Articles by Cameron French

TD Bank Profit Falls 10% on Weather Insurance Costs

Toronto-Dominion Bank’s quarterly profit fell 10 percent as Canada’s No. 2 lender took C$418 million in insurance-related charges, but the result topped estimates and the bank hiked its dividend by 5 percent. TD, the final large Canadian bank to report …

Fairfax Prem Watsa Brings Hope to RIM’s Restless Shareholders

The arrival of the man known as “the Warren Buffett of North” on Research In Motion’s board this week offers a ray of hope to the BlackBerry maker’s impatient shareholders after their disappointment that an insider was named new chief …

Manulife Expands Asian Reach with Cambodia Unit

Manulife Financial said it has received approval to establish operations in Cambodia, which will expand the Canadian insurer’s reach into an 11th Asian market. Manulife said in a statement it had “approval in principle” from Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and …

Fairfax’s Watsa Sees More Turmoil; Maintains Hedges

Fairfax Financial Holdings is maintaining its market hedges due to concerns about the global economic outlook and in spite of the recent turnaround in stock and bond prices, the insurer’s founder and chief executive said Friday. Prem Watsa, who made …

Weak Markets to Hobble Canadian Insurer Results

Canadian insurers are looking at a bleak quarter of financial results due to a sharp drop in stock markets and bond yields, and analysts are staying cautious on the stocks even at rock-bottom valuations. Sun Life Financial , Canada’s No. …

Fairfax Financial’s Hedges Shelter Insurer from Financial Crisis

Toronto-based Fairfax Financial, which raked in billions during the 2008 financial crisis by using market hedges, is once again a go-to stock for shaken investors. Although the company has been criticized by some for its opaqueness and complicated structure, its …

Canadian Insurers’ Earnings Results Seen Stronger, but ‘Messy’

Low interest rates and write downs are expected to lead to another messy quarter for Canada’s insurers, but recent stock market strength means the profit picture should be brighter than last quarter’s weak results. And, with expectations modest for the …

Report Forecasts Rough Sailing for Canadian Insurers’ Results

Investors hoping for improved results from Canada’s insurers may want to brace for disappointment, with weak stock markets and lower bond yields seen taking take a bite out of quarterly earnings. Analysts said the weaker results expected for the second …