Despite a cut in interest rates during the last quarter, the S&P/TSX Composite Index remained under pressure. While growth has struggled in Canada, it is believed that the projected interest rate cuts will lead to a positive change in the remainder of the year.

Despite the investment markets in the first quarter of the year experiencing a bumpy start, our clients’ performance was very satisfactory. The fixed-income market was particularly affected due to renewed inflation concerns, which caused negative rates of return in all bond maturities. However, these concerns had only a marginal effect on the equity market.

Despite this past year being a challenging year for Canadian dividend-paying equities with increased competition from rising interest rates and bond yields, our clients experienced strong performance this past quarter, leading to an overall rise in return for the full year.

The performance of the Canadian equity market last quarter was greatly influenced by changes in interest rates and a dramatic increase in the price of oil.