
Chris Heakes
MFin, CFA, Head, Disciplined Equity, Portfolio Manager
Chris joined the BMO ETF portfolio management team in 2011, and focuses on factor-based equity and derivative-overlay portfolios, including but not limited to BMO’s Low Volatility, Dividend, and Covered Call equity ETF suites. His prior investment experience includes a role as a quantitative equity research associate, and work in investment funds product and client support. Chris holds a Masters of Finance from the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management (Dean’s List), where he studied investments, including derivatives and derivative pricing. Chris also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo with studies in History and Mathematics and the CFA designation.
Current Trade Ideas
Current Podcasts
Investors have sold off Canadian banks alongside global peers in recent weeks amid Credit Suisse’s fire sale and broader financial-system concerns. On today’s episode, portfolio managers Vishal Bhatia, Chris Heakes and your host Mckenzie Box discuss how the selloff has created buying opportunities for longer-term investors. They also discuss other trading opportunities created by the recent volatility, including in infrastructure stocks, as well as what Canada’s latest inflation print means for the Bank of Canada’s interest-rate trajectory.
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dive into first-quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” discussing how the banks are “rolling with the punches.” They also explore the possibility of a recession, putting credit costs into context, the philosophy of equal weighting, and the evolving Canadian housing ecosystem.
Canadian investors breathed a small sigh of relief following January inflation data that showed a continued cooling in consumer prices. In today’s episode, portfolio managers Chris Heakes, Matt Montemurro and your host, Mckenzie Box discuss the divergence of inflation trends occurring between Canada and the U.S., where price gains continue to run hotter than expected, increasing the likelihood interest rates will need to go higher for longer there. They also discuss the relative performance of real-estate income trusts as well as technology stocks to start the year, and where those sectors go from here.
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dive into fourth quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” discussing the state of the economy, dividend increases, OSFI’s decision to raise the domestic stability buffer, the size factor, recent acquisitions, and the changing dynamics in the real estate market.
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dive into third quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” discussing recent stock performance, bank yields, the benefits of liquidity, and the impact of falling housing prices.
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dive into second quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” discussing their outlook for Financials, how banks weather uncertainty, metrics that can help gauge the economy’s strength, and real estate. They also look at strategies to hedge against inflation, including the BMO Canadian Dividend ETF (ZDV) and the BMO Canadian High Dividend Covered Call ETF (ZWC).
In this special episode, Sohrab Movahedi, Chris Heakes and Daniel Stanley dig deeper into fourth quarter results from Canada’s “Big Six,” taking stock of the past year and putting a spotlight on major performance drivers – such as inflation, interest rates and the pandemic. Our experts also offer multiple ways to gain exposure, focusing on the BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF (ZEB) and BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF (ZWB).
Canadian residents who are non-U.S. citizens may be surprised to know that US dollar currency conversion costs and U.S. estate tax liability may apply to them. But how can you protect your valued greenbacks? In this episode, Danielle Neziol and Chris Heakes discuss how investing in Canadian-listed, US-dollar-traded ETFs offers defensive exposure and portfolio diversification, and provides options to generate income and growth.
Protecting your portfolios is important – but so is capturing growth. When markets enter a volatile period, how should investors balance the risk-reward tradeoff? In this episode, Danielle Neziol and Chris Heakes discuss an innovative factor-based strategy known as Low Volatility that only invests in companies with low beta values. Listen in as our experts look under the hood of BMO’s custom suite of low volatility ETFs, and see which investment product is right for you.