This past Friday was a good day for the TSX, which closed the session at 25,067.92 points (+221.72 points, +0.89%). This came as a surprise. As Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches this upcoming Monday, I thought the TSX would prepare to enter negative territory. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. My non-registered portfolio closed this past Friday session at $154,024.22, my US portfolio at $5,973.25 USD, my RRSP stocks-only portfolio at $84,768.00, and my TFSA portfolio at $139,008.09. I updated my investment portfolio this weekend and discovered that my net worth is now standing strong at $462,576.18. I’m now not too far from my highest net worth, which was in the $467,000 range not long ago. My rule is: if I’ve reached it once, I can do it again.
Currently, two of my stocks have been borrowed under the Fully-Paid Securities Lending Program of National Bank Direct Brokerage: iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index (XRE) and General Mills Inc. (GIS). I paid off my margin debt in mid-December. After that, I began noticing that some of my stocks were being borrowed through the program. In December, I earned exactly $0.09 from my USD Securities Lending! I assume those nine cents are in US dollars. I was charged a $0.03 fee, meaning I made a net profit of $0.05 USD in December from the National Bank Direct Brokerage's Fully-Paid Securities Lending Program.
For my Canadian dollar account, I didn’t receive any payments, likely because the borrowing process started too late in December to qualify for that month’s payment. Not many of my stocks have been borrowed so far, so I’m expecting pocket change, but you never know. I am currently earning exactly $910.14 per month in dividend income from my non-registered and TFSA portfolios. If I could just reach $1,000 per month from dividends and other income sources, I would be really pleased.
In November, I subscribed to a one-year subscription with Stockopedia, taking advantage of their Black Friday sale. Over the past couple of years, I hadn’t subscribed, but I used to be a regular subscriber. As I worked on completely paying off my margin debt, I decided to return to Stockopedia. Over the years, I’ve made great investments using Stockopedia. Some notable ones include: WSP Global Inc. (WSP), Toromont Industries Ltd (TIH), Cargojet Inc. (CJT), TFI International Inc. (TFII), ATCO Ltd. (ACO.Y), Hammond Manufacturing Company Limited Class A Subordinate Voting Shares (HMM.A), Finning International Inc. (FTT), Richards Packaging Income Fund (RPI.UN), and Vitreous Glass Inc. (VCI), to name just a few.
When it comes to investing, I know I don’t follow the typical approach. I hold too many stocks—probably more than I should. I’m aware of this, but it doesn’t bother me. When I started investing, I had a pre-determined list of stocks that I absolutely wanted to buy, mostly those recommended by Derek Foster. My early years of investing were very exciting because I knew exactly where my money was going to be invested, and there was always a new stock I was eager to add to my investment portfolio. Investing became a big part of my life. I always had new goals for my portfolio and it felt quite exciting. Over time, my “wanted” list naturally became smaller and smaller because I had already invested in most of the stocks I had planned to. It was something that happened gradually, without warning. Today, my feelings toward investing are completely different—I’m in a different place now.
As an investor, there’s always room for improvement, and I’m certainly no exception. That said, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve built. Most of my stocks have performed well. Earlier this January, I shared an interesting review of my top performers: My Top Stock Performers as of January 3
If you’re looking for stocks to invest in, my suggestion (though not official advice, as I cannot legally provide any) would be to steer clear of the telecom sector. Who would have thought that one day BCE would become a disaster for shareholders? Currently, other telecom stocks aren’t doing well either. In my non-registered portfolio, my Telus Corp (T) shares are down by -6.37%. My Rogers Communications Inc. Class B Non-Voting Shares (RCI.B) are performing even worse in my RRSP portfolio, with a -27.91% loss. Among telecom stocks, BCE is one of the worst performers. While I don’t think there’s a need to panic about Telus or Rogers, I wouldn’t recommend investing in these stocks right now.
That being said, my investment in Quebecor Inc. (QBR.B) has performed well. I guess it’s the exception to the rule. Quebecor is different because—as far as I know—it operates solely within the province of Quebec. What some might see as a limitation is actually a strength. That’s how I view Quebecor. While you shouldn’t expect super-high growth, you can certainly count on Quebecor for steady, reliable growth. We’re living in an era of change. These changes manifest in various ways, including catastrophic climate events and significant societal shifts. What was once considered a good stock in the past can no longer hold up in today’s world. We’ve seen an example of this with BCE.
Lately, I invested in a few new stocks that are totally new to my investment portfolio. I find those stocks on Stockopedia. Among them, here are the top performers:
Dynacor Group Inc. (DNG): +6.72%
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ): +2.90%
Stantec Inc. (STN): +3.76%
Stantec’s overall chart looks quite decent:
I’ve had very good results investing in stocks similar to Stantec, such as WSP Global Inc. (WSP) and Aecon Group Inc. (ARE). I like the industrial sector; it’s my top favorite sector to invest in. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong investing in engineering and construction firms—they will always be in demand. On the other hand, you can’t say the same about the tech sector, like Shopify and others of that nature. I guess it’s safe to say that you probably won’t catch me investing in the latest trendy tech stock. I dislike everything that’s trendy. I’d rather invest in stocks that fly under the radar and are barely known by the general public.
That’s why I like Stockopedia so much!
Take a look at this:
PNG is a stock from the Venture exchange. Keep in mind that, because of this, PNG can be volatile. But at the same time, its volatility makes it the perfect candidate for a bit of trading fun! Unfortunately, Kraken Robotics Inc. (PNG) doesn’t pay any dividends. The name of this stock is just mind-blowing, and you haven’t even had the chance to see its logo yet. PNG’s headquarters are located in beautiful Newfoundland and Labrador. As a New Brunswicker, I really like this discovery. I don’t come across many stocks from the Maritimes. Another great stock coming directly from Newfoundland is the one and only Fortis Inc. (FTS)!
My opinions are strictly my own. Invest at your own risk. My instincts tell me that there may be more great finds in 2025, so if I were you, I’d stick around. As Canadians, we hold to the best stocks in the market. It’s a reality that needs to be exploited to its full potential.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment