The best Mastercard credit cards in Canada for 2024 + MORE Oct 18th

Kyle Prevost, creator of 4 Steps to a Worry-Free Retirement, Canada’s DIY retirement planning course, shares financial headlines and offers context for Canadian investors.

U.S. investment banking is back

It was quarterly earnings time for the big U.S. banks again this week, and all six banks beat earnings expectations. All figures below are in U.S. dollars.

U.S. bank earnings highlights

JPMorgan (JPM/NYSE): Earnings per share of $4.37 (versus $4.01 predicted). Revenue of $43.32 billion (versus $41.63 billion predicted).

Bank of America (BAC/NYSE): Earnings per share of $0.81 (versus $0.77 predicted). Revenue of $25.49 billion (versus $25.30 billion predicted). 

Wells Fargo (WFC/NYSE): Earnings per share of $1.52 (versus $1.28 predicted). Revenues of $20.37 billion (versus $20.42 billion predicted). 

Morgan Stanley (MS/NYSE): Earnings per share of $1.88 (versus $1.58 predicted). Revenues of $15.38 billion (versus $14.41 billion predicted). 

Citigroup (C/NYSE): Earnings per share of $1…

Dow and S&P end at fresh record highs, lifted by Netflix earnings and tech stocks  ReutersStock market today: S&P 500 heads for record, longest weekly win streak of 2024 as Netflix surges  Yahoo FinanceStock market today: Wall Street ends mixed even as the Dow ekes out another record  SooTodayStock market today: Wall Street hangs around its record highs as earnings reports come in mixed  Times ColonistStock market today: Wall Street notches more records and logs its latest winning week  Burnaby Now

Amidst the gyrations of mega-cap technology stocks and cryptocurrencies this year, a stodgy old standby has notched a number of new highs. Gold almost hit USD$2,700 per ounce in late September. It is up 24% year-to-date in U.S. dollars and more in Canadian dollars.

That, together with the fear of a stock-market correction, has prompted a lot of Canadians who never considered owning the precious metal before to wonder whether this age-old asset should be part of their portfolios. After all, Canada’s largest robo-advisor, Wealthsimple, allocates 2.5% of its clients’ accounts to gold—and 10% in its halal portfolios.

Should it be part of yours? Or would you just be buying in at the peak? There’s no way to know, except in hindsight. There will always be “gold bugs” out there urging you to sell everything and buy gold before the world goes to pot. Their advice is best avoided.

Here instead are some important facts around investing in gold that will help you make a better-informed decision…

Credit card comparison tool

Compare Mastercard credit cards available in Canada using our interactive tool below. You can filter cards based on rewards value, annual fees, income requirements and more.

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The best Mastercard credit cards in Canada

Mastercard is one of the three major payment processing networks in Canada, along with Visa and American Express. And although Mastercard doesn’t issue its own credit cards, it has partnered with card issuers like banks and other financial institutions that do. So, you can easily find a Mastercard that caters to your needs, regardless if you want travel points, cash back, low interest or perks. Let’s look at the best-of-the-best that Mastercard has to offer.

Mastercard credit cardHighlightsDetailsEligibility requirementsBMO CashBack World Elite MastercardGO TO SITE*Award: Best cash back MastercardBest feature: 5% cash back on groceries and 4% back on transit Annual fee: $120Rewards: 1% to 5% cash backInterest rates: 20…