Paul Wells: Europe’s breaking point + MORE Apr 8th

Daily life in Brussels after terror attacks: Police confront residents of the Muslim district Molenbeek after a police investigation sparked anger between residents and police. (Photograph by Timothy Fadek/Redux)
As the list of deadly attacks grows longer, Europe’s great cities have had to improvise an iconography of grief and wariness. A visitor arriving in Brussels last week, days after bombs at the airport and in the metro killed 32 people, was struck not so much by fear as by déjà vu. It was so much like Paris after the Charlie Hebdo murders. These things have a shape and a rhythm to them now.
At the Bourse, the Belgian capital’s stately old stock exchange, crowds of tourists were still laying flowers and hanging banners. Chalk inscriptions on sidewalks and on the building itself bore messages of hope or sadness or helpless banality. “Just smile,” said one. “It will make them angry.” “Diversity is Brussels and they won’t take it away from us,” said another.
The subways were running for only 12 hours a day, from 7 a…

Lindsay Tithecott, 29, is trying to find savings by cutting down on fitness classes.
In our April 2016 issue of MoneySense, we introduced you to Lindsay Tithecott, a 29-year-old who is trying to pay down debt, build up savings and buy a larger condo. Throughout the year we’ll be giving her a financial challenge every two weeks to help her get her finances in tip top shape. Make sure to follow along! Let’s start.
Challenge No. 1
Lindsay’s expenses are modest but a big chunk of your budget goes to fitness—$3,260 annually on ballet, kickboxing, the gym, a personal trainer, and other outdoor activity. Lindsay’s first challenge was to track how often she actually uses these fitness services over two weeks. Does she feel she’s getting her money’s worth? Then we asked her to prioritize which gym services she can’t live without and which she wouldn’t mind dropping in order to save some money—even for only a year or two.
Lindsay’s experience
Over the past two weeks I have been monitoring my fitness activities to see what I’m willing to cut…

A few years ago, the notion of negative interest rates was a purely academic discussion. But after the Bank of Canada said in December that its overnight rate could fall below zero—and some European countries did indeed go negative—the prospect of seeing minus signs became real. Bad enough for savers—people in Denmark pay banks to hold their money, as if it were stored furniture—it could prove still worse for equity investors.
Typically, markets rise when rates fall. That’s what we’ve seen in most developed economies since 2009. Essentially, by lowering rates, central banks encourage investors to get out of fixed income and buy stocks, which will earn them a higher return. However, this has made certain safe income-generating sectors, like utilities and real-estate investment trusts (REITs), more expensive. As well, the rotation to equities has largely played itself out, says Craig Fehr, an investment strategist at Edward Jones.
Why Stephen Poloz is musing about sub-zero interest rates now »
Here’s the idea behind negative rates: Banks get charged a fee to store cash at the central bank…

Join leading market experts, including top strategists from Wall Street and Bay Street, for a must-attend event that’ll deliver practical investment advice. At Invest for Success, you’ll learn how to decipher today’s markets and determine which risks and opportunities should be driving your investment decisions. Have questions? Our MoneySense gurus will answer them during a live audience Q&A. Walk away with everything you need to know about building a smarter portfolio.
Saturday, May 7th, 2016
The Fairmont Royal York
100 Front St. West.
Toronto, Ont.
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

General admission: $49 plus HST
Special offer for new subscribers! Attend the event and get a 1-year MoneySense subscription ($74.00 total value): $59 plus HST

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Featured Speakers
 

Kurt Reiman
Chief Investment Strategist for Canada, BlackRock

Tom Bradley
Founder and President of Steadyhand Investment Funds

David Thomas
Editor-in-Chief, MoneySense 

Norm Rothery
Founder of The Stingy Investor and MoneySense value investing columnist

Dan Bortolotti
Financial Planner, MoneySense index investing columnist and founder of the Canadian Couch Potato blog
Additional speakers to be announced…

Strong economic data and a surge in the price of oil boosted the Toronto stock market to a triple-digit gain Friday while the Canadian dollar soared almost a full cent against its U.S. counterpart.