Kinder Morgan Canada (DOG)
There’s a simple way to break the impasse over Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion: Flip a coin. But no, people would rather talk about “laws” and “land rights” and such. Shares of Kinder Morgan Canada skidded after the company suspended all “non-essential” spending on the $7.4-billion project, citing opposition from the British Columbia government, and set a May 31 deadline for resolving the dispute. Good luck with that.
KML - TSX, $17.50, down $0.91 or 4.95% over week.
Choice Properties REIT (STAR)
Business quiz! Shares of Choice Properties REIT, the real estate arm of the Loblaw food and drug empire, rose after: a) Choice offered a free PC Green reusable shopping bag to investors who purchased at least 100 shares; b) The company announced plans to convert all Loblaw and No Frills grocery stores in Toronto into high-end condos; c) Unitholders of Canadian REIT voted to approve Choice’s $3.9-billion takeover offer - a deal that creates Canada’s largest REIT. Answer: c.
CHP.UN - TSX, $11.89, up $ 0.51 or 4.48% over week.
Crude oil (STAR)
Low oil prices? That’s so 2015. Crude oil has been surging for the better part of a year, propelled by strong global demand and OPEC production cuts. And it got another boost this week amid rising tensions in the Middle East: With Donald Trump using his Twitter account to threaten Syria, and Saudi Arabia shooting down missiles fired at Riyadh by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, the price of oil hit levels not seen since 2014. Better fill up the gas tank now.
Tupperware Brands (DOG)
You know that queasy feeling when you open a Tupperware container that’s been sitting in the back of the fridge and it’s full of blue mouldy fuzz? That’s how investors felt when they looked at Tupperware’s updated first-quarter guidance: The company expects sales to fall 2 per cent - three percentage points below the low end of its previous forecast - and sees earnings per share ranging from 87 US cents to 92 US cents, down from an earlier estimate US$1.01 to US$1.06. Investors are tossing out the stock.
TUP - NYSE, US$41.71, down US$ 5.63 or 11.89% over week.
Hershey (DOG)
This chocolate maker’s stock is melting in investors’ hands. With Hershey’s shares already down 15 per cent this year, UBS analyst Steven Strycula downgraded the stock to a sell, citing a shift to healthier snacks, competition from higher-end chocolate brands such as Lindt and Ferrero and surging cocoa prices that are taking a bite out of Hershey’s profit. Somebody grab a napkin.
HSY - NYSE, US$95.96, down US$ 2.89 or 2.92% over week.