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Canadian investors eye energies, real estate stocks as BoC cuts rates

Canadian utility and real estate stocks are likely to be among the most significant recipients of the Bank of Canada's relocate to start cutting interest rates, while the prospect of increased loan demand could help bank shares, investors say.

The BoC last Wednesday became the first G7 reserve bank to ease monetary policy, lowering its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.75%. Approximately 150 basis points of additional cuts are priced into the bond market over the next number of years.

Interest rate-sensitive sectors such as energies, real estate investment trusts, or REITs, and financials represent 35% of the weighting on Canada's main stock index, the S&P/ TSX. Composite.

They have actually begun cutting rates, there's more to come, stated. Joseph Abramson, co-chief financial investment officer at Northland Wealth. Management. The two big sector uses that are REITs and. utilities ... they're both earnings plays and they also have a lot. of financial obligation.

REITs own income-producing realty, while utilities. consist of high-dividend paying pipeline business such as Enbridge. Inc and TC Energy Corp.

The protective parts of the market - think REITs, energies. and telecom - those areas have actually been hit especially hard as. rates have actually gone up, stated Mike Archibald, a portfolio supervisor at. AGF Investments. If rates go as consensus is believing ... those. sectors I believe would begin to play a little bit of catch. up.

Canada's economy is particularly conscious the level of. borrowing costs. The home loan cycle is shorter than in the. United States, while home debt as a share of non reusable. earnings, at 174%, is much higher than the U.S. share of about. 100%, OECD data programs.

The 6 significant Canadian banks set aside loan loss arrangements. in their second-quarter outcomes that were up 26% from the year. in the past. Still, most loan providers beat revenues expectations.

A move to lower rates need to spur demand for credit, which. is plainly what drives the banks, Archibald stated. We must in. theory see an environment where banks start to bring in a little. bit more capital.

The TSX has climbed 4.4% given that the start of the year, helped. by gains for energy and metal mining shares. But those sectors. tend to be depending on the worldwide economic outlook, which has. become more unpredictable as the Federal Reserve delays the start of. its rate-cutting project.

Within Canada, I think you want those domestic interest. rate plays. Utilities and pipelines, they're not international. Those. pipelines are right here and they're very connected to rates.. Abramson stated.

(source: Reuters)