Investment Q&A

Q: I have bumped into to two fund managers/portfolio advisors in the last week, and I talked to both about their investing styles. Both said they were sitting on a lot of a cash that they have built up over the last couple months.

One also said they were selling there winners ex/ ATD.B and planning to pick it back up at a lower price.

Do these fund managers know something that retail investors don't?
It seems like professionals sometimes say buy and hold, meanwhile they are selling.

Or are they taking a guess and going for it?

I am very patient long term holder and don't trade very often, but I am curious who is doing all the selling in market down turns?

Cheers, Colin

Q: Recently you had quoted in this volatile market, you put in stink bids. If the future is pointing to a lower opening, would it be better to put the bids in before the market open?

With all of the people selling recently, if I was a seller, I would have sold a third of my portfolio for less than I had paid for it. Are a lot of people selling at losses?

Are a lot of these people being forced to sell because they are on margin?

Thanks,
Dennis

Q: When I see the futures market way down like it was going into Monday's open and there is a stock I am hoping to scoop up at a lower cost am I better to put an order in at the "market" price or to enter an actual dollar amount before the market opens?

Q: is it possible you can explain more on algorithms which are very complex computer programs to buy and sell stocks that kick in when certain parameters are reached.and how they work against a retail investor like myself. I think there was a lot of this yesterday. dave

Q: What do you think about having a stop-loss in place? Many investment gurus say to use them but most, if not all, of my stocks would have been taken out today with the drop in the market. And while most recovered to where they are marginally down, if they hadn't I would have been wishing I had put the stop-loss in!

Your thoughts?

Q: Woukd like to add to John's comment regarding trades not going through CIBC investor's edge. I have accounts at both TD and Scotia discount brokerages.
At 8:45am Monday morning I could see the carnage about to happen and I put in "market orders" for CCL.B, CNR and EMA at both brokerages. I would have been very happy just to buy at the opening prices. The Scotia trades were "rejected" and at 9:40 am I got emails saying the trades could not go through. The TD orders just sat there, not being executed. At 10:00am they were still marked as "open". I had to cancel all the orders and reissue them just after 10:00 am. This time all the orders were filled instantly. I am frustrated with this to say the least, as I left thousands of dollars on the table in that 40 min or so that my trades would not go through. CCL.B in particular had a big swing in price. Is there any recourse for me? Any way to avoid this in the future?

Q: There were some big swings in lots of 5i covered stocks today, not just CSU. I'd like to add my thanks for the "Don't Panic" message up top! I almost regret not dabbling a bit in some buying today but I wonder if it's early for that game. I am assuming this could go on for some time. What do you think?

Q: Short Selling: I was wondering about Short Selling in this down Stock Market. What are the details in the placing the order and then coverings the order later. You can give an example to provide clarification. I understand, you have to pay the dividend while the Short is on. Herbert

Q: Hi Peter,
I'm trying to learn from the rout this week. And so far all I've learned is what I don't know about corrections. I kept clear of bio stocks, because everyone said they were expensive. I got rid of all oil, gas and mining stocks. I tried to select quality low beta stocks. And still, I got hit worse than the indexes.
Among my stinkers: Kroger, Colliers, WSP Global, CCL Industries, Disney, Currency Exchange, Interpipe, and The Keg. Even DH and ATD got hammered. Meanwhile, other stocks I would have expected to get hurt like BCE, DHX or Knight, sailed through, and XBI was actually up today... In fact XBI has performed much better this week than most of the above! So what do you do to be as safe as you can in volatile times other than getting out of the market?

Q: In a reply recently, you mentioned that there is no sign of a capitulation yet. Will you have a posting when you think capitulation has, or is, happening. Thanks

Q: Many of small/mid cap companies 5i covered have been sold off a lot lately. Some due to poor earnings, and some have no reasons at all. It looks like money is hiding under the large cap right now. Do you think the growth story will end here and investors should shift their investment towards large cap companies? Also market sentiment is so bearish, I think it usually presents a good buying opportunity. (Contrarian Play) Do you agree? Thanks!

Q: re Joe's suggestion. Is there any US/CDN tax consequences whether in an RRIF or straight cash account?

Q: Hi Peter and Ryan,

There are a few informative finance sites that have been an excellent resource for me over the years, so I wanted to share with fellow 5i members:

The first is Milliondollarjourney.com, which has articles about just about everything and tracks an individual's journey to $1mm net worth by the age of 35.

The second is mrmoneymustache.com, which provides great insight into how to better think about making and enjoying money while on the journey to financial freedom.

The third is a newer site - everydaycapitalist.com. It appears to be taking a similar approach to the million dollar journey, but is more aggressive in that the writers (two everyday working professionals) are tracking their progress towards having $3mm by the age of 40.

Share if you feel these sites may add value to other 5i members as well. 5i of course still ranks at the top of this list :)

Q: Could you clarify Joe's suggestion re buying an interlisted large cap like RY in CAD and then having the broker move it over to the US side. Is there no currency exchange on the value of stock transfer? Sounds too good to be true going into USD! But hope it is. Thanks.

Q: What affect does a bought deal subscription receipt offering have on the price of the stock? Curious because DIV is closing on one.
Thank you for all of your great info.

Q: Hi Just a comment/suggestion regarding Pierre 's question about best way to change CAN in US and the other way around. Members could check this article from the Can. couch potato called Norbert’s Gambit: The Complete Guide and see if beneficial. I have done it many times at Direct investing and TD also. Share if you wish and have a great week all. Dominic.

http://canadiancouchpotato.com/2013/12/03/norberts-gambit-the-complete-guide/

Q: When you mention for example no more than 3 percent weighing in a stock does that mean if you have a $500,000 portfolio no more than $15,000 should be allocated to that particular stock? So it is always a percentage of total portfolio?

Q: What is the best way to convert CDN$ to US$ in order to buy US stocks? Broker fees are expensive. I do buy CDN ETF that hold US stocks but I would like to hold some US stocks directly.
Thanks.

Q: I sometimes read that analysts increase a company's outlook from "market perform" to "market outperform" OR from "hold" to "buy" but they lower the company's target price. They increase the rating but lower the target price?? You would think the target price would go up. I do not understand. Thanks.

Q: I have a non stock specific question but Enbridge is a good example. Can you explain how stocks balance out across borders when they trade in different national markets in different currencies. In the case of a stocks like Enbridge for example how do the various markets reconcile say a rising interest rate environment in the U.S. versus a falling or steady interest rate environment in Canada? There is the currency question but there is also some intrinsic different potential reactions to a steady dividend payer in these different rate scenarios. So how does the Mr. Market "know" what to do? If there is any literature you can point me to that would also be much appreciated. Thanks once again.