Paul Kornfeld: Don't Fight the Market—Align With It


Listen on The Move

 

When cash is outranking U.S. equities and gold sells off when it's supposed to rally, the advisors holding up aren't reacting faster — they're working from a better framework.

In this episode of Raise Your Average, host Pierre Daillie sits down with Paul Kornfeld, Portfolio Manager and Director of Technology Services at SIA Wealth Management, for a wide-ranging conversation on what the firm's rules-based relative strength system is signalling right now — and why those signals have been readable for over a year. Paul walks through SIA's point-and-figure methodology, explaining how millions of pairwise asset comparisons cut through geopolitical noise and behavioural bias to reveal where money is actually flowing.

From the Canada-vs.-U.S. rotation that started in April 2024, to the semiconductor-vs.-software divergence that flagged the SaaS repricing before most advisors saw it coming, to a candid story about a Calgary advisor group with zero energy exposure in an oil boom — this episode is a masterclass in process-driven investing. Paul and Pierre also look ahead to the durable themes likely to define the next 12–18 months: real assets over financial assets, international over U.S. broad indices, AI infrastructure over AI software, and the looming wildcard of North American trade renegotiation in Q3.


⏱ Chapters

  • 00:00 — Introduction: Markets whipsawing, cash beating U.S. equities
  • 01:00 — Welcome Paul Kornfeld: Real rotation or relief rally?
  • 01:40 — What advisors are asking right now
  • 04:36 — SIA's methodology: Relative strength, point-and-figure, opportunity cost
  • 07:12 — The goal is alignment, not prediction
  • 12:32 — Risk management: The equity action call and the traffic-light model
  • 14:01 — Asset class rankings: Cash above U.S. equity, commodities pulling back
  • 15:39 — The rotation that started April 2024: International overtakes U.S.
  • 17:51 — One takeaway: Reevaluate your U.S. equity weight vs. international
  • 21:48 — Gold's anatomy: The longest gold rally Paul has seen
  • 29:14 — Tactical sleeves: How advisors can outsource the hard calls
  • 31:51 — Canada vs. U.S. sector breakdown: Energy, financials, IT divergence
  • 33:44 — Software vs. semiconductors: The SaaS reckoning since ChatGPT
  • 40:02 — Data infrastructure: The durable AI theme the market keeps pricing in
  • 40:38 — Point-and-figure in action: Salesforce sell signal, CSCO buy signal
  • 44:47 — S&P 100 positioning: Semis dominate the top five right now
  • 50:06 — Keep politics out of your investing
  • 50:56 — TSX60: Energy, mining, chemicals — and the Kinross success story
  • 54:13 — The Calgary story: Zero energy exposure in an oil boom
  • 56:57 — Buying insurance vs. making a call: Aligning without predicting
  • 59:49 — U.S. equities at 65% of global market cap: Is the world overweight?
  • 01:03:39 — Durable signals for the next 12–18 months
  • 01:05:59 — Real assets, domestic production, AI infrastructure as core themes
  • 01:07:16 — Q3 trade negotiations: The biggest wildcard for positioning
  • 01:08:47 — Biggest surprise in 12 months: AI disruption, faster than anyone expects
  • 01:14:28 — Where to find SIA Wealth and SICharts

#RelativeStrength #SIAWealth #SectorRotation #PortfolioManagement #InvestingStrategy #CanadianInvesting #WealthManagement #TacticalAllocation #MomentumInvesting #AIInvesting #GoldBullMarket #EnergyStocks #Semiconductors #SaaSStocks #FinancialAdvisor #InvestmentAdvisor #RaiseYourAverage #MarketRotation #PointAndFigure #BehavioralFinance #EtfInvesting #TSX #SP500 #MacroInvesting #ActiveManagement


Find SIA Wealth Management: siawealth.com | sicharts.com

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