Colin Whitehead - IG Wealth Management

06/22/2026

Monday Market Update

🌍 Weekly Market Briefing | What Moved Global Markets This Week?

Here's a quick look at the biggest developments shaping markets over the past week:

📈 Stocks Continue to Show Resilience
Global equity markets finished the week higher despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. Investors were encouraged by strong corporate earnings expectations, resilient economic data, and continued investment in artificial intelligence and technology. While day-to-day volatility remains elevated, the overall trend has remained constructive.

🛢️ Oil Prices Retreat
Crude oil prices declined sharply after signs of easing tensions in the Middle East and improved shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz. Lower energy prices helped ease some inflation concerns, although markets remain alert to any changes in the geopolitical landscape that could quickly reverse the trend.

🏦 Interest Rates Remain Front and Centre
Central banks continue walking a fine line between fighting inflation and supporting economic growth. Investors are now paying close attention to upcoming inflation data for clues on when interest rates may eventually begin to move lower. Until then, markets are likely to remain sensitive to every major economic report.

🤖 AI Continues to Drive Market Leadership
Technology companies tied to artificial intelligence remain some of the strongest performers. Investment in AI infrastructure continues to support earnings growth and has been one of the primary drivers behind equity market strength this year.

🇨🇦 What This Means for my Clients:
For Canadian investors, the key themes remain unchanged:
• Stay diversified.
• Don't let short-term headlines drive long-term decisions.
• Volatility often creates opportunity for disciplined investors who remain focused on their financial plan.

The biggest risks to watch over the coming weeks will be inflation data, central bank commentary, corporate earnings, and any renewed geopolitical tensions that could affect energy markets.

As always, successful investing isn't about predicting the next headline—it's about having a plan that can weather them.

06/19/2026

Getting setup for a webinar I'm the guest speaker for. Today, I will be talking with college students about debt management and savings strategies. The Q&A should be interesting because I have no idea what kind of questions they are going ask! Wish me luck!

06/18/2026

Some people try to time the markets. Usually, this results in underperformance. For longterm investors, the best time to get into the markets is now. Get in, get in often. Dollar-cost average, spread and diversify your contributions to handle any volatility.

Dont sit on the sidelines because you're missing out. My top growth fund is up 43% year to date.

06/16/2026

The amount of money you could save on your mortgage insurance is staggering. I'm talking $100's if not $1000's per year in savings, depending on the size of your mortgage and your age.

I spend a lot of time talking about wealth planning (offense strategy), but we can't forget about the risk mitigation using insurance (defense strategy). In sports, defense wins championships and it's no different in financial planning.

If you're curious about how much you could save, send me a message. Use that new found cash for funding an exciting trip this summer!

06/16/2026

Check out this video on the "Why" of Legacy Planning. If you want to set up a chat to discuss how you can build a legacy and estate plan, send me a message.

What do you want to be remembered for?

06/11/2026

My new office in downtown London. 16th floor of One London Place. Come visit me for the coffee and great views!

06/08/2026

Market Monday UpdateL

For a while, markets had been telling themselves a comforting story: growth would stay resilient, inflation would remain under control, and the Fed would regain room to cut later this year, taking pressure off global bond yields. That view took a hit this week. Nonfarm payrolls rose 172k in May, nearly double consensus, while the prior two months were revised up by a combined 93k jobs. Markets are now fully pricing in one Fed hike by year-end. The bottom line is that the rally now has to absorb good growth news without the support of easier policy expectations. AI momentum can still support earnings, and a resilient labour market still lowers recession risk. But if payrolls keep reaccelerating, inflation stays sticky, and the 10-year Treasury yield moves back above 4.5%, equities may again run into the same rates constraint that has interrupted the rally before.

Why did some AI shares dip?

Broadcom (a U.S. semiconductor tech firm) did almost everything right. Revenue hit a record $22.2 billion, up 48%, and AI chip revenue more than doubled to $10.8 billion. Management called demand insatiable and predicted that future revenue would be even higher. The stock still fell by more than 15% on Thursday.

Nothing in the earnings report was bad. The problem was the set-up. Shares had run to record highs going in, AI expectations landed below the most optimistic estimates, and the company’s long-term target stayed put. After such a great run, very good results are seen as a letdown. It was the same story with Crowdstrike (an AI cybersecurity company); its stock fell, despite beating expectations and seeing its shares jump in recent months. Its stock did bounce back somewhat, however.

The fundamentals across AI are still strong; the expectations attached to them are stronger. When a stock is priced for a blowout, beating expectations is not enough.

How are companies paying for AI?

After Alphabet (Google’s parent company) announced plans to raise $80 billion from stock sales to fund data centres, its share price swiftly fell by about 4%. For two years, the market has been happy with the AI capital expenditure story, reading heavy spending as ambition. Selling that much stock to pay for it sends a different message, however. It puts dilution on the table and shifts the debate from how much they spend on AI to how they finance it, as well as how long investors have to wait for returns. The market is asking harder questions about the bill, and that has showed up in its reaction. But still, if you zoom out, the returns have still been absolutely incredible so far this year.

What impact did oil prices have on the markets?

For months, markets treated the Iran conflict as background noise. This week changed that a little. After the U.S. struck sites in Iran, and Iran fired missiles at Kuwait, oil rose and equities flinched. The S&P 500 Index snapped a nine-session winning streak, and the S&P/TSX Index shed nearly 370 points on Wednesday, after hitting a record high the day before.

Higher oil prices fed into bonds, pushing the 10-year yield toward 4.5% and the 30-year yield near 5% again; increasing rates put pressure on the expensive tech that has been leading the equities rally. By Thursday, a ceasefire pulled oil and yields back down, and started a rotation toward banks and retail stocks. Time will tell if this situation holds.

For Canada, higher oil supports the energy names on the Toronto Stock Exchange, but it also feeds inflation and puts pressure on the Bank of Canada, which now faces strong inflation and a technical recession. A very difficult spot.

What will jobs data and interest rate decisions tell us?

Next week brings two tests. Friday's U.S. jobs report should show about 85,000 new jobs for May, down from April. The Bank of Canada will make its interest rate decision on June 10, leaning toward a hold but watching every oil price movement. After a week where good news got punished and an old risk made more of an impact, the question is simple: with expectations this high, what counts as a positive surprise now?

06/05/2026

Getting ready for a special interview!

05/30/2026

Retirement Planning: Expectation vs. Reality 😂

Some people think retirement planning is all about spreadsheets, investment returns, and withdrawal strategies.

But if we're being realistic, most retirement goals eventually boil down to this:

"I just want enough money to spend my days surrounded by the things I love."

For some, that's travel. ✈️
For others, it's golf. ⛳
And for this gentleman... apparently it's becoming a human mattress for 12 Boxers. 🐶🐶🐶

The funny thing is that retirement planning isn't really about money. Money is just the tool. The real goal is creating the freedom to live the life you want—whether that's exploring the world, spoiling the grandkids, or being buried under a mountain of dogs.

The best retirement plans don't start with numbers. They start with a vision of what retirement actually looks like for you.

Just maybe make sure your plan includes a budget line for dog food. 😅

LivingPlan FutureYouWillThankYou DogLoversRetirementPlan 🐾

05/26/2026

Legacy Planning with Purpose.