Investment Q&A

Q: Over the past year HCG is down ~ 15% while FN is up ~ 45%. FN has an attractive yield and low PE ratio ~ 13 according to TMX. I hold most stocks in your balanced portfolio so wonder if it would be time to sell HCG and replace with FN.
Appreciate your comments on this trade. Thanks to your recommendations in BE portfolio I own many profitable stocksI would not have bought otherwise.
Steve

Q: Chesswood has been doing some re-structureing and most recently with the winding down of Windset Capital Corporation. Do you see these recent moves as positives and will there be one time costs that may surprise down the road.
Thanks
John

Q: My I have your opinion on the proposed merger of Front Street Capital and Aston Hill Financial going forward in light of the new disclosure rules coming into effect?

Q: Hi 5i,

Do you have any information on the jump in Canaccord today? I have been looking to dump these shares for a while but have been hoping to do so closer to $5. Before I sell i'd like to know if there was any good news released today that I may be missing. Volume looks pretty normal.

Thanks,

Joe

Q:
Hi team :
below is info. or BK. I HAVE DONE WELL FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.I have no other bank stocks.I mostly live on DIV.
what would you advice:
1. wait and get paid out 2018 ( I HAVE 5K BK and no BK.PR.A )
2. SELL 0.5 OF THE POSITION
3. BUY BK. PR. A TO BE SAFER { My expectation that bank stocks will be flatish)
4. HANG IN FOR A POSSIBLE BEYOND 2018
5. OTHER SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS
THANKS AS ALL WAYS
YOSSI

Q: I am looking for a higher paying dividend ETF for income that isn't too high on financials as I also own some individual stocks. Can you please give me your analysis and opinion on ZDV vs XEI on growth, risk, stablity.
Thanks

Q: For simplicity, the following list of stocks are close to equal weight in my RRSP portfolio. I want to add another full position of one stock. I am thinking of CM for dividend or TMR for gold exposure or another suggestion you may have. I included my TFSA holdings so that you can see all of my equities.
RRSP
Energy-ENF/RRX/WCP
IT-ESL/SYZ
Industrials-EIF/MAL/RBA/SIS/WSP
Utilities-BEP.UN/EMA
Consumer-MG/NFI
Financials-BNS/SLF
Health Care-SIA
Telecos-BCE/T
Materials-CHE.UN/SJ
Realestate-BPY.UN

TFSA
ADW.A/CCL.B/CSH.UN/DSG/ECI/GUD/IPL/PUR

Thanks and have a good weekend.

Q: In this morning's Globe FN is touted as being a future "dividend aristocrat".

The article went on to state: "It is dominant among mortgage brokers, of which about one-third of Canadians seeking mortgages utilize. The company has close to a 20-per-cent market share there.

First National has shown good capital gains and strong dividend growth. “The company has been a solid, under-the-radar executor of a simple business strategy: become the most trusted and efficient operator in the mortgage broker channel.”
Would you agree with these comments?
Do you consider FN to be a "buy" at this time?

Q: Can I have your thoughts on ENV, Envestnet? Thank-you.

Q: Hi there, as a follow up to your response regarding SCB, would today's news regarding CXI license also be positive for SCB? Maybe that's why SCB has been moving up as of late, as pending license's are going to be approved finally! Reading between the lines, people in the know may be positioning themselves! Your take would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Q: Hello Peter,
I was not able to find the symbol XLF (the US financial sector ETF) on your site so am hoping you can assist. The ETF contains Brk.B, BAC, etc Today, the index fell more than 15% and the news appears to be related to the following:
"Effective on the date of index reconstitution, the Financial Select Sector Index will include securities of companies from the following industries: diversified financial services, insurance, banks, capital markets, consumer finance, thrifts and mortgage finance, and mortgage real estate investment trusts (REITs). The Real Estate Select Sector Index includes real estate management, development and REITs, with the exception of mortgage REITs". If this is true, I am assuming the company that creates the ETF wants to make it more diversified. If so, why would the index fall so much? Is it because investors wanted a concentrated ETF as opposed to the diversified one. From my understanding the XLF before today is similar to the XFN for Cdn Banks and insurance. Thanks very much.

Q: Peter, I also noticed that my XLF has dropped over 17% today, with heavy trading. I verified this with Scotia Itrade. Can you tell me the reason for the drop?

Q: Is now a good time to buy Wells Fargo?

Q: Good morning! Could you please give me your thoughts on adding Blackstone Group (BX) to my RIF account? I hold mostly dividend paying low beta stocks and some bond etf's. BX has a good dividend and appears to be at a low for the year.

Q: Would you recommend buying SLF now for a long term hold?
Also, do you know how much of the company's business is non-life insurance (general insurance)? I think long term climate change will result in more wild weather over the next decade so I am more interested in life insurance.

Thank you.

Q: What are your thoughts on the insurance companies in Canada versus US in general. Interest rates seem to affect the performance of the insurers and with the US on track for at least some small increase in rates in the not too far off future, I wondering if switching from Manulife (my current holding) to a US insurer (Aflac perhaps) in a registered account makes sense.

Q: Hi Peter and Gang,

I have been holding MFC for 1 1/2 years now and it just keeps trending lower, I am therefore considering switching from MFC to Sun Life. Is this move advisable?

Thanks,

Harry

Q: Hello Guys,

How do you feel about these two insurance companies ? Currently, my position in insurance companies is strictly GWO. I am considering taking my loss in GWO, selling some GWO and purchasing SLF to better balance that sector.

Q: Good afternoon,

Would you increase holdings in hcg at this time; the model portfolio is slightly underweight on the equity as am I. With the stock repurchase plan announced, would you go to 5-6% of total portfolio?

Thanks,

Eric

Q: I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the effect of a US Fed Rate increase on Canadian Bank stocks.

Thanks,

Peter