Natural gas lags while oil soars. Some trusts win high-premium takeover bids, while others collapse following sharp dividend cuts. The rising Canadian dollar lifts share prices and dividends, yet pulls the rug out from under some trusts’ businesses. Read More

Vault Energy (VNG.UN, VNGFF) escapes the Canadian Edge Dividend Watch List this month, thanks to a takeover offer from core energy holding Penn West Energy Trust (PWT.UN, NYSE: PWE). The deal calls for each unit of Vault to be exchanged for 0.14 shares of Penn West. Read More

Since November 2006, there have been three dozen buyouts of Canadian trusts. Although none of the deals offered large premiums on the target, acquirers will do just fine because they add reserves and production at a discount. Read More

There's still danger in the energy sector as natural gas production remains flat on its back. And the falling US dollar is creating hardships for Candian trusts. But the strongest continue to pay reliable dividends. Read More

This month's High Yielders are Yellow Pages Income Fund and ARC Energy Trust. Read More

Alberta's energy development strategies have come under fire lately. The answer: the Alberta Royalty Review Panel's proposed Our Fair Share program. Read More

The Silk Long-Term Holdings Portfolio continues to outperform. Read More

Since its inception 15 February 2006 through the end of the third quarter of 2007, the Portfolio is up 58.01 percent, while my benchmark--the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Total Return (MSCI World Index), which includes gross dividends--is up 33.33 percent. The S&P 500 is up 21.67 percent, including dividends, during the same time frame. Read More

The third quarter brought plenty of volatility for the US and most global stock markets. In particular, a general credit scare gripped the market in late July. The epicenter of that scare was mortgage-related debt focused on subprime borrowers; however, the general panic spread, making it difficult for even higher-quality corporate borrowers in totally unrelated industry groups to garner access to capital... Read More

Having boxed Canada’s opposition parties into a choice between supporting his coming throne speech and forcing an election that will almost surely end with another minority Conservative government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems to have turned his skills as a political operator to the world stage and the debate over climate change. Read More