When James Black, vice president of Canadian equities and director of equities research at Toronto-based Beutel Goodman & Co. Ltd., surveys the investment landscape he peers through the murk of such uncontrollable circumstances as persistent inflation, delayed interest rate cuts, political change and escalating global conflict.
But Black’s goal is to detect what’s actually happening in the operations and stock prices of companies held in his portfolios – as well in stocks that might ultimately be of interest.
As lead co-manager of Beutel Goodman Canadian Equity along with Vim Thasan, vice president of Canadian equities and a seven-person team, his focus is to stick to the strict buying criteria and selling triggers that have led to the $6.7 billion fund’s top quartile 10-year track record and Morningstar bronze medalist rating.
Betting Against Bad Predictions
“The history of accurate predictions is poor and things often…


