As we close off 2024, let’s take a moment to consider how to best position ourselves for the new year. Because 2025 is fast approaching, we wouldn’t want to be caught off guard. What are some of the essential TSX stocks to own? How can we best capitalize on the opportunities of the year? These are some of the questions to think about. Let’s take a look at a few essential TSX stocks for 2025. TSX stock #1: CGI As the new year approaches, I’m well aware of the phenomenal 2024 that the TSX has had. I’m also worried about what’s to come. A stock like ( ) eases my worries. This stock has exposure to the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as well as a strong and long history of excellence and shareholder value creation. CGI is a $36 billion global leader with consistently growing revenue, margins, and profitability. After years of strong cash flows, CGI is finally ready to initiate a dividend. It’s small, but it’s a welcomed move and a clear indication of CGI’s strength. It’s important to note that this dividend does not compromise CGI’s growth strategy, which will continue. The IT services market remains highly fragmented, and CGI remains well-positioned to continue to consolidate it globally. Given its history of success, we can rest assured that the company will continue to carry out its mission with high returns to shareholders. Stock #2: Northwest Healthcare REIT 2025 will also be a year of continued demand for healthcare. As the population continues to expand and age, we will see continued demand for everything healthcare. This includes ( ) buildings. The REIT has admittedly experienced some major problems in its recent history. But today, the company stands with an improving balance sheet, a more focused list of properties, and a mission to enhance operational efficiency. Also, it’s 8%. Finally, this holding should be considered a , and that might be just what we need in 2025. You see, Northwest’s assets are characterized by long leases, and they’re inflation-indexed. This makes the cash flow profile of these assets quite stable and predictable. TSX stock #3: Well Health Technologies Lastly, we have ( ). Interestingly, Well Health has elements of both the artificial intelligence (AI) theme and the healthcare theme. And it’s been growing at lightspeed rates as it rises to digitize the healthcare industry, driving productivity, efficiency, and better care. Well Health’s biggest opportunity is in the Canadian primary care market, which is a very large market that’s in need of Well Health’s technology. The opportunity in 2025 is big as Well Health will continue to acquire and digitize in this large, untapped market. In fact, of the $40 billion of physician spending, Well Health has roughly $400 million. Long term, Well Health is targeting revenue of $4 billion from the Canadian primary care market. This is approximately 10 times current levels and would only represent 5% of the market. Well Health stock has rallied significantly this year, and in my view, this is just the start. I expect 2025 to be another solid year both in terms of the company’s financial results and its stock price.Globalstar Outlines Growth Strategy and Financial Outlook at Investor DayAmicus Therapeutics: Cheap Heading Into 2025
By MICHELLE L. PRICE WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Related Articles National Politics | Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes rose to more records Wednesday after tech companies talked up how much of a boost they’re getting from the artificial-intelligence boom. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to add to what’s set to be one of its best years of the millennium. It’s the 56th time the index has hit an all-time high this year after climbing in 11 of the last 12 days . Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With Tommy DeVito still dealing with a sore forearm, Drew Lock will make his second straight start at quarterback for the Giants when New York plays host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Coach Brian Daboll announced the decision on Wednesday, saying Lock showed some good things against Dallas in a loss on Thanksgiving and he will get all the snaps with the first team. DeVito, who was hurt in his first start after replacing Daniel Jones for the game against Tampa Bay on Nov. 24, was limited at practice. Daboll said it remains to be seen whether he can be the backup Sunday at MetLife Stadium, where the Giants (2-10) are winless in six home games. If he can't go, the recently signed Tim Boyle would be the backup against the Saints (4-8). Lock was 21 of 32 for 178 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He ran for a career-high 57 yards, scoring on an 8-yard run and setting up Tyrone Tracy's short TD run with a 28-yard scramble. Lock, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, was Jones' backup for the first 10 games. When Daboll benched Jones after a 2-8 start, he jumped DeVito ahead of Lock because the New Jersey product sparked the team to a three-game winning streak with Jones and then backup Tyrod Taylor hurt last season. DeVito hurt his right foreman late in a 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers, and Lock got the start against the Cowboys four days later. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals' dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.”Stickler First With Live Commerce Analytics App in TikTok Shop App Store