Rothschild & Co is scaling up its Canadian business, hiring veteran Royal Bank of Canada dealmaker Alex Graham to lead domestic expansion at a global investment bank with a two-century family pedigree.
On Monday, Paris-based Rothschild will announce that Mr. Graham will be its Toronto-based managing director and head of Canada, with a mandate to move beyond the bank’s current focus on advisory work for the mining industry and restructurings. For the past decade, Mr. Graham was head of RBC’s telecom, media and technology group in Canada, then Europe.
“Alex has strong professional roots in Canada and a global network of relationships,” Jimmy Neissa, head of Rothschild, North America, said in a release. “His experience, knowledge and leadership will serve our clients well and further grow our leading franchise in the region.”
Mr. Neissa joined Rothschild in 2016 with a mandate to build its North American operations after spending two decades as New York-based merger and acquisition (M&A) specialist at UBS and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where Mr. Graham also worked. Previously, Mr. Graham also led the diversified industries team for Morgan Stanley in Canada and worked for Citigroup in New York.
Last year, Rothschild ranked sixth among investment banks for M&A in Europe, advising on 464 transaction, and was 15th among North American banks on M&A, working on 220 deals, according to data service Refinitiv. Rival European banks with significant North American operations include Barclays, while Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and UBS have scaled back in the region in recent years.
Rothschild is building out its Canadian team at a time when large Canadian companies and fund managers such as pension plans and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. are using international M&A to build their businesses. The investment bank currently has 10 professionals in Canada.
Rothschild plans to hire Canadian financiers with expertise in M&A for banks and financial services businesses, technology, infrastructure and power companies, and link these local bankers with its international expertise, Mr. Graham said.
“With Rothschild’s strong momentum in North America, along with its continued strength and deep bench of expertise in M&A advisory around the world, I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead and continue to grow the business in Canada,” he said in a release.
Prior to becoming an investment banker, Mr. Graham worked in Ottawa as an adviser to Prime Minister John Turner. He holds an MBA from Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Trinity College at the University of Toronto.
Rothschild has deep roots in Canada, serving as the financier that backed development of the massive Churchill Falls power project in Labrador in the 1960s. More recently, former securities lawyers Gar Emerson and Montreal-based investment banker Daniel Labrecque served as country head in Canada.
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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in technology, financial and energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 171.41 points at 23,298.39.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 278.37 points at 41,369.79. The S&P 500 index was up 38.17 points at 5,630.35, while the Nasdaq composite was up 177.15 points at 17,733.18.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.23 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up US$1.75 at US$76.27 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.10 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$18.70 at US$2,556.50 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than a penny at US$4.22 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
The crypto market has recently experienced a significant downturn, mirroring broader risk asset sell-offs. Over the past week, Bitcoin’s price dropped by 24%, reaching $53,000, while Ethereum plummeted nearly a third to $2,340. Major altcoins also suffered, with Cardano down 27.7%, Solana 36.2%, Dogecoin 34.6%, XRP 23.1%, Shiba Inu 30.1%, and BNB 25.7%.
The severe downturn in the crypto market appears to be part of a broader flight to safety, triggered by disappointing economic data. A worse-than-expected unemployment report on Friday marked the beginning of a technical recession, as defined by the Sahm Rule. This rule identifies a recession when the three-month average unemployment rate rises by at least half a percentage point from its lowest point in the past year.
Friday’s figures met this threshold, signaling an abrupt economic downshift. Consequently, investors sought safer assets, leading to declines in major stock indices: the S&P 500 dropped 2%, the Nasdaq 2.5%, and the Dow 1.5%. This trend continued into Monday with further sell-offs overseas.
The crypto market’s rapid decline raises questions about its role as either a speculative asset or a hedge against inflation and recession. Despite hopes that crypto could act as a risk hedge, the recent crash suggests it remains a speculative investment.
Since the downturn, the crypto market has seen its largest three-day sell-off in nearly a year, losing over $500 billion in market value. According to CoinGlass data, this bloodbath wiped out more than $1 billion in leveraged positions within the last 24 hours, including $365 million in Bitcoin and $348 million in Ether.
Khushboo Khullar of Lightning Ventures, speaking to Bloomberg, argued that the crypto sell-off is part of a broader liquidity panic as traders rush to cover margin calls. Khullar views this as a temporary sell-off, presenting a potential buying opportunity.
Josh Gilbert, an eToro market analyst, supports Khullar’s perspective, suggesting that the expected Federal Reserve rate cuts could benefit crypto assets. “Crypto assets have sold off, but many investors will see an opportunity. We see Federal Reserve rate cuts, which are now likely to come sharper than expected, as hugely positive for crypto assets,” Gilbert told Coindesk.
Despite the recent volatility, crypto continues to make strides toward mainstream acceptance. Notably, Morgan Stanley will allow its advisors to offer Bitcoin ETFs starting Wednesday. This follows more than half a year after the introduction of the first Bitcoin ETF. The investment bank will enable over 15,000 of its financial advisors to sell BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC. This move is seen as a significant step toward the “mainstreamization” of crypto, given the lengthy regulatory and company processes in major investment banks.
The recent crypto market downturn highlights its volatility and the broader economic concerns affecting all risk assets. While some analysts see the current situation as a temporary sell-off and a buying opportunity, others caution against the speculative nature of crypto. As the market evolves, its role as a mainstream alternative asset continues to grow, marked by increasing institutional acceptance and new investment opportunities.
