Monthly Perspectives - Locate a Financial Planner
Transcription
Monthly Perspectives - Locate a Financial Planner
Notable versus noise MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES PORTFOLIO ADVICE & INVESTMENT RESEARCH April 2015 Negative Interest Rates Oil Supply Stock Performance nds Mutual Fu Grows Industry Apple Jo ins the D OW Energy Martha Hill, CFA, Portfolio Advice & Investment Research In this issue FIXED INCOME Interest(ing) rate markets���������������������������� 2 NORTH AMERICAN EQUITIES Dow and out���������������������������������������������� 3 COMMODITIES Oil floats����������������������������������������������������� 4 MANAGED SOLUTIONS The expanding fund universe���������������������� 5 THE LAST WORD Going global����������������������������������������������� 6 PERFORMANCE MONITOR Monthly market review������������������������������� 7 APPENDIX A Important information�������������������������������� 8 We live in a world in which we are constantly bombarded with information that can range in importance and relevance depending upon the recipient. The world of investing is no different. Investors are constantly sifting through news to decipher meaningful information from the noise. In this issue of Monthly Perspectives, we review some recent events and headlines to distinguish between what is notable and what is just noise. Prompted by a headline on a small-business loan in Europe, we revisit the impact of low (and sometimes negative) interest rates and the important role fixed income continues to play in a portfolio. The addition of Apple Inc. to the Dow Jones Industrial Average made headlines, stirring a debate about the composition of equity indices and their relevance for individual investors. With oil top-of-mind for many investors, we review the supply side of the oil market and what it means for the energy sector. Finally, we explore the ever growing universe of investment funds. At the end of the (information filled) day, it's important to cut through the clatter and focus on what matters to your investment plan. We recommend you speak with your trusted Advisor to determine the investment strategy best aligned with your long-term objectives and risk tolerance. This document is for distribution to Canadian clients only. Please refer to Appendix A of this report for important disclosure information. 2 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES April 2015 FIXED INCOME Interest(ing) rate markets Sheldon Dong, CFA “At first, Eva Christiansen barely noticed the number. Her bank called to say that Ms. Christiansen, a 36-year-old entrepreneur, had been approved for a small-business loan. She whooped. She danced. A friend took pictures. “I think I was so happy I got the loan, I didn’t hear everything he said,” she recalled. And then she was told again about her interest rate. It was -0.0172 percent—less than zero. While there would be fees to pay, the bank would also pay interest to her. It was just a little over $1 a month, but still.” From the New York Times: In Europe, Bond Yields and Interest Rates Go Through the Looking Glass, February 27, 2015. Most Canadians are aware that interest rates are currently very low, whether they are saving or borrowing. But something strange is happening in Europe—interest rates on a range of debt have gone negative. This means that instead of paying to borrow money, some people are getting paid to take out loans. While such incidences where consumer loans and mortgages with interest rates that are outright negative remain uncommon, such financial episodes are reportedly taking place all across Europe. For savers in this topsyturvy interest rate world, some are now being charged by banks to hold their money in their bank accounts. The biggest beneficiaries in a negative interest rate world are the biggest borrowers, namely governments. Approximately US$1.9 trillion in bonds (88 out of 346 securities) issued by countries in the euro zone are trading with negative yields, equivalent to more than a quarter of the total government bonds, according to the Bloomberg Eurozone Sovereign Bond Index, as of February 28, 2015. Figure 1: Negative Government Bond Yields Ireland France Sweden Belgium Austria bank accounts are only government-guaranteed up to a certain extent (most European countries cover 100,000 euros). Governments are not equally trustworthy. Given that Greece remains dependent on bailout loans and efforts by the new government to renege on their original terms, most euro zone investors are willing to take a loss by lending their money to the German government, rather than risk lending to the Greek government. PIIGS is an acronym describing the riskiest government debt during the financial crisis: Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. With the exception of Greece, all those countries have returned to fiscal health after enduring reforms. This is reflected by benchmark 10-year borrowing costs, which have dropped to record lows in Portugal (1.51%), Ireland (0.68%), Italy (1.03%) and Spain (1.05%). This compares to Germany at 0.19% and contrasts Greece at 10.77% (as of March 12, 2015). What you may want to know Given what a rational person would do in a very low interest rate world, the debt burden among Canadians reached a fresh record high in the fourth quarter of 2014, with the debt-to-income ratio climbing to 163.3%, according to Statistics Canada. That means Canadians owe just over $1.63 for every $1 in disposable income they earn in a year. Debt imbalances are measured chiefly by the ratio of total household credit-market debt (mortgages, other loans and credit cards) to disposable income. The persistent historically high level is an ongoing concern for the Bank of Canada, which has long flagged it as a source of potential risk to the country’s economic and financial stability. Despite the record high debt-to-income ratio, the situation is not as dire as it seems on the surface as the debt-service ratio (interest payments as a proportion of disposable income) remains near a record low of 6.8%, reflecting historically low interest rates on mortgages and other loans. Canadian households on average are still in a good position to keep up with their debt payments, but are vulnerable to higher interest rates and economic shocks, such as the impact of low oil prices in Alberta. What matters Denmark Finland Netherlands Germany Switzerland 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Out to Number of Years Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., As at March 24, 2015. Why would anyone buy a negative interest bond and not simply hold cash? The main reason appears to be safety as there are limitations and risks in holding paper money, especially for wealthy individuals and large corporations who have large amounts. A bond is backed by the full faith and credit of the government that issues it; whereas Interest rates are likely to remain near historically low levels for a longer period of time—an outlook that continues to favour borrowers over savers. The Bank of Canada is very sensitive to the high debt burden of Canadians and the risks in their ability to service that debt, and to the nation’s economic and financial stability should it raise interest rate policy too fast or too high. For savers and investors, it is important to revisit why they own bonds: A well-diversified core bond strategy serves as an anchor to an investment portfolio. It has the potential to provide income and capital preservation and to generally perform well when riskier investments do not. Asset allocation within the fixed income portion of an investment portfolio is important to attain the primary and separate goals of liquidity, capital preservation and income generation. 3 April 2015 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES NORTH AMERICAN EQUITIES Dow and out Robert Marck, CPA, CMA, CIM The recent removal of AT&T Inc. (T-N) from the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the “Dow”) and the addition of Apple Inc. (AAPL-Q) have created interesting discussions among investors. Questions such as “which sectors are actually driving equity returns?” and “has there been a material shift in sector importance over the past ten years?” have emerged. While we believe the importance of the Dow has waned in recent years, analyzing the composition of the index may help us determine if there has been any change at all. weighted sector in the S&P/TSX remains the financial sector at 35%, which has actually increased a modest 3% over the past ten years. The energy sector, for all its recent struggles remains relatively unchanged as a percentage of the index at 21%. The largest loss of relative weighting was suffered by the materials sector. The materials sector fell from 17% to 11% over the 10-year period, largely as a result of the decline in gold and base metal pricing. The health care sector has experienced the largest increase Figure 2: Dow Jones Industrial Average by Sector Weight Figure 3: S&P/TSX Index by Sector Weight 35% 40% 30% 35% 25% 30% 25% 20% 20% 15% 15% 10% 10% 5% 5% 0% 0% March 5, 2005 March 15, 2015 March 5, 2005 March 15, 2015 Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 15, 2015. Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 15, 2015. While the industrial sector remains the most heavily represented sector in the Dow (19% as at March 15, 2015) the weighting has declined from 29% ten years ago. Consumer staples is another sector that has declined in relative weighting, falling from 15% in 2005 to 7% this year. Inversely, the largest gainers during this time period were information technology and consumer discretionary sectors. The information technology sector is also a heavily weighted sector at 19%, an 8% increase over the past ten years. The consumer discretionary sector has also expanded by an impressive 8%, now forming 15% of the index. in relative weight, rising from 1% to 5%, largely due to the strong performance of Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX-T). What you may want to know While this information is interesting to note and can fill the gap for market commentators on a slow news day, the issue with the Dow is that it is a thinly formed index consisting of only thirty companies, weighted by their stock prices. The S&P 500 Index (S&P 500) and the S&P/TSX Composite Index (S&P/TSX) for example, are market capitalization weighted indices and include a significantly higher number of companies (500 in the S&P 500 and 250 in the S&P/TSX). We believe these indices provide a clearer picture of the relative economic sector importance. What matters The S&P/TSX is still a highly concentrated index. While the index composition has changed over the past ten years, the shifts have not been as drastic as those of the Dow. The most heavily The S&P 500 is more diversified that the S&P/TSX but we note that the weight of the information technology sector has risen from 15% to 20% of the index over the past 10 years, now representing the heaviest weighting. Inversely, the financials sector has fallen from 20% to 16% as a number of firms’ valuations remain depressed post the financial crises. Figure 4: S&P 500 Index by Sector Weight 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% March 5, 2005 March 15, 2015 Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 15, 2015. 4 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES April 2015 COMMODITIES Oil floats Yogesh Oza, M.Econ, CFA Prior to the Great Recession, many economists and strategists were sounding the alarm on the world's supposedly dwindling supply of oil. The peak oil camp postulated that after hitting an apex rate, global oil production would enter terminal decline. However, the peak oil theorists, like other Malthus-type thinkers, significantly underestimated the impact of technological innovation in their dire forecasts. Today, thanks largely to advances in drilling technology and techniques, vast shale-oil reserves that not too long ago were deemed uneconomic have been developed aggressively. So aggressively, that concerns about running out of oil have been replaced by worries about insufficient storage capacity for all the oil being produced. What you may want to know North America may be the new global swing producer. Historically, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) would adjust output in order to align global oil supply with demand. This changed last November when the cartel announced that it would no longer play the role of the global swing producer and cut output in order to balance oil markets. The sudden shift in strategy was primarily underpinned by the oil cartel's desire to recapture market share lost to the burgeoning North American shale-oil industry. As mentioned, new drilling technologies and techniques have unlocked large shale-oil reserves; as a result, oil production in North America has surged in the past few years. However, relative to the conventional oil fields of Saudi Arabia, operating costs for North America are considerably higher. As such, by choosing to defend market share rather than cut production to equalize to global demand, OPEC has put the onus on North American producers to moderate output. Producers on both sides of the border have responded aggressively, with the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) sinking 59% since peaking at US$107.26/barrel last June. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) forecasts that capital investments in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin will fall by 33% in 2015 to $46 billion, while drilling is expected to decline by 30% year-overyear. With capital budgets being reined in and drill rigs idled, CAPP expects production growth to moderate; nonetheless, as a result of strong investments in the industry since the Great Recession and as mega-projects continue to ramp-up, Canadian oil output is expected to rise 4.5% this year and 5.4% in 2016. The same is true stateside; despite a dramatic 49% decline in active oil drill rigs since last October, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts modest production declines will finally begin to be realized in major fields such as the Eagle Ford, Bakken, and the Niobrara basin in the coming months. However, at the same time, production in other large fields, such as the Permian Basin, is actually forecasted to increase as a result of expected drilling productivity improvements. Overall, the EIA expects U.S. oil production gains of 8.1% and 1.5% in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Currently, U.S. oil production stands at 9.4 million barrels per day, the highest level in over 40 years. OPEC has made its intentions to recapture lost market share clear and may not announce a production cut at its June meeting (even as Iran prepares to bring upwards of a million barrels of oil to market if sanctions are lifted). The once prolific North Sea field has been in decline for years and output cannot be adjusted easily. As such, North American tight-oil producers may be considered the new global swing producers and will play an increasingly important role in maintaining equilibrium in the global oil market. However, continued depletion of major international oil fields together with further advances in well efficiencies will mean that North American shale production will become more competitive over time. What matters We will not run out of storage capacity. To be sure, there is a lot of oil inventory in North America. The EIA estimates that current U.S. oil inventory stands at 459 million barrels, the highest since 1930, and has been exacerbated by the current term structure of futures prices for oil. The inventory data includes estimates for pipeline fill, lease stocks, and crude in transit from Alaska. Subtracting those volumes removes about 120 million barrels from the larger definition of crude oil inventories, or almost 30% of the national total. Meanwhile, U.S. storage capacity is estimated at 521 million barrels by the EIA. As such, U.S. oil storage tanks are currently 65% full. Although inventories will likely rise further in the coming months, potentially pressuring oil lower, we do not believe that storage capacity will be exhausted for a number of reasons. First, after planned seasonal maintenance, refinery utilization rates will begin to increase ahead of the summer driving season. This, in turn, should help to reduce the oil glut as feed stock is refined into products including gasoline. Second, unlike before, North America today has significant energy infrastructure in place to move production around the continent; this reduces the odds of a specific refining district running out of storage or refining capacity. Also, shale wells have notoriously high first-year decline rates. The combination of reduced drilling and natural decline rates will result in slower production growth. Finally, in a worst case scenario, the U.S. does have the ability to repeal an old ban on exporting oil. Investors with a long-term investment horizon may consider overweighting transportation and storage, and integrated energy companies within the energy sector. Companies worth considering are Enbridge Inc. (ENB-T) from the transportation and storage sector and Husky Energy Inc. (HSE-T) from the integrated energy sector. 5 April 2015 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES MANAGED SOLUTIONS The expanding fund universe Amit Panchal, CFA, CAIA Did you know there are almost 7,000 distinct mutual funds, segregated funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available to Canadian investors today? And this number keeps growing. In 2014, 160 new mutual funds were launched, alongside 63 new segregated funds and 294 new ETFs. In the first three months of 2015, there have already been 114 new product launches†. With hundreds of investment options across asset classes and nearly countless potential permutations for an investor’s portfolio, this can be quite overwhelming. However, even though the universe is broad and continues to grow, what really matters is that you have the right number of funds, you understand the portfolio of funds that you own and how these funds align to your investment goals. s Launch duct ed Pro i ds 114 New Products Launched Q1 2015 ated Funds reg eg 1S 2,1 1,7 3 14 20 517 Ne w ds un F l n 3,063 Mu tu a Figure 5: The Fund Universe 77 ed E xc h ang e -Trad n Fu may be more appropriate to align the portfolio with an investor’s risk tolerance and investment goals. But remember, while there is no “right” number of funds, an upper limit of 8 to 12 funds for a large portfolio tends to be the norm. Eight to twelve funds is normally enough to build a complete portfolio of funds We suggest limiting the number of funds in a portfolio because too many funds in a single asset class risks duplicating and/or negating exposures if the funds have similar investment objectives. In effect, a portfolio can become over-diversified, which potentially marginalizes the benefits of the underlying investments. Investors should also consider the time required to monitor the various funds, the costs associated with each and the potential tax consequences when liquidating a fund. When selecting funds for a portfolio, it is important to focus on investment goals and risk tolerance, and consider existing portfolio holdings. We suggest focusing on core fund holdings that provide broad exposure to a particular asset class as it allows the fund manager to determine the sector, market capitalization, and where applicable, the geographic allocations. The Financial Planning preferred list narrows down the universe of potential funds and your Financial Planner can work with you to identify what is appropriate for your investment portfolio. Remember, while diversification is a good thing, it is possible to have too much. Figure 6: Growth of Fund Industry Number of Funds Source: Morningstar. † 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 Year Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 13, 2015. 2014 2012 2010 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 0 1996 For larger investment accounts, a broader number of funds that provide exposure to a variety of asset classes and investment styles 6000 1994 For some investors, one fund may be enough, especially for a smaller investment account, such as the initial days of a Registered Educational Savings Plan (RESP). In general, mutual funds and ETFs are already well diversified. Consider the Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF: it has 6,973 stocks invested across the globe. It provides exposure to both the developed and developing world as well as the market capitalization spectrum. Funds can provide diversified exposure to a single asset class such as equities or in the case of a balanced fund, additional diversification by investing in a variety of asset classes and geographies. 7000 1992 How many are enough and how do you select the right ones? 8000 1990 Source: Morningstar®. As at March 9, 2015. Figures reflect funds available to Canadian investors. New products include mutual funds, segregated funds and ETFs. 6 April 2015 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES THE LAST WORD Going global Chris Blake, CFA The monetary stimulus gloves are off around the world and as between the United States and Japan, the clear winner since November 1, 2014 is Japan. “Abenomics” appears to be gaining traction. The yen has sagged nearly 16% against the greenback since September 1, and the market views that as an aid to Japanese exporters, making them more competitive in global markets and particularly in the United States. The United States remains the strongest major economy in the world (hard to believe that roughly 2.4% wins the race), and that stronger economy is driving a stronger dollar, threatening to slow the prospects for U.S. exporters and providing a headwind for the S&P 500 Index. Figure 7: U.S. and Japan Equity Performance 130 120 110 100 90 80 31-Oct-14 30-Nov-14 31-Dec-14 US - S&P 500 Index 31-Jan-15 28-Feb-15 Japan - Nikkei 225 Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 23, 2015. As it became clear in the late fall of 2014 that Mario Draghi and the European Central Bank were being pushed to take the next step in “whatever it takes to preserve the euro” and move to full quantitative easing, European stocks began to perform a little better. However, euro weakness engendered by the move stands to benefit the economies that are the strongest exporters and are in the best shape, so we are seeing equity markets divide into three speeds. At the top of the list, Germany wins with its strong export oriented manufacturing base. Next up are European countries, which arguably need greater labour and market reforms but do have some manufacturing base for export—Italy and France. At the bottom of the pack are the more peripheral countries such as Spain, which continues to suffer a hangover from the Global Financial Crisis of 2009. Figure 8: European Equity Performance 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 31-Oct-14 30-Nov-14 31-Dec-14 31-Jan-15 28-Feb-15 Germany - DAX France - CAC 40 Italy - MIB Spain - IBEX Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 23, 2015. In the emerging markets we see a big divergence in performance. China has massively outperformed its counterparts since the beginning of November on the back of stimulative moves in fiscal and monetary policy, while Brazil has significantly underperformed as the depth of the country’s difficulties return to haunt (iron ore glut and Petrobras scandal) and new problems emerge (a glut of sugar). India has traded sideways, digesting the gains from earlier in 2014 when the market ran on the back of the election of Narendra Modi. Russia was perhaps the surprise here; it rallied through the first part of 2015 and then began to give that back in late February. Figure 9: Emerging Market Equity Performance 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 31-Oct-14 30-Nov-14 31-Dec-14 31-Jan-15 28-Feb-15 China - Shanghai Composite Index Russia - Micex Composite Index India - Sensex Brazil - Bovespa Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. As at March 23, 2015. 7 April 2015 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES PERFORMANCE MONITOR Monthly market review Canadian Indices ($CA) Return S&P/TSX Composite (TR) S&P/TSX Composite (PR) S&P/TSX 60 (TR) S&P/TSX SmallCap (TR) Index Level 45,743 14,902 2,155 837 (%) 1 Month -1.88 -2.18 -2.08 -3.82 (%) 3 Month 2.58 1.85 2.42 -0.25 (%) YTD 2.58 1.85 2.42 -0.25 (%) 1 Year 6.93 3.96 8.97 -9.75 (%) 3 Year 9.58 6.34 10.41 -1.11 (%) 5 Year 7.41 4.36 7.27 1.98 (%) 10 Year 7.41 4.48 7.77 2.22 (%) 20 Year 8.81 6.39 9.39 - U.S. Indices ($US) Return S&P 500 (TR) S&P 500 (PR) Dow Jones Industrial (PR) NASDAQ Composite (PR) Russell 2000 (TR) Index Level 3,805 2,068 17,776 4,901 5,928 1 Month -1.58 -1.74 -1.97 -1.26 1.74 3 Month 0.95 0.44 -0.26 3.48 4.32 YTD 0.95 0.44 -0.26 3.48 4.32 1 Year 12.73 10.44 8.01 16.72 8.21 3 Year 16.11 13.66 10.40 16.60 16.27 5 Year 14.47 12.08 10.36 15.37 14.57 10 Year 8.01 5.77 5.40 9.38 8.82 20 Year 9.39 7.35 7.53 9.37 9.62 U.S. Indices ($CA) Return S&P 500 (TR) S&P 500 (PR) Dow Jones Industrial (PR) NASDAQ Composite (PR) Russell 2000 (TR) Index Level 4,826 2,623 22,544 6,215 7,518 1 Month -0.21 -0.37 -0.60 0.12 3.16 3 Month 10.36 9.80 9.03 13.13 14.04 YTD 10.36 9.80 9.03 13.13 14.04 1 Year 29.34 26.72 23.93 33.92 24.16 3 Year 25.72 23.06 19.53 26.25 25.89 5 Year 19.66 17.17 15.38 20.61 19.77 10 Year 8.52 6.27 5.90 9.90 9.33 20 Year 8.86 6.82 7.01 8.83 9.08 MSCI Indices ($US) Total Return World EAFE (Europe, Australasia, Far East) EM (Emerging Markets) Index Level 6,538 6,724 1,964 1 Month -1.50 -1.43 -1.40 3 Month 2.45 5.00 2.28 YTD 2.45 5.00 2.28 1 Year 6.60 -0.48 0.79 3 Year 12.82 9.52 0.66 5 Year 10.62 6.64 2.08 10 Year 6.98 5.43 8.82 20 Year 7.44 5.58 6.83 MSCI Indices ($CA) Total Return World EAFE (Europe, Australasia, Far East) EM (Emerging Markets) Index Level 8,291 8,528 2,491 1 Month -0.13 -0.05 -0.03 3 Month 12.00 14.78 11.81 YTD 12.00 14.78 11.81 1 Year 22.31 14.19 15.64 3 Year 22.16 18.58 8.99 5 Year 15.64 11.49 6.72 10 Year 7.48 5.93 9.33 20 Year 6.92 5.06 6.31 Level 78.85 1 Month -1.38 3 Month -8.53 YTD -8.53 1 Year -12.84 3 Year -7.64 5 Year -4.34 10 Year -0.47 20 Year 0.49 Index Level 6,773 24,901 19,207 1 Month -2.50 0.31 2.18 3 Month 3.15 5.49 10.06 YTD 3.15 5.49 10.06 1 Year 2.65 12.41 29.53 3 Year 5.50 6.60 23.96 5 Year 3.58 3.23 11.61 10 Year 3.30 6.30 5.11 20 Year 3.92 5.47 0.87 Currency Canadian Dollar ($US/$CA) Regional Indices (Native Currency) Price Return London FTSE 100 (UK) Hang Seng (Hong Kong) Nikkei 225 (Japan) Bond Yields Government of Canada Yields US Treasury Yields Canadian Bond Indices ($CA) Total Return FTSE TMX Canada Universe Bond Index FTSE TMX Canadian Short Term Bond Index (1-5 Years) FTSE TMX Canadian Mid Term Bond Index (5-10) FTSE TMX Long Term Bond Index (10+ Years) 3 Month 0.55 0.02 Index Level 1000.94 684.63 1085.67 1603.34 1 Month -2.26 -0.03 -0.29 -0.68 As at 3/31/2015 Sources: TD Securities Inc., Bloomberg Finance L.P. TR: total return, PR: price return. 5 Year 0.77 1.37 3 Month 7.33 1.89 4.30 7.13 YTD 7.33 1.89 4.30 7.13 10 Year 1.36 1.93 1 Year 14.47 3.92 10.30 19.72 3 Year 3.72 2.90 5.78 7.81 30 Year 1.99 2.54 5 Year 7.17 3.29 6.84 9.99 10 Year 6.31 3.98 6.25 7.94 8 April 2015 MONTHLY PERSPECTIVES APPENDIX A Important information The information has been drawn from sources believed to be reliable. Where such statements are based in whole or in part on information provided by third parties, they are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. Graphs and charts are used for illustrative purposes only and do not reflect future values or future performance of any investment. The information does not provide financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Particular investment, trading, or tax strategies should be evaluated relative to each individual’s objectives and risk tolerance. 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FLS are not guarantees of future performance. Actual events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in any FLS. A number of important factors including those factors set out above can contribute to these digressions. You should avoid placing any reliance on FLS. Full disclosures for all companies covered by TD Securities Inc. can be viewed at https://www. tdsresearch.com/equities/welcome.important.disclosure.action Research Ratings Distribution of Research Ratings REDUCE 3% BUY 57% 80% Percentage of subject companies under 70% 62% each rating category—BUY (covering 60% Action List BUY, BUY and Spec. BUY 50% ratings), HOLD and REDUCE (covering 40% TENDER and REDUCE30% ratings). As at April 1, 2015. 20% 10% HOLD 40% 0% Investment Banking Services Provided 80% 70% 60% 62% 50% 35% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 3% BUY HOLD Analyst Certification:The Portfolio Advice and Investment Research analyst(s) responsible for this report hereby certify that (i) the recommendations and technical opinions expressed in the research report accurately reflect the personal views of the analyst(s) about any and all of the securities or issuers discussed herein, and (ii) no part of the research analyst’s compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the provision of specific recommendations or views expressed by the research analyst in the research report. Conflicts of Interest: The Portfolio Advice & Investment Research analyst(s) responsible for this report may own securities of the issuer(s) discussed in this report. 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(Member – Canadian Investor Protection Fund), TD Waterhouse Private Investment Counsel Inc., TD Wealth Private Banking (offered by The Toronto-Dominion Bank) and TD Wealth Private Trust (offered by The Canada Trust Company). 3% BUY Percentage of subject companies within each of the three categories (BUY, HOLD and REDUCE) for which TD Securities Inc. has provided investment banking services within the last 12 months. As at April 1, 2015. REDUCE Action List BUY: The stock’s total return is expected to exceed a minimum of 15%, on a risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12 months and it is a top pick in the Analyst’s sector. BUY: The stock’s total return is expected to exceed a minimum of 15%, on a risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12 months. SPECULATIVE BUY: The stock’s total return is expected to exceed 30% over the next 12 months; however, there is material event risk associated with the investment that could result in significant loss. HOLD: The stock’s total return is expected to be between 0% and 15%, on a risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12 months. TENDER: Investors are advised to tender their shares to a specific offer for the company’s securities. REDUCE: The stock’s total return is expected to be negative over the next 12 months. Research Report Dissemination Policy: TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. makes its research products available in electronic format. These research products are posted to our proprietary websites for all eligible clients to access by password and we distribute the information to our sales personnel who then may distribute it to their retail clients under the appropriate circumstances either by e-mail, fax or regular mail. No recipient may pass on to any other person, or reproduce by any means, the information contained in this report without our prior written consent. 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