David Aston

3 weeks ago | thespec.com | David Aston

With all the chaotic tariff moves by U.S. President Donald Trump these days, it’s natural to worry about your investments. Trump introduced a broad new round of sweeping global tariffs on Wednesday, causing dramatic declines in world stock markets Thursday and early trading Friday morning. Economists expect these tariffs will drag on the world economy and possibly knock it into recession, which could seriously hurt stock prices in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.

3 weeks ago | thespec.com | David Aston

With all the chaotic tariff moves by U.S. President Donald Trump these days, it’s natural to worry about your investments. Economists fear tariffs could drag on the world economy and possibly knock Canada into recession, which would seriously hurt stock prices. But when the question turns to what you should do to your portfolio now to protect yourself from this threat, the best answer for long-term investors is, as always, not much.

1 month ago | thespec.com | David Aston

If you invest through a financial adviser, you probably received your annual investment fee report recently as part of the flurry of year-end financial documents. While the report appears to be a straightforward listing of your investment fees, what’s not readily apparent is the fact it’s often woefully incomplete — and getting the complete fee picture isn’t easy. If Trump carries through on his threats, expect major knock-on effects for the Canadian economy.

2 months ago | thespec.com | David Aston

In light of recent Trumpian economic threats, it’s a good idea to consider enhancing your financial flexibility and resiliency as part of your savings strategy this RRSP season. Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening huge tariffs on Canadian goods as a negotiating tactic to get Canadian concessions. There’s a good chance these disputes get resolved without dire sanctions on Canada, but you should still allow for the possibility Trump carries through on his threats.

Nov 24, 2024 | thespec.com | David Aston

Expect those cuts to drive variable and short-term interest rates substantially lower in the next year for products like existing variable-rate mortgages. Just don’t count on big reductions in long-term rates from current levels, which affect products like new five-year fixed-rate mortgages. “Even though the Bank of Canada is cutting, that doesn’t mean long-term interest rates are going to come down,” says Douglas Porter, chief economist at BMO Financial Group.