Paul Bagnell

Favourite story of the year: The stock market rally continues. A long-in-the-tooth bull market, lofty valuations and turmoil in the White House did not stop investors from buying stocks in 2017. Anyone with a stock portfolio was a beneficiary, as markets outperformed expectations once again.

Most compelling leader of the year: General Electric Chairman and CEO John Flannery. He inherited a mess at GE, left behind by his distracted and self-indulgent predecessor Jeff Immelt. But if anybody is up to fixing the iconic conglomerate, it may be Flannery. He certainly doesn’t mince words. Flannery called GE’s third-quarter results “completely unacceptable,” and he vowed big change during a late-year presentation to employees. “Capital allocation is a contact sport,” he said, a blunt warning to leaders within the company to up their game. 

What to watch in 2018: Base metals. The global economy is growing again, and sooner or later that will spur rallies in base metals. We’ve already seen it in zinc and aluminum. Watch for other metals to rally in 2018.

Andrew Bell

Favourite story of the year: The firestorm aroused by the Liberal government’s attempt to cut back on tax breaks for the self-employed. The uproar shows that a lot of people are avoiding a lot of taxes.

Most compelling business/finance leader of the year: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman carried out a ruthless purge of rivals for power. His ascendancy is seen as good news for oil because he’s has been committed to restraining production.

What to watch in 2018: The collapse of bitcoin. Hard to see how a speculative investment that can’t even be sold easily will hold its value.

Jameson Berkow

Favourite story of 2017: Warren Buffett’s Home Capital bailout – not only is it entirely possible Home Capital would have failed if someone hadn’t come to its rescue in the way Berkshire did but the move also managed to take every single observer by surprise.

Most compelling leader of the year: Cenovus CEO Brian Ferguson. He made a huge balance sheet mess with the Conoco deal then promptly refused to clean it up by announcing his retirement – that is some serious chutzpah!

What to watch in 2018: NAFTA – if the deal falls apart odds are it’ll happen at some point in 2018 and various studies/analyses have shown Canada in particular is unprepared for the consequences.

Greg Bonnell

Favourite story of the year: I’m going to hijack the question and turn it into the story I had the most fun doing this year. Touring a luxury home that rents for $49,000 a month that Drake and LeBron James partied in was very cool… and there was an indoor basketball court. As seen on House Money.

Most compelling leader of the year: Finance Minister Bill Morneau might not be winning any 2017 popularity contests, but the furor surrounding his planned changes to how private corporations are taxed has definitely been riveting, if not enthralling, captivating and gripping (all synonyms for compelling). In all seriousness, it marks a big departure from the extended Sunny Ways honeymoon enjoyed by the Liberal government into what became an all-out revolt from the business community.

What to watch in 2018: What else?... The housing market. Rising interest rates, stringent new stress tests for the big banks, and record household debt levels all conspiring to finally prove the housing bears right… or not.

Paige Ellis

Favourite story of the year: I hesitate to call this my “favourite” story given the job loss and distress faced by thousands of Canadians, but the story that I found most captivating in 2017 was Sears Canada’s demise. The company was once a retail institution (Sears Canada and Amazon’s North American division both did $6 billion in sales in 2006!), but after years of mismanagement and failure to adapt to changing shopping habits, it withered and died. I had the opportunity to cover hours of court hearings, speak to devastated terminated employees and contemplate the consequences of the retailer’s death on pensioners, workers and the broader retail landscape.

Most compelling leader of the year: Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare was without a doubt the most compelling Canadian business leader of 2017. Just as his turnaround plan was bearing fruit, rival Boeing filed a complaint with the Department of Commerce alleging its competitor was selling planes in the U.S. market at “absurdly” low prices. It seemed dire. Bombardier was essentially locked out its largest addressable market and its biggest CSeries contract – with Delta Air Lines – was at risk. So Bellemare found a solution: he handed over the keys to the CSeries to France-based Airbus for no money. The solution was controversial (no money? Really?!) but you have to hand it to Bellemare for creativity.

What to watch in 2018: In 2018, I will be watching Tim Hortons’ battle with its franchisees with great interest. The dispute was made public in early 2017 and escalated throughout the year, culminating in lawsuits in both Canada and the U.S. Next year, minimum wage increases continue in several Canadian provinces. Restaurant Brands International has so far stated it is unwilling to pass the added costs to consumers, meaning store owners will once again be squeezed. This battle is far from over.

Jon Erlichman

Favourite story of the year:  The rise of Artificial Intelligence. Huge bets are being taken, including in Canada.

Most compelling leader of the year: Jeff Bezos. Simultaneously keeping multiple industries on their toes.

What to watch in 2018: Elon Musk. He has much to deliver on.

Michael Hainsworth

Favourite story of the year: Small business tax reform tempest in a teacup. The Canadian Federation for Independent Business said the sky was falling. Meanwhile, the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer said more than 60 per cent of all passive investment income is earned by private corporations that have no actual income, thus suggesting they were set up as tax dodges.

Most compelling leader of the year: Bruce Linton. Here’s a man willing to tell Bay Street he’s not interested in being profitable, he’s interested in growing. This is MBA 101 stuff from a guy who wears t-shirts to national interviews. He’s a finance guy in stoner’s clothing who connects with the audience, shares actual information, and knows when to wear a suit (see: his twitter profile).

What to watch in 2018: Bitcoin. The CME/CBOE futures contract will legitimize the cryptocurrency and by the end of the year will show signs of stabilizing after a major correction.

Patricia Lovett-Reid

Favourite story of the year: My favourite story is also the most disturbing: household debt levels in Canada. Despite all the warnings, we shrug it off as if it is nothing. Keeping up with the Joneses who are broke and FOMO rules the day -- which is why I can’t stop writing about it – that drives me crazy.

Most compelling leader: Bill Morneau. The entrepreneur is the backbone of the Canadian economy: don’t mess with their livelihood. Canadians have high ethical standards and the country’s top finance guy is held accountable by Canadian voters.

What to watch in 2018: I have to believe this will be trajectory of bitcoin. Everyone is talking about it, from the person on the street to the Bank of Canada governor. You have to believe the winners and losers will be headline news in 2018 just as the meteoric price surge has been in 2017.

Catherine Murray

Favorite Story of the year: Investors making money as markets hit record highs. The old adage of  “don’t bet against the Fed” morphed into “don’t bet against the potential for lower taxes.”

Most compelling leader: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley in her continued fight for a united Canadian energy policy. Her pursuit to expand Canadian export markets, get a higher price for Western Canadian crude and reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

What to watch for in 2018: 1) Continued bull run in U.S. markets, or will inflation run hot and fed moves more aggressively (likely a 2019 story). 2) The impact of NAFTA uncertainty on the Canadian economy, the TSX and the Canadian dollar.  3) Institutional buy-in on bitcoin.

Tara Weber

Favourite story of the year: Burnaby vs. Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. It’s been interesting to watch the reaction of a community clearly opposed to a pipeline project and to what lengths they’ll go in order to stop it. There’s a lot of concern and fear surrounding pipeline projects like this one, some of it understandable, much due to misinformation. This comes as the federal government has promoted the idea of “social license” in approving large energy infrastructure projects. And the environmental versus economic concerns are also creating deep divisions between the provinces of British Columbia,  Alberta , and Saskatchewan

Most compelling leader of the year: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. He likely already knows where he’d like to set up Amazon’s HQ2. By creating an open bidding war, he’s created a North American frenzy in which Amazon stands to greatly benefit. The company is now just sitting back and letting cities compete against each other, offering up the most that they can and eroding any negotiating position they have with Amazon. That race will soon heat up again when the short list comes out and Amazon is going to be laughing.

What to watch in 2018: Pipelines, pipelines, pipelines. I predict 2018 will be a(nother) big year for pipelines. We will be talking a lot more about Line 3, Keystone XL and Trans Mountain. With Trans Mountain scheduled to be in service in late 2019 and Keystone XL in 2020, next year will see construction really kicking into high gear. While that should mean more certainty for these projects, it will also likely mean we’ll see opposition to these projects ramping up. Opponents have already targeted financial institutions internationally and we’ve seen large scale protests in the U.S. Expect more of that to come to Canada in 2018.