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Clients could win $5,000 in Equitable’s New Year’s Resolution, New Year’s Contribution Contest!
Equitable® wants to help clients achieve their financial goals in 2024.

Clients could win $5,000 and you could win $1,000 in Equitable’s New Year’s Resolution, New Year’s Contribution Contest.

How it works:
The client makes a contribution between January 1 and February 29, 2024 to one or more of these accounts:
- • First Home Savings Account
- • Registered Retirement Savings Plan
- • Tax-Free Savings Account
If they win, you win! The draw will be held March 20, 2024.

Equitable is dedicated to offering clients the products, the services, and the choices that best suit their needs. We provide multiple sales charge options, three distinct guarantee classes, and a diverse selection of investment funds.

Speak to your Regional Investment Sales Manager to learn more.

Posted: December 14, 2023

® denotes a registered trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

Equitable’s New Year’s Resolution, New Year’s Contribution Contest: No purchase necessary. Contest period January 1, 2024, to February 29, 2024.  Enter by making a deposit to an Equitable FHSA, TFSA or RRSP during the contest period or by submitting a no-purchase entry. One prize for a total value of $5,000 CAD to be drawn on March 8, 2024, will be awarded. The servicing advisor for the policy to which the selected entrant made the deposit is also an eligible winner and will receive a $1,000 CAD prize. For example, if an Equitable client is a winner of the $5,000 prize, the client’s servicing advisor wins a $1,000 prize.  Open to legal residents of Canada of the age of majority. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible Entries received during the Contest Period.  For full contest rules, including no-purchase method of entry, see the full contest rules. 
Positioning for the Future Over the past few years, we’ve made great progress on our five-year strategic plan. Our Individual Insurance new business sales grew 24% over the previous year, compared to an 8% market growth. We’ve introduced refreshed products, services and technology. Looking ahead, we want to keep our momentum and ensure we also look beyond the next five years. To be successful in this, we’re making some changes to our current structure.

We’re pleased to announce that Martin Reeves has been promoted to Executive Vice-President, Individual Insurance. Martin has served in key positions during his time at Equitable including Vice President, Actuarial and Finance and most recently as Head of Individual Insurance Business. Martin is a talented leader. His 20 years of industry experience spans the globe having served in leadership positions in Canada, Hong Kong and Malaysia. His passion for delivering leading insurance solutions to Canadians has been instrumental to Equitable’s recent success. Martin will join Equitable’s executive team and will report to Fabien Jeudy, Chief Executive Officer.

Martin steps into this role as Donna Carbell accepts a new position as Executive Vice-President, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer. Donna will remain on the executive team and continue to lead Equitable’s brand and impact efforts. Donna will add Equitable’s corporate strategy to her accountability, overseeing the company’s strategic initiatives. These initiatives support our aspirations of becoming fully driven by client outcomes in a way that is simple, safe and rewarding for our clients, partners and employees. We would like to thank Donna for her incredible leadership of the Individual Life business these past several years.
From Discovery to Action: Financial Planning Essentials for Newcomers Are you ready to deepen your understanding of newcomers’ financial needs? Join our December Master Class, “From Discovery to Action: Financial Planning Essentials for Newcomers,” — the second part of our September Master Class series on the topic of newcomers and learn how to guide new Canadians through their first year in Canada with empathy and expertise.

We will explore strategic, empathetic discovery questions and provide practical tools to help advisors interpret newcomers’ responses in the context of their financial priorities.

Join Joseph Trozzo, Vice President, National Investment Sales at Equitable, for an engaging conversation in our second session with Dr. Aditya Nain — professor, consultant, MoneySense columnist, and acclaimed multi-disciplinary author.
Together, they will share actionable strategies and new perspectives to help advisors confidently and compassionately guide newcomers through the complexities of financial planning in Canada.

Why attend?
- Use empathetic questions to understand newcomers’ needs.
- Map priorities to a simple 12-month financial plan.
- Build tailored plans for banking, credit, insurance, and investments.
Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen and elevate your advisory approach.

Learn more

Continuing Education Credits
This webcast has been submitted for continuing education (CE) approval for all provinces excluding Quebec via the Insurance Council of Manitoba and Alberta Insurance Council. Upon approval, you will be sent an email notification to come back to the webcast presentation console to download your personalized certificate from the tool bar. To be eligible for CE credits, you must register individually, watch the webcast in full, and complete a short quiz. It is the advisor's responsibility to ensure Continuing Education credits being offered are accepted by their licensing body. Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) credits are valid in Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Insurance Council of Manitoba (ICM) credits are valid in Manitoba only.

This webcast is available in English only.
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Market Commentary January 2026

Key Takeaways

Full year 2025:
• Government policy was very impactful for markets in 2025. U.S. trade policy unsettled markets in the first half of the year, as the U.S. implemented significant tariffs and engaged in tough negotiations with major trading partners. However, by mid-year, fiscal policy provided positive support for markets, particularly with the passing in the U.S. of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July.
• Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) continued to attract investment, particularly in the United States. This investment provided strong support for equity market performance.
• Global equity markets delivered strong performance, most notably Canadian equities, which returned an impressive 31.7%.
• Positive risk appetite supported solid corporate bond performance, which outpaced government bonds.

Fourth Quarter:
• U.S. equities advanced at a slower pace in the fourth quarter after a strong surge in the prior two quarters. Canadian equities outperformed U.S. equities, fueled by a powerful rally in the Materials, Consumer Discretionary, and Financials sectors.
• Canadian bond markets posted slightly negative returns during the quarter as higher interest rates weighed on performance. Strong corporate bond performance partially offset weakness in government bonds.
• Both the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered policy interest rates during the quarter, with Canada dropping its benchmark rate by 25 basis points and the U.S. dropping its policy rate by 50 basis points. Both central banks signalled a cautious approach for further easing.

Economic and Market Update

Economic Summary: The U.S. economy continued to expand at a moderate pace, supported by strong consumer spending and AI investment. However, job growth slowed and the unemployment rate has edged higher. Inflation remains higher than the 2% target, despite easing trends. While some U.S. trading partners have made trade agreements, uncertainty remains regarding reciprocal tariffs, with a case before the U.S. Supreme Court as to their legality. The Federal Reserve lowered its policy interest rate twice during the quarter, first in October and again in December, to reach a target rate of 3.50% to 3.75%. Chair Powell cited downside risks to employment as a key factor behind the rate cut decisions and emphasized that officials are “well positioned” to wait and assess how the economy evolves.

In Canada, U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber have weighed heavily on these sectors. While most goods continue to enter the U.S. tariff-free due to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (“CUSMA”), broader uncertainty around U.S. trade policy is dampening business investment. Third quarter GDP growth exceeded market expectations, but growth tracked weaker in the fourth quarter amid the trade disputes. The labour market showed signs of improvement in the fourth quarter after earlier weakness. Headline inflation has hovered near the 2% target, while core inflation remained persistent. The Bank of Canada lowered its policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.25% in October and made no changes in December. Going into 2026, trade uncertainty remains with the CUSMA up for renegotiation. The Bank of Canada reiterated its readiness to respond if new shocks or accumulating evidence materially alter the outlook.

Bond Markets: During the quarter, the FTSE Canada Universe Bond Index returned -0.3% as interest rates on Canadian bonds rose (bond prices fall as interest rates go up). The increase reflected reduced expectations for interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada and a higher risk premium demanded by investors for long-term debt. Although interest rates increased, credit spreads (i.e. the extra yield on corporate bonds versus government bonds to compensate for their extra risk) continued to move lower. These lower credit spreads resulted in positive overall returns for corporate bonds in the quarter, despite the overall bond market recording a loss. Tightening credit spreads reflected the continued risk-on tone to the market. Despite some volatility, lower-rated BBB bonds generally performed better than higher-quality A-rated bonds. Credit spreads have now rallied back to the tightest spreads since the 2008 financial crisis, nearing the tightest spreads in history. Despite expensive levels, investors remain buyers of corporate bonds, evidenced not just by falling credit spreads, but also by investors’ enthusiasm to support the primary issuance market. Corporate bond supply continues to set new records, with an impressive $37.5 billion in new issuance in the fourth quarter helping 2025 to exceed the prior year’s issuance. All told, 2025 saw an impressive $160 billion in new issuance via 358 new bonds, versus 2024’s prior record of $139 billion from 301 new bonds.

Stock Markets: The fourth quarter marked a pivotal shift in the global equity market rally of 2025. After three quarters of a highly concentrated, tech-led rally in the U.S., cyclical and valueoriented sectors outperformed in Q4. The S&P 500 advanced at a slower 2.7% in the fourth quarter, reflecting a market that is recalibrating after an extended period of concentrated gains. Canadian equities outperformed U.S. equities as the S&P/TSX Composite returned 6.3% in the quarter, finishing the year with an impressive 31.7% return. That was its strongest annual gain since 2009. The strong returns in Canadian equities were fueled by a powerful rally in the Materials sector, supported by soaring gold and base metal prices, and reinforced by the resilience of the Consumer Discretionary and Financials sectors. Internationally, developed markets in Europe and Asia gained 6.2% for the quarter, bringing their annual return to 21.2%. This move signals a healthy rebalancing as global investors rotated into attractivelyvalued international equities to hedge against elevated U.S. valuations. Capital is now flowing toward regions and sectors offering stronger earnings visibility and defensive characteristics rather than purely speculative growth.

U.S. Equities: U.S. equities entered the fourth quarter at elevated valuations. Despite fundamentally strong earnings growth, stock prices struggled to move higher because investor expectations were for even stronger growth. Technology remained the primary driver of earnings, but the sector faced intense pressure to prove its value. Specifically, investors questioned the pace at which companies could convert AI investments into actual revenue. Investors also worried that growth remained concentrated among too few companies rather than more broadly across the economy. Sector-wise, Communication Services emerged as the top performer for the full year due to significant margin expansion. This was driven by a wave of media-related merger activity and the successful use of AI to make digital advertising more efficient. Industrials also advanced as new tax incentives for domestic manufacturing boosted factory orders. Nevertheless, the market remains concentrated with the top ten stocks representing nearly 40% of the S&P 500 Index. This level of concentration makes the market vulnerable to sudden price swings. As inflation moderated and the Federal Reserve cut rates in December, investors shifted toward more defensive sectors and international equities. This rotation signals a preference for companies with stable cash flows over speculative growth.

Canadian Equities: The Canadian market was a global standout during the quarter, supported by lower borrowing costs, a stable Financials sector, and rally in the prices of metals (including gold, but also base metals like nickel and copper). The Materials sector led the way as a weaker U.S. dollar and geopolitical tensions pushed gold to a record of US$4,550 per ounce in late December. For major mining companies, these prices generated record cash flow allowing them to raise dividends and buy back shares. The Bank of Canada interest rate cut supported both the Consumer Discretionary and Financials sectors, reducing borrowing costs, and helping banks maintain stable net interest margins. The Big Six Canadian Banks delivered strong earnings results in Q4. These were driven by a surge in capital markets activity and better-than-expected provisions for credit losses, as the economy remained resilient. Trading at 17 times forward earnings, the Canadian market appears attractively valued, prompting investors to shift away from U.S. volatility toward more tangible assets and reliable dividends.

Bottom line: The final quarter of 2025 saw a notable shift in investor positioning. As recession fears receded, attention turned to navigating a period of moderate economic expansion. In Canada, capital flowed into profitable, cash flow-generating companies in the Financials and Material sectors. Momentum in U.S. equities slowed as investors reduced risk amid caution around AI developments. Although major indices remain highly valued, opportunities persist in sectors and regions with stable cash flows and pricing power.

Downloadable Copy

Mark Warywoda, CFA VP, Public Investments	Ian Whiteside, CFA, MBA AVP, Public Investments	Johanna Shaw, CFA Director, Public Investments	Jin Li Director, Equity Investments
Wanyi Chen, CFA, FRM Sr. Quantitative Analyst	Andrew Vermeer, CFA Senior Analyst, Credit	Elizabeth Ayodele Analyst, Credit	Edward Ng Cheng Hin Analyst, Credit	Kate (Huyen) Vinh Analyst, Equity	Francie Chen Analyst, Rates

ADVISOR USE ONLY
Any statements contained herein that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements represent the portfolio manager’s best judgment as of the present date as to what may occur in the future. However, forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, and are based on the portfolio manager’s present opinions and views. For this reason, the actual outcome of the events or results predicted may differ materially from what is expressed. Furthermore, the portfolio manager’s views, opinions or assumptions may subsequently change based on previously unknown information, or for other reasons. Equitable^® assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained herein. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Investments may increase or decrease in value and are invested at the risk of the investor. Investment values change frequently, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Professional advice should be sought before an investor embarks on any investment strategy.

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