Core Viewpoint - The global financial markets are closely monitoring the potential impacts of President Trump's trade tariffs, which could affect stocks across various countries and sectors. Two scenarios are presented for retail investors to consider regarding their portfolio strategies [1][2]. Group 1: Trade Environment Scenarios - A challenging trade environment could lead to sustained global GDP growth slowdown, but this scenario is deemed less likely as effective de-globalization would require significant cuts to the world economy [2]. - A more probable scenario involves a resolution of trade issues between the United States and its trading partners, alleviating fears related to tariffs [2]. Group 2: Investment Opportunities - Three stocks are highlighted as strong investment opportunities once tariff fears subside: Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA), West Fraser Timber Co. (NYSE: WFG), and Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI) [3]. - Alibaba Group is noted for its strong market position despite recent negative sentiment surrounding China's stock market, with a current price of $119.16 and a potential price target of $150.36, indicating a possible upside of 26% [4][7]. - West Fraser Timber, a major Canadian lumber exporter, is expected to recover as clarity returns to the market, with a current price of $72.75 and a price target of $100.40, suggesting a potential increase of 38% [8][11]. - Canadian National Railway is positioned to benefit from increased lumber production and exports, with a current price of $97.58 and a price target of $120.36, indicating a potential upside of 23% [13][15].

Core Insights - The current macroeconomic environment is characterized by high levels of uncertainty, making it challenging to formulate rational expectations for future growth [1] Group 1: Analyst Background - The analyst has extensive experience in the hedge fund industry, having worked as a Portfolio Manager, Domestic Equity Analyst, and Trader since the mid-90s [1] - The analyst managed a domestic Long/Short Equity product with gross assets that peaked over 1 billion dollars [1] - The investment philosophy is fundamentally driven, focusing on value investments for long positions and catalyst-oriented short investments, complemented by technical analysis for risk management [1] Group 2: Investment Focus - The analyst aims to write about unconventional investments and overlooked securities, indicating a focus on niche opportunities [1] - The analyst is also involved in the analysis and investment of Cryptoassets, suggesting a diversification in investment strategies [1]

Canadian National Railway’s (CNI) efforts to reward its shareholders through dividends and buybacks are encouraging. However, high operating costs and low liquidity are major concerns.Factors Favoring CNIAs a reflection of its shareholder-friendly stance, CNI paid dividends of C$2 billion, C$2.07 billion and C$2.14 billion in 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The railroad operator is also active on the buyback front. The company repurchased shares worth C$4.71 billion, C$4.55 billion and C$2.6 billion in 2 ...

Prospects of the Zacks Transportation - Rail industry’s participants are being weighed down by challenges like tariff-induced economic uncertainties, persistent inflation and concerns pertaining to lingering supply-chain disruptions. Geopolitical woes represent further challenges. Most industry players are looking to drive their bottom line amid the headwinds through cost reduction.Partly due to these headwinds, the industry has declined 19.1% over the past year compared with the S&P 500 Index’s 2.3% loss. ...

MONTREAL, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) announced today that it has received the arbitrator's decision regarding the terms of its new collective agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). After six days of mediation and a comprehensive arbitration process, arbitrator William Kaplan delivered his ruling, establishing the terms of a new collective agreement between CN and the TCRC. The TCRC represents approximately 6,000 of our conductors, conductor trainees, yard ...

Group 1 - The article promotes a research service focused on various income-generating investment vehicles such as REITs, mREITs, Preferreds, BDCs, MLPs, and ETFs, highlighting its extensive research capabilities and positive user testimonials [1] - It mentions that there are 438 testimonials, with most being rated 5 stars, indicating high customer satisfaction and trust in the service [1] Group 2 - The article includes a disclosure from the analyst stating a beneficial long position in the shares of CP and CSL, which may influence the analysis presented [2] - It clarifies that the opinions expressed are those of the author and not influenced by any compensation from companies mentioned, ensuring transparency in the analysis [2]

Core Insights - CN achieved record grain movements, transporting over 2.85 million metric tonnes from Western Canada and 2.98 million metric tonnes nationally in March 2025, due to effective collaboration with customers to recover from extreme cold weather [1][4] Company Operations - The company emphasizes the importance of collaboration across the supply chain to meet the needs of Canadian farmers and grain industry customers [2] - Train length restrictions were implemented during extreme cold weather to ensure safety and compliance with Transport Canada regulations, requiring shorter trains and more resources to transport the same volume of goods [3][4] - Under optimal conditions, the grain supply chain can support up to 7,800 cars per week (744,000 metric tonnes) outside of winter and 6,250 cars per week (595,000 metric tonnes) during winter, contingent on balanced corridor flows and uninterrupted operations [5] Company Overview - CN operates a nearly 20,000-mile rail network, transporting over 300 million tons of various goods across North America annually, contributing to sustainable trade and community prosperity since 1919 [6]

Group 1 - Canadian National Railway (CNI) is one of North America's largest freight train operators with a strong competitive advantage due to its extensive railway lines across Canada and the United States [1] - The company is expected to experience growth in both earnings and cash flow, indicating a positive outlook for its financial performance [1]

MONTREAL, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) will issue its first- quarter 2025 financial and operating results after the market close on May 1, 2025. CN's senior officers will review the results and the railway's outlook in a conference call starting at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on May 1. Tracy Robinson, CN President and Chief Executive Officer, will lead the call. Parties wishing to participate via telephone may dial 1-800-715-9871 (Canada/U.S.), or 1-647-932-3411 (International), u ...

Core Viewpoint - Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) is facing multiple challenges that make it an unattractive investment option [1] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNI's 2025 earnings has been revised downward by 6.9% over the past 90 days, indicating a lack of confidence from brokers [1] Price Performance - CNI's shares have declined by 25.4% over the past year, significantly underperforming the transportation-rail industry, which saw a decline of 13.4% [2] Zacks Rank and Style Score - CNI currently holds a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) and has a Value Score of D, reflecting its unattractiveness [5] Earnings Surprise History - CNI has a poor earnings surprise history, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with an average miss of 2.54% [5] Operational Challenges - The company is facing supply-chain issues, network fluidity challenges, and weak intermodal scenarios, which are negatively impacting performance [6] - Rail network problems, including locomotive and crew shortages, along with rising operating expenses (up 5.5% year-over-year for 2024), are significant challenges [6] Financial Health - CNI has a debt-laden balance sheet and a current ratio of 0.66, indicating insufficient cash to meet short-term obligations [7] Industry Context - CNI belongs to an industry with a Zacks Industry Rank of 157 out of 248, placing it in the bottom 36% of Zacks industries, which can adversely affect stock performance [9]