8 Comments
 
Most Helpful

US has more viable markets, more capital flows, better pay, etc.

Canada is tough because there's only a handful of viable markets for MM and above-sized transactions, but there's a ton of capital chasing deals in these markets and many of them are institutions investing on a relative return basis, which has made it tough for PE firms to compete if they are targeting absolute returns.

My shop does deals in both countries - about 95% of our new deals in the past 4 years have been in the US. It's just very tough to make anything opportunistic/value-add pencil in Canada these days.

 

This is so true.. The market in Canada is hard. My team and I have been looking for assets large enough for acquisition and we didn't find 1 viable deal at a good price. 

For example, I'm looking at a site in Oshawa, Ontario for development of 36 units (rental).... The owner wants $350K over the actual worth of this site.... 
That price is hard to justify for a tiny development.... 

Whereas in the US, we can find more sites in similar to Oshawa and likely to make a higher ROI... 

 

I would echo the same.

Our firm plays in both Canada and US, particularly looking at value-add hotels. We barely get any deal flow from Canada for a couple reasons:

1) the market is so small

2) returns are rarely justified given so much capital chasing deals, nothing pencils

The US market is much more broad, diverse and so many markets to play in. Think about the amount of gateway / secondary markets in Canada - I'm sure you can list majority, if not all off the top of your head. However in the US there is a larger sandbox to play in.

Not to highjack the thread - but does anyone know how a small operator ($3MM-$5MM CAD) of Equity can invest in the US? Would love to connect with someone who has experience on getting into the US market.

 

That is insane. Right now there is a huge bid-ask spread so I can't see many transactions closing.

Especially with inflation numbers in the US coming in that high, I can see it being a slow period for the next 6 to 12 months until the dust settles.

IMHO, long term Canada is just garbage overall. Sure we have free healthcare, but fuck I'd rather pay 20K in insurance premiums a year if I'm making 2-3x my current base.

 

In dolores alias omnis cupiditate. Ab ab minima quis voluptatibus.

Praesentium quas sed nemo deserunt aut tempore sit odio. Omnis dolor dicta necessitatibus. Sed perspiciatis animi fugiat aut. Qui quia perferendis natus. Sit exercitationem ipsam sint adipisci sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”