This week, we’re opening up the mailbag as our experts answer questions from Advisors and provide updates on several BMO ETFs. Listen in as Chris Heakes, Alfred Lee, and our host, Mark Raes, discuss the use of ETFs as portfolio rebalancing tools, positioning in international equity markets, the REITs sector, and low-volatility ETF strategies. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chris Heakes and Alfred Lee, Port...
May 06, 2022•23 min
The purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk has dominated the news cycle, but what will the knock-on effects be for Tesla and the tech sector in general? In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Matt Montemurro discuss that question as well as the flattening interest rate curve, tax-loss harvesting opportunities, Canadian banks, and dividend ETFs. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chris McHaney and Matt Mon...
May 05, 2022•36 min
Last week, the Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate by 50 basis points, its biggest hike in over two decades. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Alfred Lee, and Chris Heakes discuss expectations for the rest of the year and implications for bond markets, as well as inflation, the construction and evaluation of ESG products, the metals market, and high-yield bond strategies. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast b...
May 04, 2022•31 min
Given ongoing uncertainties around interest rates, inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, what approach should Advisors and investors be taking when it comes to portfolio construction? In this episode, Alfred Lee and Erika Toth discuss the latest quarterly Portfolio Strategy and Fixed Income Strategy Reports, including asset allocation considerations, the outlook for the Energy, Banks, and Real Estate Investment Trusts sectors, and fixed income positioning. Alfred Lee is a Portfolio Manager...
Apr 18, 2022•24 min
This week, the U.S. annual inflation rate reached 8.5%, its highest level in over 40 years. What impact will that have on the bond market? In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Matt Montemurro discuss that question as well as the Nasdaq-100, Russian equities, preferred shares, and gold. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chris McHaney and Matt Montemurro, Portfolio Managers and ETF Specialists at B...
Apr 14, 2022•33 min
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to dominate headlines, ESG investing has also been in the spotlight. In today’s episodes, Mark Raes, Chris Heakes, and Alfred Lee discuss that topic as well as interest rates, long-term bonds, covered call and income strategies, and oil. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chris Heakes and Alfred Lee, Portfolio Managers and ETF Specialists at BMO Global Asset Management....
Apr 07, 2022•29 min
Earlier this week, markets rallied on news of potential de-escalation in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, but uncertainty around the conflict – as well as inflation and interest rates – continues. In today’s episode, Kevin Prins, Alfred Lee, and Chris McHaney compare U.S. and European equities and discuss discount bonds, the recent decline in trading volume, oil prices, and the implications of yield curve inversions. Read the episode summary. Kevin Prins is the Managing Director, Head of ETF & Man...
Mar 31, 2022•31 min
This week, the federal Liberals and NDP announced a confidence-and-supply agreement that will likely keep Justin Trudeau in the Prime Minister’s Office until 2025. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Chris Heakes discuss implications for Canadian banks, as well as fixed income yields, inflation expectations, emerging markets, and the U.S. healthcare sector. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chri...
Mar 24, 2022•31 min
The new BMO Canadian Bank Income Index ETF (Ticker: ZBI) is an innovation in fixed income, but how does it fit into a portfolio? In this episode, Alfred Lee and Rob Butler dive deep into the benefits of fixed income ETFs, the process behind creating ZBI and the objectives in crafting its investment exposure, the three components that make up ZBI, and expectations for the future. Read the sales aid. Alfred Lee is a Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist at BMO Global Asset Management. He is ...
Mar 21, 2022•25 min
This week, the S&P 500 experienced a “death cross.” It’s an ominous term, but what does it really mean for equity markets and investors? In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Alfred Lee, and Chris McHaney discuss that topic as well as fixed income volatility, dividend-oriented Canadian companies, covered call strategies, and gold. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Alfred Lee and Chris McHaney, Portfolio Managers...
Mar 17, 2022•30 min
Like it or not, we are living in interesting times… with market volatility, inflation concerns, and geopolitical instability on the minds of every investor. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Chris Heakes discuss low-volatility strategies, the energy and IT sectors, the impact of interest rate hikes on fixed income, and currency expectations, as well the new collaboration between BMO and Brookfield. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Man...
Mar 10, 2022•39 min
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dive into first quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” discussing major performance drivers such as the Omicron variant, geopolitical conflict, and interest rates. Our experts also offer multiple ways to gain exposure, focusing on the BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF (ZEB) and BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF (ZWB). Daniel Stanley is an ETF Specialist at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chri...
Mar 10, 2022•27 min
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, Western countries have rolled out sanctions targeting the Russian economy and financial system, resulting in a freeze in the trading of Russian securities. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Alfred Lee, and Chris Heakes discuss the impact of these developments on emerging market ETFs. They also examine shifting expectations regarding central banks’ actions for the rest of 2022, price movement in the energy sector, Canadian bank earnings, and the benefits of asse...
Mar 03, 2022•27 min
This episode was recorded on the morning of Wednesday, February 23. As tensions in Russia and Ukraine persist and evolve, investors are concerned about potential knock-on effects. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Chris Heakes discuss how markets have reacted to historical geopolitical conflicts, examine the consequences of sanctions against Russian debt, look at the oil and gas market, and dive deep into the effects of interest rate hikes on aggregate bonds and equity factor rot...
Feb 24, 2022•34 min
Tensions in Ukraine are dominating the news, and investors are wondering how they can best navigate this premonitory situation. In today's episode, Mark Raes, Alfred Lee, and Chris McHaney discuss the possible ramifications for natural gas markets and the European economy. They also look at fixed income positioning, strength in the materials sector, provincial reopening plans, and what matters most to Advisors as we enter tax season. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at ...
Feb 23, 2022•36 min
Recent market volatility calmed somewhat this week, but interest rate hikes are still on the horizon. In today's episode, Mark Raes, Matt Montemurro, and Chris Heakes discuss their expectations for the Bank of Canada’s meetings for the rest of 2022. They also look at emerging markets, fixed income performance, and Japan’s unique appeal to asset allocators Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Matt Montemurro and ...
Feb 10, 2022•30 min
2021 was a strong year for markets and a record year for ETFs. But what’s the outlook for 2022? In this episode, Danielle Neziol and Mark Raes discuss hot topics including responsible investing, inflation, and the recent rotation towards the banking and energy sectors. Listen as our experts examine BMO ETFs that offer investors a chance to access—or hedge against—these big trends. Danielle Neziol is a Product Specialist at BMO Global Asset Management. She is joined on the podcast by Mark Raes, H...
Feb 04, 2022•16 min
Recent equity market volatility continued this week, as did uncertainty around looming interest rate hikes. In today's episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Alfred Lee discuss sectors to consider in this turbulent environment. They also look at the recent performance of low-volatility ETFs, provide insight into responsible investing, and explore the benefits of tax-efficient bonds. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the pod...
Feb 03, 2022•35 min
Markets have taken investors on a wild ride this week, with volatility increasing in anticipation of the Bank of Canada and the Fed meeting on the same day – the first meeting for each Central Bank in 2022. In today’s episode, Kevin Prins, Chris Heakes, and Alfred Lee discuss ideas to smooth out the ride for investors as markets react to interest rate news. Our experts also discuss the rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia and the resulting impact on oil and gas. Read the episode summary. K...
Jan 27, 2022•32 min
The first few weeks of 2022 have brought heightened market instability with the rapid increase in interest rates and equity market volatility. In today's episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Matt Montemurro discuss a resetting of interest rate expectations and the resulting market sell-off. Our experts provide fixed income strategies to manage the current environment and discuss the strong performance of Canada’s energy sector. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO ...
Jan 20, 2022•33 min
As investors begin to put omicron fears in the rear-view mirror, another market challenge looms – rising inflation. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris Heakes, and Alfred Lee discuss inflation risks and outline strategies to hedge against them. They also provide insight into the strong performance of BMO’s core ETFs in 2021, discuss which ETFs surprised them last year, and highlight the stability of Canadian banks going into 2022. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BM...
Jan 13, 2022•34 min
As the year comes to a dramatic close with Omicron uncertainty dominating headlines, investors are looking for guidance on positioning their portfolios for 2022. In today’s episode, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Alfred Lee discuss the economic implications of the latest variant. They also open the hood on a positive 2021 to look at distinct components that fueled strong overall market performance and highlight opportunities for growth in 2022. Our experts also outline MSCI ESG rating strategies ...
Dec 16, 2021•36 min
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dig deeper into fourth quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” taking stock of the past year and putting a spotlight on major performance drivers – such as inflation, interest rates and the pandemic. Our experts also offer multiple ways to gain exposure, focusing on the BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF (ZEB) and BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF (ZWB). Daniel Stanley is an ETF Specialist at BMO Global Asset Management. ...
Dec 13, 2021•27 min
Market expectations of central bank policy changes continue to bounce around. Is it because of the uncertain fears of Omicron? Or admission that inflation may not be transitory after all?. Read the episode summary. Kevin Prins is the Head of ETF & Managed Account Distribution at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chris Heakes and Matt Montemurro, Portfolio Managers and ETF Specialists at BMO Global Asset Management. The episode was recorded live on December 8, 2021. ...
Dec 09, 2021•29 min
Protecting your portfolios is important – but so is capturing growth. When markets enter a volatile period, how should investors balance the risk-reward tradeoff? In this episode, Danielle Neziol and Chris Heakes discuss an innovative factor-based strategy known as Low Volatility that only invests in companies with low beta values. Listen in as our experts look under the hood of BMO’s custom suite of low volatility ETFs, and see which investment product is right for you. Danielle Neziol is a Pro...
Dec 06, 2021•11 min
With news of the Omicron variant sparking a wild ride in markets, Mark Raes, Chris Heakes and Alfred Lee discuss prudent defensive approaches to navigate the ongoing pandemic uncertainty, including opportunities in the healthcare sector, the forecast for consumer discretionaries, expectations for Canadian banks earnings, and the launch of ZMMK – a new ETF offering a short-term home for tax loss cash. Read the episode summary. Read the Canadian Dividends Trade Idea. Mark Raes is the Head of Produ...
Dec 02, 2021•29 min
The Biden administration continued to make headlines this week announcing 50 million barrels of oil will be released from their Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Jerome Powell will serve another term as chair of the Federal Reserve. Mark Raes, Chris McHaney and Alfred Lee discuss the economic implications of these decisions, as well as interest rates, currency hedging, US GDP, tax loss harvesting strategies and more. Read the episode summary. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Ma...
Nov 25, 2021•34 min
This week the Biden administration signed the highly anticipated $1 trillion infrastructure bill. The bill's signing will spur the breaking of ground at a record pace across the United States. How should advisors leverage their portfolios to take advantage? Mark Raes, Chris Heakes and Matt Montemurro offer key strategies to integrate this significant opportunity into your portfolio. Our experts also discuss the Biden-Xi virtual summit, emerging markets, and a timely take on value vs growth. Read...
Nov 18, 2021•32 min
Views from the Desk Podcast: E101 – Building Your Inflation Toolkit With the calendar’s final quarter underway, Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Matt Montemurro outline strategies to prep investment portfolios for 2022. Inflation is top of mind and a growing concern with recent short-term rates reacting violently, but has the market overshot expectations for rate hikes, particularly in Canada? Our experts also discuss credit as a means to mitigate inflation, opportunities in the energy sector, and ...
Nov 11, 2021•30 min
All eyes are on Glasgow this week as The UN Climate Change Conference shifts global attention to emission targets. With the environment on their minds Mark Raes, Chris McHaney, and Chris Heakes offer insights into the implications that COP 26 will have on financial markets while providing tools for investors to navigate the ever-evolving energy sector. Our experts also discuss the industry nuances of ESG ratings, investment strategies for snowbirds, and heightened risks in China that may also be...
Nov 04, 2021•30 min
