Investors had to brush off a number of fears and considerable volatility to reap this year's substantial gains.Torsten Asmus/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Investors are looking at a very happy ending to 2025, a year in which just about everything went up.
But the journey was far from straightforward. Benefiting from big gains in Canadian, U.S., developed and emerging markets required a steady hand amid recession fears, tariffs and a shifting global economy.
Here are 10 articles published on Globe Advisor that captured that journey, as well as some of the year’s investment product trends.
Buy the dip, stay put or run for cover? Canadian money managers respond to tariff whiplash
We all know the answer to this question now – although the timing of this article, just weeks before President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, shows just how difficult it is to time the market. Buying this particular dip in March would have been painful. But pouncing on the correction following that April afternoon in the Rose Garden would have been very profitable indeed.
Six ETFs for investors seeking diversification outside North America
2025 will be remembered as the year many global markets outperformed the U.S. Those looking for a repeat in 2026 can review these picks from ETF experts back in April, when the ex-U.S. trade was gathering steam.
Here’s how long Belski, Marks, Rosenberg and Basinger believe this bull market can last
This remains the central question heading into 2026: Just how much fuel is left in this bull market? In this article, amid October’s Blue Jays fever, market strategists debated whether we’re still in the early innings, the likelihood of a late-inning rally, or whether it’s time to head for the exits.
Rebalancing in a bull market requires the discipline to cut winners. Advisors can help
Rising markets can make it difficult for even disciplined investors to rebalance their portfolios. That’s because there’s something counterintuitive about trimming winners to buy things that haven’t done as well. Still, market strategists suggest selling – or even just trimming – better-performing stocks once in a while to avoid concentration risk if those stocks correct. Here’s how they do it.
How advisors are investing new client money in an expensive market
Rebalancing at all-time highs is one thing, but what about new money? Whether it’s an investor moving assets from another firm, an inheritance, or a big year-end bonus, advisors are grappling with how much new money to put into equities immediately and how much to leave in cash or even fixed income to protect it from a possible downturn. Here’s how three advisors are handling the challenge.
Choice is good for investors, and the boom in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has drawn new investors into markets and forced asset managers to compete on fees. But a report from TD Securities last summer, just as dozens of new single-stock ETFs came to market, looked at ETF launches in “overdrive” and what that means for markets.
Why more single-stock ETFs of Canadian-listed companies are hitting the market
Naturally, we wanted to explain the phenomenon of ETFs that offer options and leveraged strategies on individual stocks. Here’s a breakdown of the investment thesis and the risks.
How asset-allocation funds have changed financial advice
We also looked at the impact a very different type of fund has had on the investment and advice landscape: the asset allocation ETF, first introduced to Canada in 2018, which is growing “tremendously fast.”
Lack of advisor education contributes to early demise of tontine retirement fund
With the growing number of retired clients worried about outliving their savings, the introduction of tontine funds that pool money to address longevity risk received a lot of attention. However, the funds have largely failed to catch on, and Guardian Capital LP closed its tontine and decumulation funds earlier this year.
The ground is shifting beneath sustainable investing, but abandoning it isn’t the answer
As the U.S. grapples with backlash against environmental, social and governance principles, and Canada’s securities regulators pause their work on mandatory climate disclosures, many investors are questioning the future of sustainable investing. The landscape is no longer idealistic – it’s complex, contested and evolving. Here’s what advisors need to know.