomas Spalovsky during the harvest of 40,000 Pumpkins at Spilman’s pick your own Pumpkin Farm, near Thirsk in North Yorkshire
CREDIT; DANNY LAWSON/ PA

Handlers herd racing camels equipped with robot jockeys during a race at Dubai’s al-Marmoom heritage village, in the Untied Arab Emirates
CREDIT: KARIM SAHIB/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

A man crosses a suspension bridge in Kathmandu, Nepal
CREDIT: NAVESH CHITRAKAR/ REUTERS
Market Closes for September 30th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27781.70 +329.04
+1.20%
S&P 500 3363.00 +27.53
+0.83%
NASDAQ 11167.508 +82.260

+0.74%

TSX 16121.38 -90.14
-0.56%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23185.12 -353.98
-1.50%
HANG
SENG
23459.05 +183.52
+0.79%
SENSEX 38067.93 +94.71
+0.25%
FTSE 100* 5866.10 -31.40

-0.53%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.564 0.537
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.113 1.083
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.6840 0.6495
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.4591 1.4168

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.75076 0.74669
US
$
1.33198 1.33924
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.56181 0.64028
US
$
1.17255 0.85285

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1883.95 1864.30
Oil
WTI Crude Future 40.22 39.29

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1882, the first hydroelectric power plant went into service in Appleton, Wisc., turning the falling water of the Fox River into electricity that powered H.F. Rogers’ paper mill and lit up two neighboring buildings.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equity markets fell for the first time since the pandemic-induced March selloff, led by the energy sector, which was the worst performing group in September.
The S&P/TSX Composite index fell 2.4% in the month, the first monthly decline since an 18% slump in March. The S&P/TSX Composite Energy Sector Index led the way down, falling more than 10% in September, led by Vermilion Energy.
The S&P/TSX index also fell 0.6% on Wednesday. For the entire third quarter, the index rallied 3.9%, making it the second up quarter this year.
Meanwhile, it took four months for Canada’s economy to recover almost three-quarters of its pandemic losses. Repairing the remaining damage could take years. Output jumped 4% in July and August, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday, bringing gross domestic product to about 95% of levels in February, the last full month before lockdowns began. At the depth of the recession in April, that number was 82%.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $10.65 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 0.6% to $1,886.90 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar rose 0.5% to C$1.3318 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield rose 3 basis points to 0.563%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell for the second day, dropping 0.6 percent, or 90.14 to 16,121.38 in Toronto.
TC Energy Corp. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 3.5 percent. OceanaGold Corp. had the largest drop, falling 9.3 percent.
Today, 142 of 223 shares fell, while 75 rose; 9 of 11 sectors were lower, led by energy stocks.

Insights
* This month, the index fell 2.4 percent
* This quarter, the index rose 3.9 percent
* This year, the index fell 5.5 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 3.2 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 13 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 10.3 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 44.3 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1.9 percent in the past 5 days and fell 2.4 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.8 on a trailing basis and 23.2 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.48t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 15.15 percent compared with 15.10 percent in the previous session and the average of 12.85 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Energy | -35.2357| -2.0| 5/17
Materials | -15.4963| -0.6| 12/39
Industrials | -11.4062| -0.6| 8/20
Communication Services | -9.6487| -1.1| 0/7
Financials | -9.6409| -0.2| 9/16
Information Technology | -8.3704| -0.5| 3/7
Consumer Staples | -4.2581| -0.6| 3/8
Utilities | -1.3683| -0.2| 3/12
Consumer Discretionary | -1.1045| -0.2| 6/7
Health Care | 1.7343| 1.2| 4/5
Real Estate | 4.6647| 0.9| 22/4

US
By Claire Ballentine
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks finished higher after a volatile session that saw traders whipsawed by reports on the outlook for a new round of government stimulus.
The S&P 500 Index climbed 0.8%, paring gains of as much as 1.7% after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there had been no agreement on pandemic relief, though talks would continue.
Speculation a deal was in the works kept the benchmark at a two- week high. Portfolio rebalancing tied to the end of the month added to volatility.
Global investors are also keeping an eye on news about coronavirus vaccines amid the latest moves in Washington. New Jersey reported an uptick in the statewide positivity rate to the highest in months, while Spain ordered extra restrictions in Madrid to curb spread in Europe’s hardest-hit nation.
“As coronavirus continues to linger and certain areas of the economy are still shut down, you need some sort of stimulus package,” said Andrea Roemhildt, investment manager at Aware Asset Management. “The market is just waiting for a signal that this might actually get done.”
The S&P 500 posted an 8.5% gain this quarter, a slowdown from the previous three months’ 20% leap but still an impressive return considering the economic havoc wrought by the coronavirus. The benchmark index was down more than 6% from an all-time high reached on Sept. 2. Treasury yields ticked higher Wednesday while the dollar weakened. Emerging-market stocks gained. Europe’s benchmark index slipped.
Elsewhere, equities slumped in Asia. Crude oil advanced toward $40 a barrel amid optimism over shrinking U.S. supplies.
Here are some key events coming up:
* The September U.S. employment report on Friday will be the last before the November election.

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index rose 0.8% as of 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell 0.1%.
* The MSCI Asia Pacific Index decreased 0.1%.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.3%.
* The British pound rose 0.4% to $1.2917.
* The euro slumped 0.2% to $1.1726.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose four basis points to 0.69%.
* Germany’s 10-year yield rose two basis points to -0.52%.
* Britain’s 10-year yield climbed five basis points to 0.23%.
* New Zealand’s 10-year yield climbed five basis points to 0.485%.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.9% to $40.02 a barrel.
* Gold weakened 0.5% to $1,888.65 an ounce.
* The Bloomberg Commodities Index rose 0.8%.
–With assistance from Adam Haigh, Vassilis Karamanis, Todd White, Constantine Courcoulas and Sophie Caronello.

Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

I’ll tell you what bravery really is.  Bravery is just determination
to do a job that you know has to be done.
                                                 -Audie Murphy, 1925-1971

September 29, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:  Michaelmas – St. Michael’s Day.

Miguel de Cervantes, b. 1547.
Horatio Nelson, b. 1758.
Enrico Fermi, b. 1901

1978 – Pope John Paul I was found dead in his Vatican apartment a little more than one month after becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church. Go to article »

Did the German painter Albrecht Dürer create the selfie five centuries ago? -NY Times

Scientists precisely measure the total amount of matter in the universe. 
Some physicists see signs of cosmic strings from the Big Bang.  –Bloomberg.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

‘Start Point lighthouse’, by Liam Holley, which has been highly commended in the Coastal Views category of the 2020 Ultimate Sea View photography competition run by national maritime charity, the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society.
CREDIT: LIAM HOLLEY/PA

The moon rises behind Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat silhouetting these walkers from the Edinburgh University student halls of residence which is located at the base of the extinct Scottish volcano. Rather than going to the pub last night these students took to the hill above their student residence.
CREDIT: TOM DUFFIN/SOLENT NEWS & PHOTO AGENCY

A fresh and crisp start to the day as autumn’s chilly fingers grip the town of Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
CREDIT: ROBERT PEEL/SWNS

Market Closes for September 29th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27452.66 -131.40
-0.48%
S&P 500 3335.47 -16.13
-0.48%
NASDAQ 11085.250 -32.275

-0.29%

TSX 16211.52 -31.29
-0.19%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23539.10 +27.48
+0.12%
HANG
SENG
23275.53 -200.52
-0.85%
SENSEX 37973.22 -8.41
-0.02%
FTSE 100* 5897.50 -30.43

-0.51%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.537 0.553
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.083 1.100
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.6495 0.6561
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1..4168 1.4174

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.74669 0.74781
US
$
1.33924 1.33725
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.57232 0.63600
US
$
1.17404 0.85176

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1864.30 1859.70
Oil
WTI Crude Future 39.29 40.60

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1952, the New York Stock Exchange changed its trading hours so that the market would close at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, instead of 3 p.m., and it would no longer be open at all on Saturday.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equity markets fell on Tuesday, led lower by energy and financial stocks. The S&P/TSX Composite Index declined 0.2% in Toronto. Energy stocks were the worst performers as oil plunged to its lowest in two weeks on growing fears that a sustained recovery in demand is still some way off. Meanwhile, tech stocks were the best performers, led by Shopify’s gains. Canada’s largest commercial landlords are seeing some improvements in rent collection as tenants find ways to normalize their businesses during the pandemic. Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, which operates 200 offices and other properties in Canada’s largest cities, expects to collect about 98% of rent in its third quarter as some deferrals roll off, according to Chief Financial Officer Cecilia Williams.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $10.75 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 0.9% to $1,897.95 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.1% to C$1.3389 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield fell to 0.533%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.2 percent at 16,211.52 in Toronto. The move follows the previous session’s increase of 1.1 percent. Royal Bank of Canada contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 1.7 percent. Crescent Point Energy Corp. had the largest drop, falling 6.4 percent. Today, 122 of 223 shares fell, while 99 rose; 7 of 11 sectors were lower, led by financials stocks.

Insights
* This month, the index fell 1.8 percent
* This quarter, the index rose 4.5 percent
* This year, the index fell 5 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 2.9 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 12 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 9.8 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 45.1 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 0.4 percent in the past 5 days and fell 3 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.9 on a trailing basis and 23.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12- month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.48t
* 30-day price volatility little changed to 15.10 percent compared with 15.09 percent in the previous session and the average of 12.74 percent over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | | Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | -66.1466| -1.4| 2/24
Energy | -42.9275| -2.4| 2/21
Real Estate | -4.0465| -0.8| 8/19
Consumer Discretionary | -3.9954| -0.7| 4/9
Communication Services | -3.3493| -0.4| 2/5
Consumer Staples | -0.8258| -0.1| 4/7
Health Care | -0.4528| -0.3| 4/6
Utilities | 1.9233| 0.2| 8/7
Industrials | 3.6528| 0.2| 18/10
Materials | 23.5306| 0.9| 41/10
Information Technology | 61.3583| 3.8| 6/4

US
By Sarah Ponczek
(Bloomberg) — The end-of-month rebound in global equities faded as investors weighed prospects for fiscal stimulus in the U.S. and the outlook for the coronavirus pandemic. Oil tumbled on concern slow growth will limit demand. The S&P 500 Index slumped, with more than two stocks falling for every one that advanced, after talks on expanding aid ended for the day with plans to resume discussions tomorrow. An exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 gained 0.2% in after-hours trading after a study showed a Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. antibody cocktail may help treat coronavirus patients outside of the hospital. Oil fell toward $39 a barrel in New York. Treasuries were little changed, while the dollar weakened.
With the pandemic’s global death toll exceeding 1 million and virus cases on the upswing in many locales, investors are pinning hopes on a $2.2 trillion stimulus proposal by Democrats to help support economic growth. End-of-month and end-of-quarter portfolio rebalancing could also be exacerbating market moves as September comes to a close. “A lot of the fiscal stimulus conversation is driving the markets here in the near-term,” said Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management. At the same time, there “has been a fear that you’d have a resurgence in cases in the fall and some people have chosen to take their money and sit on the sidelines.”
The negotiations between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats are reaching a critical juncture this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke Tuesday morning for 50 minutes and are set to speak again Wednesday. Markets are also girding for the first presidential debate Tuesday, and traders have pushed up overnight implied volatilities on Mexico’s peso in anticipation of price swings.
Elsewhere, Banks led broad-based declines in the Stoxx Europe 600 index. The MSCI AC Asia Pacific Index was little changed as South Korean shares advanced, while Hong Kong stocks fell. Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. announced plans to turn its wireless carrier unit NTT Docomo Inc. into a wholly owned subsidiary in a $40 billion buyout. NTT Docomo shares surged by their limit at the close in Tokyo.

Here are some key events coming up:
* China purchasing manager indexes are due Wednesday, and expected to show September manufacturing improved slightly while non-manufacturing moderated from August’s level.
* The EIA crude oil inventory report comes out Wednesday.
* The September U.S. employment report on Friday will be the last before the November election.

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index fell 0.5% as of 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index dipped 0.5%.
* The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index declined 0.3%.
* Sterling rose 0.2% to $1.2866.
* The Japanese yen weakened 0.2% to 105.67 per dollar.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell less than one basis point to 0.65%.
* Germany’s 10-year yield dipped two basis points to -0.55%.
* Britain’s 10-year yield decreased two basis points to 0.18%.
* Italy’s 10-year yield declined three basis points to 0.85%.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude tumbled 3.8% to $39.04 a barrel.
* Gold rose 0.8% to $1,897.22 an ounce.
* Silver rose 2.3% to $24.23 per ounce.
–With assistance from Gregor Stuart Hunter, Ravil Shirodkar, Andreea Papuc, Elena Popina and Todd White.


Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

Our greatest foes, and whom we must chiefly combat, are within.
                                         -Miguel de Cervantes, 1547-1616

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

September 28, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Yom Kippur today.  Shana tovah.

Cabrillo Day – Discovery of California, 1542.

Al Capp, b. 1909
Brigitte Bardot, b. 1934
Marcello Mastroianni, b. 1924
Gwyneth Paltrow, b. 1973

Moschino sends puppets down the runway for Milan Fashion Week.  If only we could send puppets in to do our Zoom meetings, too.CNN

On Sept. 28, 1924, two United States Army planes landed in Seattle, Washington, having completed the first round-the-world flight in 175 days. Go to article »

Scientists find three more underground lakes on Mars. –Bloomberg.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Fresh snow is visible on the slopes of the Moleson mountain near the still green pastures, on Saturday, 26 September 2020, at Moleson in Gruyere, Switzerland. 
CREDIT: LAURENT GILLIERON/KEYSTONE

Sunsetting by the lighthouse in Anglesea with Ireland seen in the distance on a clear night.
CREDIT: GREG BUTLER/BAV MEDIA

A common green damselfly. Incredible close-up photos show insects covered in perfectly formed dew drops. Messingham Sand Quarry in North Lincolnshire.
CREDIT: CALVIN LEE/SOLENT NEWS & PHOTO AGENCY

Market Closes for September 28th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27584.06 +410.10
+1.51%
S&P 500 3351.60 +53.14
+1.61%
NASDAQ 11117.527 +203.965

+1.87%

TSX 16242.81 +177.46
+1.10%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23511.62 +307.00
+1.32%
HANG
SENG
23476.05 +240.63
+1.04%
SENSEX 37981.63 +592.97
+1.59%
FTSE 100* 5927.93 +85.26

+1.46%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.553 0.543
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.100 1.073
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.6561 0.6544
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.4174 1.4013

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.74781 0.74688
US
$
1.33725 1.33891
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.56005 0.64101
US
$
1.1661 0.85718

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1859.70 1861.75
Oil
WTI Crude Future 40.60 40.10

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1987, the cover of Fortune magazine asked, “ARE STOCKS TOO HIGH?” The world’s leading hedge-fund manager, George Soros, told Fortune that “while the market is already unstable and overvalued, it has not yet reached the point of collapse. Indeed, it could yet move much higher.” Just 14 trading days later, the stock market dropped by 23%.
Canada
By Aoyon Ashraf
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities rallied with global markets Monday, led by consumer discretionary and financial stocks. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 1.1%. All 11 sectors were positive, with Methanex Corp. the best-performing stock and Lundin Mining Corp. the worst. Amazon.com Inc. expects to nearly triple its workforce in Vancouver, where software engineers are cheap, smart and plentiful. The online retail giant plans to occupy a bunker-like former Canada Post mailing center that’s being redeveloped into a new 1.1 million square-foot office to house 8,000 jobs by 2023, Jesse Dougherty, a vice president and Vancouver site lead at Amazon, said by phone.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $10.60 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold rose 1.1% to $1,882 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar strengthened slightly to C$1.3378 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield rose 1 basis point to 0.551%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the third day, climbing 1.1 percent, or 177.46 to 16,242.81 in Toronto. The move was the biggest since rising 1.8 percent on Sept. 9. Today, financials stocks led the market higher, as all sectors gained; 189 of 223 shares rose, while 32 fell. Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 1.7 percent. Methanex Corp. had the largest increase, rising 6.9 percent.

Insights
* This month, the index fell 1.6 percent
* This quarter, the index rose 4.7 percent
* This year, the index fell 4.8 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 2.7 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 13 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 9.6 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 45.4 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1.6 percent in the past 5 days and fell 2.8 percent in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.9 on a trailing basis and 23.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.46t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 15.09 percent compared with 14.93 percent in the previous session and the average of 12.48 percent over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | | Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | 87.1602| 1.9| 24/2
Energy | 20.9455| 1.2| 22/1
Industrials | 16.6625| 0.8| 25/3
Utilities | 11.5708| 1.4| 15/1
Consumer Discretionary | 11.4087| 2.0| 11/2
Communication Services | 9.8548| 1.2| 7/0
Materials | 9.1349| 0.4| 41/10
Real Estate | 6.9758| 1.4| 23/3
Consumer Staples | 2.8704| 0.4| 10/1
Information Technology | 0.8628| 0.1| 6/4
Health Care | 0.0160| 0.0| 5/5

US
By Vildana Hajric and Claire Ballentine
(Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks jumped after four weeks of declines and European shares added the most in three months amid broad gains for equities. The dollar weakened. Banks led the S&P 500 Index to its biggest gain in two weeks as investors found buying opportunities after the gauge fell to its lowest since July last week. More than 10 stocks were higher on the benchmark for every one that fell. HSBC Holdings Plc added almost 9% after its biggest shareholder raised its stake, while an index of lenders rose the most a month. Shares also advanced in Asia. Signs that U.S. politicians are moving toward new fiscal stimulus has been a boon to stocks in recent days, while the Federal Reserve continues to provide liquidity. Stronger economic reports from China also lifted investor sentiment, with data over the weekend showing profits at Chinese industrial companies grew for a fourth consecutive month in August.
“The Fed is making it almost impossible for you to get too bearish,” said John Porter, head of equities at Mellon Investments. “The market is getting more comfortable with the realization that Covid is going to be with us for a while now.” The advance in global stocks was broad, instead of tech- focused, a sign that optimism about global growth and the end of pandemic lockdowns is returning. Still, equities remain on course for the first month of losses since March after investors sold overheated stocks and fears about a resurgence in the virus weighed on airlines and retailers.
“September certainly continued to challenge the intestinal fortitude of the bulls, but charting the S&P 500 from March shows the bull market remains very much intact,” said Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investment product at E*Trade Financial Corp. In emerging markets, the Turkish lira and Russian ruble weakened as fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan curbed appetite for the currencies of their bigger neighbors.
Here are some key events coming up:
* On Tuesday, the first U.S. presidential debate will take place between President Donald Trump and Democratic opponent Joe Biden.
* China purchasing manager indexes are due Wednesday, and expected to show September manufacturing improved slightly while non-manufacturing moderated from August’s level.
* The EIA crude oil inventory report comes out Wednesday.
* The September U.S. employment report on Friday will be the last before the November election.

These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index gained 1.6% as of 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed 2.2%.
* The MSCI Asia Pacific Index increased 1.3%.
* The MSCI Emerging Market Index climbed 1.1%.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.3%.
* The euro gained 0.3% to $1.1667.
* The British pound jumped 0.7% to $1.2834.
* The Japanese yen rose 0.1% to 105.49 per dollar.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose less than 1 basis point to 0.66%.
* Germany’s 10-year yield rose less than one basis point to -0.53%.
* Britain’s 10-year yield rose one basis point to 0.20%.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.8% to $40.59 a barrel.
* Gold strengthened 1% to $1,880.22 an ounce.
–With assistance from Namitha Jagadeesh, Adam Haigh, Andreea Papuc and Anchalee Worrachate.


Have a great night.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann

A great book begins with an idea; a great life, with a determination.
                                        -Louis Dearborn L’Amour, 1908-1988

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

September 25, 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday.
September 25, 1676: Greenwich Mean Time established.
William Faulkner, writer, b.1897
Dmitri Shostakovich, composer, b. 1906

On Sept. 25, 1957, with 300 United States Army troops standing guard, nine black children were escorted to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, days after unruly white crowds had forced them to withdraw.  Go to article »

David Attenborough, who has worked on some of the greatest nature documentaries, joined Instagram yesterday with a warning: “The world is in trouble.” He also set a record, becoming the user who reached one million followers the fastest. -The NY Times.

Most of us are stuck at home at the moment, so here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. –The NY Times.

Daniel Boulud’s relaunched restaurant will have sponsors.-Bloomberg.

Crows are even smarter than we thought.

From the late-night comedy show hosts last night:
During a Wednesday news conference at the White House, President Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the election, saying, “We’ll have to see what happens.”
“Well, so much for that Nobel Peace Prize,” Jimmy Kimmel joked in his Thursday night monologue.

“You can’t just squat the White House!” — JIMMY KIMMEL

“So if Trump loses the election, getting him out of the White House will be like trying to get a bird out of your living room. It’s like, ‘Oh, I got ’em. Hold on, OK.? Nobody move — he’s behind the curtain! Nobody move! Shut the door! Shut the door!’”— JIMMY FALLON

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A general view as a runner eases down after finishing in The British Stallion Studs EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap at Newmarket Racecourse in Newmarket, England. Owners are allowed to attend if they have a runner at the meeting otherwise racing remains behind closed doors to the public due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
CREDIT: ALAN CROWHURST/GETTY IMAGES

Seventeen new Anglican deacons (priests in their first year of ministry) are to be ordained at Wells Cathedral, UK, this weekend, in a socially distanced service which will be streamed to Facebook due to coronavirus restrictions which prevent their families attending.
CREDIT: APEX NEWS AND PICTURES

Environmental activist and campaigner Mya-Rose Craig, 18, holds a cardboard sign reading “youth strike for climate” standing on the ice flow in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle.
CREDIT: REUTERS/ NATALIE THOMAS

John Lewis & Partners will launch its Christmas Shop at its flagship shop on Oxford Street, London, UK and online with a virtual 3D shop tour. The shop will host its largest ever Christmas Tree Forest, a one stop gift emporium and festive footpath decorations. The specialised department will be located on the rd floor of Oxford Street and is designed to be a joyful and safe environment to shop in.
CREDIT: PAUL GROVER FOR THE TELEGRAPH
Market Closes for September 25th, 2020 

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
27173.96 +358.52
+1.34%
S&P 500 3298.46 +51.87
+1.60%
NASDAQ 10913.563 +241.296

+2.26%

TSX 16065.35 +153.09
+0.96%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 23204.62 +116.80
+0.51%
HANG
SENG
23235.42 -75.65
-0.32%
SENSEX 37388.66 +835.06
+2.28%
FTSE 100* 5842.67 +19.89

+0.34%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
0.543 0.557
CND.
30 Year
Bond
1.073 1.077
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
0.6544 0.6675
U.S.
30 Year Bond
1.4013 1.4058

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.74688 0.74888
US
$
1.33891 1.33533
Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse
Canadian $ 1.55728 0.64215
US
$
1.16309 0.85978

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix
1861.75 1873.40
Oil
WTI Crude Future 40.10 40.16

Market Commentary:
On this day in 1928, engineers and brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin incorporated the Galvin Manufacturing Corp. in Chicago, after taking over the bankrupt Stewart Storage Battery and its design for a battery eliminator, which allowed home radios to run on ordinary household current. Later the Galvins rechristened their firm with a racy name combining “motion” and “radio”: Motorola
Canada
By Michael Bellusci
(Bloomberg) — Canadian equities fell for a second straight week amid ongoing uncertainty about the economic recovery. Materials shares were among the laggards.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 1% Friday, with ten of eleven sectors higher, led by information technology and utilities. Even with Friday’s gain, the benchmark fell 0.8% on the week.
Canada’s stock market is on pace for its first monthly loss since the coronavirus pandemic rocked global markets in March, signaling investors should brace for a wild ride ahead. Tourmaline Oil Corp. is betting investors have an appetite for more Canadian energy stocks, offering up the biggest initial share sale to come out of Alberta’s oil patch in three years, through the formation of Topaz Energy Corp.
Gold is on track for its biggest weekly fall since March, coming under pressure from a surging dollar and damped inflation expectations.

Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $10.60 discount to West Texas Intermediate
* Spot gold fell 0.3% to $1,862 an ounce

FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar fell 0.2% to C$1.3388 per U.S. dollar
* The 10-year government bond yield fell 1.6 basis points to 0.541%

By Bloomberg Automation:
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the second day, climbing 1 percent, or 153.09 to 16,065.35 in Toronto.
Shopify Inc. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 6.1 percent. Cascades Inc. had the largest increase, rising 8.2 percent.
Today, 149 of 223 shares rose, while 73 fell; 10 of 11 sectors were higher, led by information technology stocks.

Insights
* So far this week, the index fell 0.8 percent
* This quarter, the index rose 3.5 percent
* This month, the index fell 2.7 percent
* This year, the index fell 5.8 percent, heading for the worst year since 2018
* The index declined 4.3 percent in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 10 percent in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 10.6 percent below its 52-week high on Feb. 20, 2020 and 43.8 percent above its low on March 23, 2020
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.6 on a trailing basis and 23.1 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$2.43t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 14.93 percent compared with 14.57 percent in the previous session and the average of 11.97 percent over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Information Technology | 65.6182| 4.3| 9/1
Financials | 25.7740| 0.6| 20/6
Industrials | 19.8518| 1.0| 21/7
Utilities | 15.1590| 1.8| 16/0
Communication Services | 8.5882| 1.0| 7/0
Real Estate | 7.4984| 1.5| 26/1
Energy | 6.8282| 0.4| 7/16
Consumer Discretionary | 5.9743| 1.1| 10/3
Health Care | 0.8853| 0.6| 6/3
Consumer Staples | 0.2467| 0.0| 8/3
Materials | -3.3462| -0.1| 19/33

US
By Rita Nazareth and Claire Ballentine
(Bloomberg) — Stocks climbed as dip buyers appeared after the market slide, tempering a cloudy outlook for a U.S. stimulus package.
Tech companies led gains in the S&P 500 as the Nasdaq 100 jumped 2.3%. Real-estate, industrial and consumer-discretionary shares rose at least 1.4%, while energy producers almost erased losses. Boeing surged on a news report the top U.S. aviation regulator plans to test-fly the grounded 737 Max on Wednesday.
Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises rallied after being upgraded at Barclays, which said the “worst is in the past” for cruise companies. The benchmark gauge still posted its fourth straight weekly drop — the longest streak since August 2019.

     The dollar advanced. Equities fell earlier Friday as a last-ditch attempt by Democrats and the White House to restart negotiations on new stimulus drew skepticism in Congress that a deal could be reached and written into law by the November election. There’s a perception that the two sides still remain far apart on the size of a relief package. Amid mounting signs that the pace of recovery will ebb with an uptick in global coronavirus cases and lack of further government aid, investors have once again turned back to the companies flush with cash and tested in times of crisis. “If I were to be unsure about a stimulus package, unsure about whether there will be a vaccine, there’s no better thing than to hide out in the megacap tech stocks because they work in an economy-closed scenario,” Andrew Slimmon, senior portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

These are some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 increased 1.6% at 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell 0.1%.
* The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.4%.

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index increased 0.3%.
* The euro dipped 0.4% to $1.1625.
* The Japanese yen depreciated 0.2% to 105.61 per dollar.

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries decreased one basis point to 0.65%.
* Britain’s 10-year yield fell three basis points to 0.189%.
* Germany’s 10-year yield decreased three basis points to -0.53%.

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 0.5% to $40.12 a barrel.
* Gold depreciated 0.3% to $1,862.66 an ounce.
* Silver weakened 1% to $22.91 per ounce.
–With assistance from Adam Haigh, Namitha Jagadeesh, Robert Brand, Todd White, Cormac Mullen and Vildana Hajric.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
​​​​​​​

In every good marriage, it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.
                                   -Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1933-2020

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