Brandon Kirby - Financial Consultant

05/15/2020

Since I recommended buying gold as a hedge against the current economic calamity, its value has jumped by 8%. I'm still recommending people buy more.

04/16/2020

Steve Eisman (who was portrayed in the Big Short), shorted the Canadian banks a year ago, arguing that a normal credit contraction would cause a 20%+ decline in their stock price. The interviewer was quick with the math on her feet and realized Eisman actually thinks the decline would have been higher than 20%.

Eisman's main argument was that loan loss provisions were unprepared for a normal downtrend in credit. We've now faced a catastrophic loss.

Neuberger Berman's Steve Eisman, the money manager made famous by the book 'The Big Short' and its film adaptation, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss why he's short Canadian banks.

03/29/2020

The historians are saying now is a great time to buy. Not a recommendation but it's worth considering:

The steep losses and stomach-churning swings in the equity markets might be jarring to watch for many Canadians but experienced Bay Streeters are seeing ample buying opportunities, especially for young investors.

03/22/2020

In the light of the Fed's $1 trillion/day in quantitative easing, gold and other commodities are hard to ignore and wise investments. The recent sharp decline in the precious metal makes it an opportune time to buy.

Quantitative easing (QE) is a process of injecting cash into the monetary system. As the currency becomes due to increased supply, the $USD/gold ratio increases, artificially increasing the value of gold.

Since the Fed began QE1, $USD/gold has jumped in value from $750/ounce to over $1650/ounce prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. With gold trading at a one year low, now is the perfect time to buy in.

03/16/2020

Some are worried about their retirement savings and thinking of selling their portfolio. My advice is to look at the fundamentals. If you bought a house for $200,000, and I came along and offered to buy it for $100,000, would you sell it just because people are offering less for it? Don't sell! Hold onto the assets you bought, and let them produce for you going forward.

02/17/2020

For my friends interested in green tech investing:

Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ)

They're reinvesting earning, but my suspicion is they're a heavily undervalued company. Book value alone shows $22/share, and they're trading at $23. Market cap is less than half of the enterprise value. Overall they made $775M and they buy-in is $1.38bn - you get your money back in less than two years.

They just landed some impressive contracts in Brazil, Chile, and Florida - the sunshine state is great for solar and the future for Canadian Solar Inc. is bright indeed.

01/15/2020

Being an unwavering fan of the game Monopoly, I decided to weigh in on one industry in particular: Railways.

My recommendation is Canadian National Railway (CNI). Growth is down all across the industry, but CNI seems to have bucked this trend. Profits margins are at a healthy 29.6%. Their dividends are low, so much like the game of monopoly, these railroads are a safe bet for small returns.

Given that the markets are trading high right now, the security of the railway offers some relief to those risk averse. Plus, it's environmentally friendly transportation and Canada was built on the railway - what's not to love?

12/28/2019

Real Estate investing can be the most profitable venture and the most time consuming. With rising interest rates aggregate house values are expected to decline. Time plus risk can turn off the most ambitious investor.

A good way to mitigate the uncertainty and laborious nature of real estate investing is to invest in a real estate investment trust (REIT). The professionals take care of the grunt work while you enjoy the profits.

Killam Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust (KMP-UN.TO) is trending upward. They have a great dividend structure. They're trading for $1.87 billion and they have assets minus liabilities at $1.2 billion. They're trading cheap for a profit margin of 84%. Return on equity is at 16%. YoY growth is 72%. They're a safe bet and a great buy.

Plus, I've lived at Killam Apartments before, it was a great experience, and I highly recommend!

12/27/2019

Check out Best Buy - it's trading for $23 billion, with profits of $10 billion last year. Maybe it really is the best buy right now. I think investors are afraid of the onward march of Amazon, but this beast is a bargain!

Good dividend, reasonable P/E, ROE is through the roof. It's buy buy buy.

07/12/2019

Under rated stock: Kroger Co (KR).

Their profit is $27 billion and their total trading value is $17 billion. One of the best value plays I've come across in a long time. Insider transactions are buying like crazy.

3% dividend for a grocery chain - what's not to love?