President Donald Trump said in a letter that he will raise taxes on many imported goods from Canada to 35%, deepening a rift between two North American countries that have suffered a debilitating blow to their decades-old alliance.The Thursday letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is an aggressive increase to the top 25% tariff rates that Trump first imposed in March after months of threats. Trump's tariffs were allegedly in an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling despite the relatively modest trafficking in the drug from that country.
With trade wars wreaking havoc on the markets, investors and advisors are scrambling to pinpoint areas to place their geographic bets across the globe. Despite the temporary breather on “reciprocal” tariff policies, many expect more uncertainty ahead and are shying away from tariff-exposed regions.
Through ETFs, iShares has long offered exposure to equity markets like Canada and Italy. Soon, the firm will provide access to an even larger market.
The 'Fast Money' traders talk volatility in the market as tariff whiplash hits Washington.
EWC's high exposure to financials and low exposure to technology dampens its growth outlook compared to the S&P 500. Canada's weak economy and high household debt limit growth prospects for EWC's financial sector-heavy portfolio. Despite a fair valuation, EWC's earnings growth forecast is inferior to the S&P 500 due to low tech sector exposure.
Has the Bank of Canada beaten inflation? Not completely.
Canadian equities have underperformed US stocks in 2024, and I expect that to continue. The theme for 2024 has been AI - and EWC is an ETF that is not well positioned to capitalize on that theme. The Bank of Canada has begun cutting interest rates. This is a significant headwind for the fund's largest sector, which is Financials.
The iShares MSCI Canada ETF EWC is a financials and energy heavy ETF, trading at attractive valuations compared to broader US markets. EWC has underperformed its peer group of Canada-focused ETFs and has experienced a recent period of outflows. Divergent monetary policy in Canada and the US could have mixed results for EWC's near-term performance.