If rates stay higher for longer, the stocks that tend to hold up best are usually the ones with pricing power, steady demand, and enough financial strength to keep growing without cheap money. That can mean gold miners that benefit from safe-haven demand, banks that can still earn well on lending and deposits, and essential service companies that keep collecting revenue no matter what the economy throws around. So let’s look at three on the TSX today.
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IMG
IAMGOLD (TSX: IMG) is no longer just a mid-tier miner hoping for better days. It now has a large Canadian mine ramping up, alongside Essakane and Westwood, and that gives it a much stronger production base. Over the last year, the company reported 2025 attributable production of 765,900 ounces and said Côte reached nameplate throughput by year-end, while management shifted its 2026 focus toward stabilization, optimization, and preparing for a possible expansion.
IAMGOLD reported 2025 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $1.5 billion, with operating cash flow above $1 billion, helped by high gold prices and a much stronger fourth quarter. It currently holds a market cap of about $13 billion and a trailing price-to-earnings ratio near 14.5, which is not cheap like an old-school deep value play, but it still looks reasonable for a miner coming into a new phase of scale. If rates stay high and investors keep leaning toward gold as a hedge, IAMGOLD could keep looking like a timely buy. The obvious risk is that mining costs or gold prices turn the wrong way, but the setup looks much sturdier than it used to.
BMO
Bank of Montreal (TSX: BMO) is the classic higher-for-longer candidate because banks do not need falling rates to make money. They need discipline, healthy credit, and a good mix of lending and fee income. BMO stock still offers that, with major exposure across Canadian personal and commercial banking, U.S. banking, wealth, and capital markets. Over the last year, it kept reshaping its business, including the planned sale of 138 U.S. branches and a push into stronger Western U.S. markets, while also moving ahead with the Burgundy Asset Management acquisition and even launching a tokenized cash platform with CME and Google Cloud.
In the first quarter of 2026, BMO stock reported net income of $2.5 billion and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.48, both up from a year earlier. It offers a market cap of roughly $144.5 billion at writing and a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) near 17. Again, not bargain-basement cheap, but fair for a bank with scale, improving earnings, and room to benefit if rates remain high but the economy stays intact. If the economy cracks, credit costs become the problem. But if growth just stays choppy, BMO stock looks like the kind that can keep grinding forward.
GFL
GFL Environmental (TSX: GFL) shows that waste collection, disposal, recycling, and environmental services don’t disappear when rates stay elevated. Businesses and municipalities still need those services, and that gives GFL a more durable demand backdrop than many cyclical companies. Over the last year, it kept reshaping itself in a big way, including the recapitalization of Green Infrastructure Partners and the announced $6.4 billion acquisition of Secure Waste, which would deepen its Western Canada footprint.
GFL reported full-year 2025 revenue of $8.1 billion and adjusted EBITDA of about $2.3 billion, and issued 2026 guidance that it later raised after first-quarter results. In the first quarter of 2026, revenue reached $1.6 billion, and management lifted its full-year outlook. It holds a market cap around $18 billion, with a trailing P/E above 100 and a forward P/E near 42, so this is not a cheap stock by traditional measures. Still, investors often pay up for steady service businesses with room to grow through acquisitions and pricing.
Bottom line
Put the three together, and the mix works. IAMGOLD gives investors exposure to gold and operating momentum. BMO stock adds earnings power and stability from a large financial platform. GFL brings defensive revenue with growth still in the tank. Plus, none of these need a perfect macro backdrop to work. That’s exactly why they stand out if rates stay stubbornly high for longer than investors would like.
