Investment Q&A

Q: Just an observation.Traders returned from vacation and are adjusting portfolios.Historical data shows that Sept is a month of decline,on average 0.5% to 0.7% for SP,NQ & DJ.On the other hand,only 5 times since 1980 has SP been higher for each month for April to August.In those years the final 4 months were higher every time with some really strong returns

Q: I keep seeing reports that a company has missed estimates. I understand that estimates are made by advisors. There seems to be major swings if a company misses estimates. What the hell do outsiders know about the company to have such an effect on the share price. It seems to me a lot of bafflegab but I welcome your comments and don't be afraid to shoot me down.
PB

Q: Hello Peter;
NTAP, SQ, TEAM, ANET, WDAY
I read your article in the Financial Post. I had been following NTAP & SQ but other 3 others were just as good. Thank you.
I suggest you please include US stocks you find interesting in 5i. It is hard to make money in the Canadian market. I understand you have non-conflict pledge for the Canadian market and therefore you do not invest here but invest in the US. I and others would have no problem if you include US stocks with a declaration that you have invested in it. Come to think about it, you may do the same for the Canadian market.

Q: Why the CRA is targeting some TFSA accounts in court; Should an average investor be worried? by Jonathan Chevreau Aug 27, 2018 https://www.moneysense.ca/save/investing/cra-tfsa-accounts-court/

I don't think this is something I need to worry about just yet as I only have $81k in my account and my wife has $106k in her KTFSA (I call it the Kinda Tax Free Saving Account because it's kinda ok to make some money just not too much). We both still have $7k TFSA room for this yr. but we also have plenty of RRSP contribution room. In light of this article, I'm wondering if we should hold off adding to our TFSA until more clarity is provided by the either the courts or CRA.

Like many, I'm sure we aren't using our accounts like a business but at the same time I don't know what triggers an audit. Nor do I wish to find out since I don’t have the time/resources to prove our innocents. I'm starting to think this may be concerning to more than just a handful of 'savvy' investors as the article would imply.

We appreciate your insight on this topic.
Thanks

Q: It seems to me that most Short Attacks come from the USA on Canadian Companies . They hit Canadian Companies where trading volumes are not great and therefore easy to put downside pressure on the shares. Is there nothing that OSC or other gov't authorities can do about out of Country Short attacks ? RAK

Q: What large bank or investment coverage group (ie:Jeffries) would you say has the best track record for predicting future share price increases in the near and longer term.

Q: Today we are seeing another short seller, Citron Research, issue a report condemning Cronos whose reporting is being compared to disclosures by Canapy and Tilray.
Often, research assessments have been based on subjective judgment. What recourse do shareowners have to ensure there is accuracy? Are these firms subjective to recourse or penalties should their reports be issued for personal gain? Are there cases of class action lawsuits?

https://citronresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cronos-The-Dark-Side-of-The-Cannabis-Space.pdf

Q: Do you think it is worthwhile to attend the Canadian Financial Summit? Which speakers would you consider the most compelling to see? I'm considering paying $89 so I can watch it on demand instead of live. Is this a good investment?

Q: Hi 5i team,
What do you think about the CANSLIM method/criteria elaborated by William O'Neil for identifying potential growth stock? Thanks!

Q: Short Attacks. What purpose do they have ? Should Short Selling be abolished ? Look what Musk tried to do to Shorts on his going private announcement for Tesla. Short Attacks cause massive selling in good quality Companies for no reason. What is your opinion ? RAK

Q: Hello 5i
I stumbled across a recent article by Ryan in the Globe and a member made reference to another article by Peter in either the Globe or Fin. Post. My question is: Is there a link or can you provide a link to all articles written for non 5i publications? I feel this would be a benefit to all 5i members.
Thank you
Dave

Q: Why would you buy a short term bond etf over laddering 1-5 year GIC. or for that matter just keep buying 1 year GIC.
I looked at BMO ultra short 5 year return 1.32.
I get it that it is liquid, but GIC has no risk.
Am I missing something?

Q: Hi,
Since your comments are often extremely intuitive and helpful, I am keen to hear your thoughts on the new Communication Services sector in the US. As it will reclassify a few stocks I currently own, I am wondering about the potential effects, if any, of ETF managers rebalancing sector specific funds on some of the stocks involved. It has crossed my mind there might be a significant number of changes required on multiple ETFs, but am not sure whether this may affect stock prices, or would it just see increases in volume for a period of time? Is there an opportunity here for picking a few stocks, possibly growth ones, that may gain from the reclassification?
As always, we appreciate your insight.
Dawn

Q: I’m 40 years old and I have a portion of my investments in fixed income ETFs. In a rising rate environment, should I reduce my fixed income exposure? Each fund is down about 4%, while my preferred ETF fund is up 10%.

Jason

Q: Not sure if this is in your area of expertise. If I expect to have capital gains taxes on death, should I consider permanent insurance? If so, should the cash value portion of the policy replace my fixed income exposure?

Jason

Q: I have MACD on my Vector Vest charts but really dont understand it and how to read it and use it----Can you explain this to me?
Thanks
Peter

Q: Dear 5i Research,
I enjoy reading your watchlist questions. I am 67 years old, semi retired and enjoy doing my own investing through a discount brokerage over many years. I do have a high risk tolerance. My retirement income is CPP, OAS and my stock portfolio in 7 figures divided amongst 6 stocks. I am a very “concentrated” investor having gone from 30 plus stocks and ETF’s to only 6 stocks – Constellation Software (CSU), Alphabet (GOOG), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B), Amazon (AMZN), Alibaba (BABA), and Tencent (TCEHY). I follow them all closely. Should I be concerned about my high tech component and rather concentrated portfolio? What type of diversification if any would you recommend?

Q: Preferred Shares: How to evaluate risk? How have blue chip preferred shares behaved during previous massive downturns such as 1987 and 2008? Have they gone down as much as regular shares? Thank you for your fine service.

Q: In the past, when asked what the optimal geographic allocation is for the 'typical' Canadian investor with a long time horizon, 5i has variably replied 50/30/20 Cdn/US/Intl and 50/40/10 Cdn/US/Intl. Does this answer change if one considers the Canadian 'dividend-focused' investor, where the dividend tax credit would be a significant consideration? For this type of investor, would a higher allocation to Canadian equities be acceptable/preferable? If so, what would you consider to be a prudent 'upper limit' (percentage-wise) for the Canadian portion of one's total equity exposure? How would you allocate the balance between US and Intl. equities? Thank you.

Q: The cash positions of each 5i portfolio are currently:
6.67% - Income Portfolio
8.17% - Balanced Portfolio
10.59% - Growth Portfolio
As an individual investor, one of the factors affecting cash allocation might be cash requirements for living expenses. Could you outline other market factors that an investor should consider when deciding on the cash allocation in a portfolio? Thanks!