Hilliard’s Weekend Notebook


Thoughts, views and opinions as current events unfold: With topics taken from current market events and my latest book — When the Bubble Bursts: Surviving the Canadian Real Estate Crash (Dundurn: March 2015)  and my first book Investment Traps and How to Avoid Them (1999) — this short piece will give you unique and valuable insights filtered by my thirty-six years’ experience as an investment professional.
 

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The Fed shocks the market triggering an abrupt selloff

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Dec 20, 2024

The U.S. Federal Reserve surprised markets this week with a small rate cut (expected), a forecast for fewer rate cuts next year and higher inflation (very unexpected). This was a more hawkish report than the market expected. The stock market reacted very... Read more
Stock prices reach bubble levels in US

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Dec 06, 2024

The U.S. stock market is extremely expensive, by all measures. Technology companies like Nvidia lead the way, but even the average stock is overvalued in relation to past cycles. When will there be a correction in the U.S. stock market? As we approach... Read more
Trump threats of tariffs worry Canadians

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Nov 29, 2024

President-elect Trump doubled down on his threat to impose tariffs on imports to the U.S. This time he focused on two countries — Mexico and Canada — with a statement that he would put a 25 percent tariff on imports. How should Canada counter these threats?... Read more
President-elect Trump's tariffs will hurt more than they help

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Nov 22, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump believes in tariffs, and he plans to implement higher tariffs as soon as he takes office. Most economists think that is a really bad idea. Will Trump’s tariffs help or hurt the economy? Donald Trump has been a promoter of... Read more
Superhot rock energy provides unlimited power

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Nov 08, 2024

One of the hottest new technologies for production of heat and electricity is found deep underground. With ground-source heat pumps there is a year-round reservoir of constant temperature air just a few meters below the surface. This air is the same as... Read more
The great mortgage reset in Canada will hit hard

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Nov 01, 2024

Canadian policy makers are worried about potential weakness in the economy due to higher interest rates. One of the biggest challenges facing Canadians is the increase in monthly payments that comes with higher rates. Although there have been four Bank... Read more
A jumbo rate cut and worries about deflation

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Oct 25, 2024

The Bank of Canada made a jumbo rate cut, its fourth cut to the benchmark interest rate. The 50 basis points cut brought the policy rate to 3.75 percent. The justification for such a large cut is that CPI inflation has dropped below the target of 2 percent... Read more
The U.S. election is too close to call

Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Oct 18, 2024

The U.S. election on November 5 2024 is touted as a major event, as the policy and style differences between the two candidates are unusually large. Given how close the polls are — within the margin of error — there is a high degree of uncertainty and... Read more