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Canadian Imperial Bank of CommerceCM.TODON'T BUYSep 28, 2023Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 16, 2026. Market Open.
We're speculating what will happen. Last year, most of the Canadian area was protected from tariffs because of CUSMA. The US would be paying more for our goods through tariffs; they buy many of our goods. Banks are at the tail end of their elevated provisions and their stocks have done quite well as interest rates have declined. The Bank of Canada has signalled it may hold rates for a while, but the government has released more fiscal support and opening more trade channels, which are good. She remains bullish banks.
The chart shows a V-shaped recovery since April's tariff worries. In Canada, interest rates have been cut aggressively, so the Canadian banks have skated through. Wealth management divisions are strong. Loan loss provisions are down. NA and RY are the best, but CM and BMO are reporting much better earnings, which catches his attention.
All of the interest sensitives have been under pressure the last couple of months with rates rising.
He favours TD. Tightly regulated oligopoly, and a levered play on the growth of the Canadian, and increasingly US, economy. Surplus of excess capital. 10x earnings. Dominant personal and commercial banking franchise. Good-sized banking presence in the US. Shares are at a discount to average. Close to 5% yield, growing at 8% compound over 10 years.
Valuation and yield of SLF are similar to TD. But TD's competitive position in its industry is more advantageous than SLF.
Compared to CM, TD is more of a scale player with a stronger franchise on both sides of the border on its core banking business.