For the first time in quite a while, no How They Rate companies were forced to cut distributions due to weakening businesses. Read More

China is the undisputed leader of this still-toddling recovery; we’ll wait for further confirmation before we ring the double-dip alarm. Read More

No other industrial democracy in the world has an asset similar to Canada's oil sands. Resource constraints brought on by new demand from China, in particular, and India will be far easier to navigate if we take an open-minded approach to it. Read More

Hydroelectric power is ubiquitous in many Canadian provinces, so much so that the word “hydro” has come to stand for electricity generally; the names of the government-run companies that provide such power reflect this significant presence. Read More

China Investment Corp's first 13-F filing is a positive from a public relations perspective and makes for good geopolitical optics. The real significance is what it suggests China can do with its USD2.7 trillion of foreign currency reserves. Read More

In less than a decade, China has increased its share of global consumption of metals to 25 percent from 10 percent. That’s two-thirds of the growth in the globe’s base metals consumption and half the demand growth for steel, copper and aluminum. Read More

Two How They Rate entries announced distribution cuts in the last month. One was part and parcel of a conversion to a corporation and is actually a positive development; the other was not as encouraging. Read More

Make the case to your broker and clearing house, and let them know you’re not happy that you’re being taxed now on your Canadian income trust dividends and you’ll be taxed again when you take distributions from your IRA. Read More

And as he exhorted the private sector to basically tell a better story Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice provided real help by saying Canada wouldn’t adopt its own climate change legislation until the US passes a bill. Read More

That Alberta oil and gas producers could be looking at more favorable royalty structures is, obviously, a positive; every little bit that helps the bottom line counts. However, at this point the folks who have to manage these companies would settle for predictability. Read More