Breaking news: Canadian government blocks Aecon takeover by a Chinese company: There are security concerns. Aecon builds military facilities, nuclear power plants and telecommunications. It must've been a difficult decision, since
Trudeau wants to build trade with China. But realistically, it's probably a good thing to block this deal out of security reasons, and it's not the only deal that's been cancelled for this reason. It's a tough decision. It was always a risky deal, and tomorrow there'll likely be more downside and significant market reaction. Regardless, Canada needs to build infrastructure.
It's a both a quick-service restaurant and a REIT. REITs are under pressure, because they're interest-rate sensitive. Restaurants are performing pretty well, including McDonald's. Building digital kiosks in their stores is a good move. But other restaurants, such as Domino's Pizza, have a better growth rate. McDonald's will grow its dividend over time and probably operform in the middle of the pack for a while.
He avoided energy for years until last February. In Canada, his largest position has been in the oil sands, because these companies have invested in past years and are now looking profitable. Suncor has low decline rates in its production compares to its peers. With oil at $60-70, this will do well and attract global buyers. But remember: oil is cyclical and addition supply can come on from other sources. Overall, he likes Suncor.
REITs as a whole are having a tough time with rising interest rates. However, American Tower is one of the highest-growth REITs, performing well ahead of its peers. Own it for a rising dividend. It is not economically sensitive. AMT is great if you're looking for an income stream though the shares may not rocket higher. A good income-producing stock.
From 2012-17 they did a great job of growing their earnings. Now, they're having difficulty. Earnings will be down this and next year. Also, activist shareholders are involved to shake up the business. Turnaround situations are tough. The next 9 months will be strong for equities, so if you own it, move on and take your lumps and buy something else. This turnaround will take a long while.
What to do with cannabis stocks once cannabis is legal? They're like mining stocks, which start with a run-up in price afer people recognize that there's a reserve of the mineral. Then you do an environmental study and raise money, but then people get bored until the mine goes into production. HMMJ-T ETF peaked at end-2017 then pulled back in early-2018, but now that we're approaching the time when the rules will come into play (legalization), we're seeing M&A and a lift. This group is now interesting. He holds a 4% in the cannabis sector.