Investment Q&A

Q: I have very little in the way of investments outside Canada except for TD's US exposure, ATD.B's exposure in Europe & the US & TIO 's US exposure.Which of the following ETFs would you consider to be good ones to expand my exposure outside Canada & if you don't like any of them can you suggest some alternatives you like better? The ETFs are:ASHR , DXJ ,LEMB

Q: Good day 5i Team, I have a diversified registered stock portfolio loosely mirroring 5i's balanced leaning toward growth stocks (with Europe & US dividend etf exposure). I am long term with this but am looking for hedge against any broad market declines. Can you briefly explain and recommend inverse etf's as a suitable hedge against this.
Thank you for your valued advice

Q: What is your opinion on using call options on the VIX Short Term Futures ETN (VXX:US) as a hedge against a market decline? I see the VIX index up over 7% today, but the VXX is down slightly. I have noticed this several times. What is the explanation for this divergence and how should it be interpreted?

Q: Hi 5iResearch Team
I am reviewing the tax treatment of distributions for companies I hold shares/units in and I am having trouble finding information on the tax treatment for the distributions from kwh.un, acr.un, apr.un and xhy.
Can you help me out?
Thanks

Q: Morning,
Is there way to play the oil/gas like the GLD in gold ?
Thank you and Regards,
Tak

Q: Thank you for providing a great service. Your recent comments on the Canadian Preferred Share Market and iShares CPD are greatly appreciated.
Please comment on
1) Please comment on iShares US Pfd Stock ETF (PFF) which trades in US$.
2) Is there any merit in holding a portion of a fixed income portfolio. PFF is about 5% of my total portfolio. Considering the recent upswing I have done well with PFF and have enjoyed the distributions within a registered RRSP. Should I consider holding it?

Thanks

Stephen

Q: Peter; Gold is up roughly $10-11. this am and the XGD is down, along with gold stocks of course. Does this indicate anything to you from your trading days m I.e. is the " market" saying the stocks are overdone or? Thanks, Rod

Q: I recently added CPD for fixed income, how do you think it will perform going forward given a Sept/Dec US rate increase? Thanks.

Q: Preferred shares and fixed income

Hi 5i team : I own only common stocks in my portfolio and since I am a mature person that is near retirement, I have the feeling that my exposure to common stocks is very high. So far, to mitigate my risk, I keep daily of the market changes, so I do not get caught in a drastic downturn.
To get more protection, I have thought in buying some preferred shares , but I know nothing about them to start a position.
Are the P.S. a good way to go ?, if so, what should I learn about them and how (references, books, etc), also what would be a reasonable percentage of my portfolio to have in P.S.?
thanks for your help
Alex

Q: I'm considering adding a 3% emerging markets component to a growth portfolio. The two ETFs I am looking at are ZEM (C$) and EEM (US$). They both track the same index, ZEMs MER is about half that of EEM and its dividend is slightly higher. It is however, much smaller with a 157M market cap vs. 27.8 for EEM. Is the size differential a concern?

Q: Good morning Peter, Ryan, and Team,

I submitted this question about a week ago, but guess that it must be "floating" in cyberspace! Here it is again:

There was an article in the July 18th Globe & Mail called "It’s time
for investors to reassess their rainy-day funds". The author
believes that too many investors keep too much money in low-
interest bank accounts and money-market funds. Instead, he
states that "intermediate-term bonds, over the long run, are
superior not just to cash but to long-term bonds as well. So when
thinking about where to invest your fixed income assets,
remember Goldilocks: The best place to be is not too long and
not too short. The place to be is what is essentially a large “sweet
spot” between short and intermediate. That’s where the reward-
risk trade-off is at its greatest."

Assuming that one agrees with this thesis, what fixed-income ETFs would you recommend that could fit the bill?

Thanks as always for your valued advice.

Q: I'm looking at these two ETFs for the short term, as they are near a 52 week low and have fairly good liquidity. Which one would you recommend the most, or would have a better suggestion ? Thanks

Q: Now that the Brexit vote uncertainty has diminished a bit, would it be a good time to add to European market exposure? Presently hold ZWE for income. Would you add to ZWE or open a position in another etf? If so, which etfs would you recommend for income? Which for growth? Possible ZDI ?Looking at 2-3 year time frame. Many thanks for the terrific service.

Q: Please suggest an emerging market infrastructure etf priced in Canadian dollars. Thank you.

Q: Looking to initiate a 3 to 5 year position in either xmm or xec. Which do you prefer and why? Thanx.

Q: Hi,
My son is taking a break from active stock picking and has gone with this ETF model: VUS(15%), VBU(5%), VCN(22.5%), VAB(5%), VI(22.5%). His investing horizon is very long (10-20 years). Your thoughts on the individual ETFs? How about sector & geographic diversity? Any other concerns?
Thanks!

Q: XT-N
iShares Exponential Technologies

I am looking for an ETF that follows emerging new technologies. One that seems to fit the bill is iShares Exponential Technologies (XT-N). What do you think of it? Is there another you would like better? Are there any traded in Canada?

Q: HI TEAM :
I own ZWE and like it could you give a current assessment on it as well as a list of similar ETFS that offer geographic diversification out of US and Canada. Thanks
Yossi

Q: Total return index ETF; is it good ?

Q: On the fixed income side of a portfolio 5i has included both conv. debs. and prefs. Do you see them as having a similar risk profile? With new money would you choose CVD or CPD? and why? I am having a hard time finding CDs that are worth the risk, yet the rate reset pref. market seems like a "bargin" assuming rates go up in the next 5,10,15 years.