Investment Q&A

Q: Hello,

Members who experienced the technical outage last Tuesday at TD Waterhouse (WebBroker) might be interested to know that I emailed td.waterhousecompliance@td.com and told them the delay in one of my trades cost me an estimated $156.00 as the stock fell during the day. The agent said there is no policy to reimburse clients under the circumstances, but he did, as a "courtesy", reimburse the commission and gave me a $100 cash credit. He said if the trading platform is down, the only recourse is to call in the trade. He acknowledged the wait times were very long.

Q: I believe you started member portfolio reviews but I am not sure of the process, time frame or cost. Can you provide an update on this.
Thanks
John

Q: Where can I find a free weekly report of the increase/decrease of number of shorts and longs of companies? Am grateful for the very helpful information you guys provide. Thank you.

Q: Not the stock. Relative Strength Index and the question is can you tell me where I can find this information when researching stocks, or how to calculate RSI if the former is not easily available online (isn't everything available easily online?)

Q: Would like to thank Roger regarding the downtime at TD Waterhouse. I lost funds on a trade which I tried to place and 12:00 pm through webbroker, called and was put on hold for 2 hours before a response. I expressed my concern, which went on deaf years and have called and sent 3 emails. I still hold my position today with a sell order in place because of the falling price
Rick

Q: Re the outage yesterday; For those who wish to complain here is the email address--
td.waterhousecompliance@td.com. I urge td users to complain vigorously and to seek compensation.

Q: Thought I would weigh in briefly and say that I have been with Q-Trade for 5 years and have never noticed a site crash. They come by their lofty ranking in the Globe legitimately. An outstanding site with many analytical tools, deep research, and recently, lower fees.

Q: CMH has announced a new share offering at 5.00 per share and their stock is down 8% this morning. Newbie question: why would they offer shares at a lower price than they are currently trading, thereby pushing the price down? Is it to recognize the dilution? Thanks much.

Q: In answer to Patricia I would like to say I have been with Qtrade for 4 years and have not experienced any significant problem. In addition their website is very user friendly and clear. They have excellent customer service and were chosen as #1 by the Globe & Mail for many years (I didn't check their present ranking). The only web interruption I experienced were brief and on weekends (probably for maintenance).

Q: Hello- Well, Td Waterhouse is not functioning AGAIN this morning. I find that this happens much more frequently than acceptable, especially including days when there is heavy volume on the open. I am thinking of opening another account with another trading firm and wondered- does this happen frequently with the other bank or Questrade etc trading accounts? Any recommendations for better service would be much appreciated.
Thanks

Q: Greetings
My TD WebBroker service is experiencing a major online outage today. Very limited quotes or online order entry is possible. I am sure they are available by phone but likely swamped with calls. Warren Buffett talks about buying stocks that you would be happy to own even they closed the exchanges for 5 years, something to think when you can't get an immediate quote on your position.
Post at your discretion.
Tim

Q: This is rather a naive question from the trenches, I’m afraid, but nonetheless, I’m here to learn and hope you don’t mind.

In regard to stop loss orders, which I use on occasion, despite the very wise caveats I have garnered on this site, I am still at a “loss” on a certain aspect.

In the event that a certain stock plummets in after hours trading, at what point is one’s stop-loss triggered? Could I potentially lose far more than I think I will? Do stop losses provide only the illusion of safety?

For instance, if I put a stop loss on ABC company at $50, and in the after hours trading the stock drops down to $20, at what point does my stop loss get triggered? Does it get triggered in "after hours" or does it wait for the next day when my losses could be even greater? Does my stop-loss immediately become a market order once it reaches $50? And, if I haven’t put a limit on the loss, at what price will it sell? If the drop is immediate — and huge, — (i.e., if it drops from 50 to 20 without intervening bids), does my stock then get sold at $20?

I’m beginning to uncover a lot of “smoke and mirrors” in the trading-investing game, and it seems fraught with a lot of dangers that initially appear benign and helpful.

(That being said, if the stock drops from 50 to 20, I realize it wouldn’t matter anyway, but I’m using this for illustrative purposes only.)

Thanks for any help you can provide to demystify the stop-loss game. As ever, your answers are always appreciated.

Q: I am very pleased with your services and feel that the retail investor is getting outstanding advice from your service. I was wondering if you could recommend a similar type of service that provides expert advice on US stocks.

Q: In regards to the double-down strategy....what 3 stocks are the best candidates at the present time. I use it in addition to the portfolio approach and do have the appropriate risk tolerance for double down....thanks

Q: What are the metrics most used to value roll-up companies or companies that use acquisitions as a staple in revenue growth? BCI,VRX,CXR,CSU,SYZ,PHM,BYD,AQC,CXV etc.... I understand these range in market cap and therefore their valuations will differ due to "size" risk.

Q: Just a suggestion regarding Peter's question today (April 5) on how to review/find his questions history.... What I do is save all the emails the 5i team sends me answering my questions...I flagged them to make my search for them easier.

Q: Hello
My father in law gave me two share certificates (100 shares ea) of the following:
Northern Eagle Mines dated 1967
North Briar Mines dated 1966

The transfer agent on the certificates is Guaranty Trust Company of Canada

How can I find out if they are worth anything?

Wish they were TD or BCE shares from 1966.
But then he wouldn't have given them to me if they were..haha

Thanks

Q: A number of your stocks amongst all 3 portfolios seem to have options available to trade.

In the instances where options are available do you see a problem in buying long maturity options, then rebuying when they expire till they exit the ports?

A)That would give more leverage
B)Would require much less capital then buying stocks long.
C)Would limit downside risk in the event of a company blowout.

Would you recommend this type of approach? If not , why?

Q: Hello 5I
Is there a method I can use to review my question history where I can review my previous questions and the answer you provided, without having to scroll back in the hope of finding it?

Q: For those interested in dividend growth stocks I recommend the "Canadian Dividend All Star List". The list is comprised of Canadian companies that have increased their dividend for 5 or more calendar years in a row. The list is updated monthly in excel form and can be accessed/downloaded here:
http://www.dividendgrowthinvestingandretirement.com/canadian-dividend-all-star-list/