Some analysts say a big-picture trend presently unfolding involves hedge funds and other players unwinding bets on commodities/foreign currencies and plowing the proceeds into U.S. financial and other stocks. They are doing this for valuation reasons and as a haven against weakening economies overseas.

“Despite their fantastic recent growth record, investors need to be very cautious about emerging markets,” says chief investment officer Eric Bushell in CI Funds’ latest Perspective Online. Their growth momentum is posed to decelerate due to high commodity prices and slippage in export growth as developed economies slow down.

While the position of Canadian banks is improving vis a vis U.S. banks due to the financial crisis (as argued in my previous post), it would be not be entirely accurate to attribute the improvement solely to the more conservative practices of Canadian banks. Their balance sheets and capital ratios ...