Parent-teacher meetings happened this past week. Of course, we were the first interview of the evening. Overall, Eric’s grades in all subjects were very good. However, his grade three class was introduced to French this term, and that is where Eric has room for improvement. Apparently, the only word he’s happy to translate is “seal” – and that’s not just because there’s ice in the bay.

I don’t know if he’s bored, uninterested, or just can’t keep focused but it has become a problem for him in class. When his teacher recommended getting Eric a fidget-spinner, so he stays seated in class, I felt it was time for a chat.

Like Eric’s teacher, keeping focused on topics that are not of interest to most is my specialty. This week, the world saw two American banks collapse which scared markets due to the risk of financial contagion. In the Tactical Growth portfolio, we avoided the technology and start-up companies that have been most affected by the collapse of these two banks. Thankfully, our outperformance continues during this downturn.