WAIT

Valuation is high. P&C insurance is very defensive, so it draws crowds when people get panicky in the market and the price gets bid up.  Wait for a better valuation.

DON'T BUY

P&C insurance is very defensive, so it draws crowds when people get panicky in the market and the price gets bid up. Has become too inefficient as it's gotten bigger. Instead, he'd prefer some of the US private equity names for the capital levers they can pull, which have similar business models.

BUY ON WEAKNESS

A lot of defensive names ran up recently as people used them as places to hide. Valuation still very attractive. Dividend yield is quite strong. Growth outlook is reasonable. Reasonable name for income. Attractive entry point would be something below $60. Yield is 6.1%.

WAIT

Follows this name quite closely. His preferred name in the space. Valuation's come up in the short term on geopolitical events. Gushes cash, and that's tied to its dividend policy. Opportunistic acquisitions. Wait. Yield is 5.1%.

BUY

Look to this name for income, not for growth. Solid dividend yield, north of 5%. Some growth over time. Reasonable valuation, around 10x PE. Growing in Asia. His favourite in the space is GWO.

BUY

His favourite in the space. Nice yield. Growing in mature markets in Europe, generates reasonable returns. Very disciplined. Reasonable valuation.

DON'T BUY

Penny stock. Don't get involved. Teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. Though only 10 cents, could still have 100% downside.

HOLD
Recently got in, has done well.

Nuclear resurgence has been strong, and CCO plays a key role. Saskatchewan assets are very high grade, the best you can get. If you own it, sit tight. If not, watch and wait. Don't chase. So much hype in the space. Executing well, but there's only so much uranium that can be mined and sold.

BUY ON WEAKNESS

Has been on his watchlist for many years. Recently came down to values he's seriously considering. Within about 5% of his buy price. Exceptional company. Tech company that helps insurance companies auction damaged cars. Global. Came down on earnings because growth not as robust. Long-term phenomenal business.

DON'T BUY

Really tough situation. When an insurance company falls on hard times, it's so difficult to analyze. How pervasive are the problems? Historically, quite a strong compounder. Lots of political pressure on insurance reimbursement. Steer clear for now.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Jun 18/24, Up 17%)

Absolutely exceptional compounder in the space. Competes in a really inefficient part of the market and does exceptionally well. Still a buy today.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Jun 18/24, Up 25%)

Such a well-oiled machine. Dip in the chart lately. Massive amount of free cashflow, dominant position. Crucial role in move to digital payments. Still likes very much, though it's now a hold because it's above his buy price.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Jun 18/24, Up 27%)

Today, this would be a hold. Currently above his buy price, wait for a pullback for new $$. People ran toward defensive names recently. Yield is 3.8%.

COMMENT
Utilities and AI's demand for electricity.

Yes, they have had a boost. Then they'll have to deploy capital to capture the trend. 

For Canadian-centric income stocks (utilities, telecoms, banks), our economy is not as strong as the US. More likely that BOC will be lowering interest rates. This would mean that the competition between these income stocks and bond yields gets tighter, tending to drive money into these income stocks. In that case, valuations could still go higher.

HOLD

This area of the market has seen massive demand, largely driven by AI and the buildout of data centres. Outlook is quite strong. Valuation quite reasonable. Very well run. Future isn't as certain within the semi sector. His preference is TSM or NVDA.