Fall is upon us

September 29, 2017 by sethchang Leave a comment

(This was originally published in the September 2017 version of The Dividend Growth Newsletter. It is available here.)

It’s always an interesting exercise to see how human psychology can dominate the stock market. Fall is upon us, and believers of the “October Effect” must also sense that in the markets, too. The crashes of 1907, 1929 and 1987 all occurred during that wretched month, and last October the S&P 500 declined 1.94%.

To make things worse, Donald “Dotard” Trump and Kim “Rocket Man” Jong-un continue to have their war of words, with no resolution in sight. The hope is that both administrations will limit their aggression to playground insults and not launching nuclear warheads. The lack of a response by markets to this constant friction is both surprising, in the sense that markets can be sensitive to political developments, and also unsurprising, in the sense that markets are so quick to react and analyze situations that most don’t expect a nuclear war to occur. But, uncertainty continues to be an enemy of the markets, and constant vigilance required.

A new addition to the American Dividend Aristocrat Portfolio is Carnival Corp. (NYSE:CCL), which operates the Carnival Cruise, Holland America and Princess Cruise Lines. The stock currently has a dividend yield of 2.48% and prior to the string of hurricanes, posted a record profits in their most recent quarter.

A quiet summer…?

May 31, 2017 by sethchang Leave a comment

(This was originally published in the May 2017 version of The Dividend Growth Newsletter. It is available here.)

Despite reports earlier in the year that Canada’s economic growth would outpace the U.S., the TSX has returned just 0.41% year-to-date. After an outstanding year in 2016, Canadian markets have remained relatively stagnant while the U.S. markets have rocketed; Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office had the fifth-highest percentage gain in the S&P 500 in history. Stats Canada says the country’s real GDP growth was 3.7% in Q1, but the Canadian dollar could go even lower with lower oil prices, Stats Canada’s numbers are often subject to revision and not always reliable, and the federal government has yet to inject the economy with any infrastructure spending.

The rest of the summer is expected to be quiet at best. At worst, there are many signals pointing towards a correction or a market downturn. Reports on overvalued stocks, low bond yields and an imminent bursting of the Canadian housing bubble have been ubiquitous, and the global political climate remains sensitive. Whether or not those calls come to fruition this year remains to be seen, but Canadians were sitting on big cash piles in 2016, which indicates investors have been cautious for quite some time.

The flip side, however, is that staying invested tends to pay off in the long run. Stocks in the Dividend Aristocrat portfolios are meant to be held long-term, even through market downturns. To better adapt to a constantly changing environment, 10 new names have been added to the three model portfolios, which are outlined in the newsletter.

Investing, caution

May 1, 2017 by sethchang Leave a comment

(This was originally published in the April 2017 version of The Dividend Growth Newsletter. It is available here.)

Despite a record-breaking 24 executive orders – the most since World War II – in Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, it seems very little has changed. Twitter continues to showcase the best and worst of Trump, the U.S. is still very much part of NAFTA, tax reform has yet to come, and a single brick has to be laid for the wall. Interest rates remain low, the housing crisis in Vancouver and Toronto have hit a fever pitch, and the Canadian dollar continues to be weak along with weak oil prices.

Combined with the French presidential election, which has eerily mirrored the most recent U.S. election so far with a right-wing populist going up against a center-left opponent who’s leading the polls, and North Korea, where Kim Jong-un’s fascination with flexing his military muscle can no longer be considered as just a sideshow, it’s understandable why some investors remain cautious, especially with a stock market that continues to try and push to new highs.

However, earnings for 1Q 2017 have looked mostly positive so far, and that may be the single biggest driving factor of the rise in the Dow and S&P 500. Dividend aristocrats such as Metro and McDonald’s have all reported impressive earnings, and continue to provide value through capital gains and consistently growing dividends. They have proven to provide downside protection relative to other equities, which makes them ideal in uncertain times.

Tiresome Trump

April 6, 2017 by sethchang Leave a comment

(This was originally published in the March 2017 version of The Dividend Growth Newsletter. It is available here.)

Donald Trump has been called many things since assuming office. Most are critical of his methods and choices, and his waning popularity is a symptom of that. But here’s another word: tiresome.

Trump has been in office less than four months, and yet Barack Obama’s presidency feels like it’s in the distant past. The 24/7 news cycle is ruthless; Trump is polarizing, if anything, and no other president has ever felt so pervasive. I mean, has the failure of any TV show ever been singularly attributed to the President of the United States?

Trump’s lack of political experience is hampering his ability to deliver on his promises, especially when it comes to big tax cuts. The S&P 500 jumped eight points the day Trump was sworn in, and over the next two months climbed to almost 2,400 points, an all-time high. The Dow saw a similar spike, reaching an all-time high in early March. Optimism has waned, however, and over the past month, both indices have pulled back, declining roughly 1 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively. The status quo has changed from a corporate-friendly administration to one that may be impeached.

In this type of environment, stable dividend stocks seem all the more logical and worthwhile. Stock prices can be difficult to stomach, but these are companies that have weathered all kinds of presidents, and continue to deliver predictable dividend increases and yields.

What difference does it make who the next President of the United States is?

August 2, 2016 by sethchang Leave a comment

(This was originally published in the July 2016 version of The Dividend Growth Newsletter. It is available here.)

Let me re-phrase: What if you knew how the stock market would behave over the next four to eight years – does that alter your plans?

The Dow Jones rose 85.74% during Bill Clinton’s first term and a further 70.01% during his second term. But, the Dow fell 7.65% during George W. Bush’s first term, and then another 15.2% during his second term.

If you planned on converting your portfolio to income from growth, or if you planned to make a large withdrawal to fund a purchase, Donald Trump could dramatically affect your lifestyle.

The analysis is much more than just Democrat vs. Republican, but the booming Eisenhower and Reagan (staunch right-wing Republicans) years indicate the stock market responds to spending, not ideology – the stock market loved road building and defense spending.

The real question should be: If Bill’s administration built the information highway, what will Hillary’s administration build? Or, perversely, if terrorists were afraid enough of Bush to bomb the World Trade Center, how afraid are they of Trump?