Restaurant Brands International Inc. (DOG)
QSR - TSX
Anti-tariff playbook for Canadians: 1) Stop buying U.S. products; 2) Boo The Star-Spangled Banner; 3) Order coffee and doughnuts exclusively from Tim Hortons. Even before Donald Trump’s January inauguration, Canadians were rallying around their favourite fast-food establishment: In the fourth quarter, Tim’s same-store sales rose 2.5 per cent, helping Toronto-based parent Restaurant Brands International post revenue ahead of expectations. Unfortunately, even as the company hiked its dividend, the stock failed to hold onto its gains as worries about long-term growth lingered. Let’s hit that drive-through, people!
HanesBrands Inc. (DOG)
HBI - NYSE
Bad: Dreaming that you went to work in your underwear. Worse: Dreaming that you invested all of your money in underwear maker HanesBrands. Shares of the company – which also makes T-shirts, sweatpants and other basics – received the equivalent of a gotchie pull after HanesBrands’ fourth-quarter revenue and first-quarter forecast missed expectations. With the company also announcing that CEO Steve Bratspies will step down “by the end of 2025 or when a successor is appointed,” investors understandably have their knickers in a knot.
Airbnb Inc. (STAR)
ABNB - Nasdaq
Is the economic and geopolitical turmoil getting to you? Do you often find yourself screaming at the television and throwing the remote? Maybe it’s time to take a vacation somewhere as far away from Donald Trump as possible. You wouldn’t be the only one. Shares of Airbnb surged after the short-term rental platform reported that fourth-quarter revenue jumped 12 per cent from a year earlier to US$2.48-billion, beating expectations. May we suggest somewhere warm, without cable or internet access?
Toronto-Dominion Bank (STAR)
TD - TSX
Investors in 2024: Sell TD! Sell it all!
Investors in 2025: No, wait. Buy TD! Buy buy, buy!
Even as Toronto-Dominion Bank faces restrictions on growth in the U.S. tied to last year’s money-laundering debacle, shares of Canada’s second-largest lender have since recouped most of their losses. This week, the stock rallied again after TD announced plans to sell its stake in U.S. broker Charles Schwab Corp. for about US$14-billion and use the proceeds to, among other things, invest in TD’s Canadian business and repurchase shares. Moral of the story: Never bet against Canada’s big banks, even when they screw up.
Telus Corp. (STAR)
T - TSX
There once was a business named Telus
Now, I don’t want to make you too jealous
But its stock rose so fast
On its ‘25 forecast
That investors were feeling quite zealous