Investment Q&A

Q: Hi 5i team, we have read Random Walk down the Wall Street. Joy to read it. My question is on the other book Stock Analysis. Would it be similar to Intelligent Investor by the same author? Also, how about Non-random Walk down the Wall Street?

Q: I am a conservative investor. Please give me your top picks in the following groups: industry, resources, consumer, finance and utilities. Could you also provide an exit value for each pick. The picks would be for long term holds. Thank you, love the web site.

Q: I am interested in Horizons Active Floating Rate Bond ETF ( HFR ) as part of a fixed income allocation. However, I am hesitant because of what I don't understand ie." The ETF may use derivatives,include interest rate swaps to deliver a floating rate of return." Is ths benign or a red flag?

Q: I have held a Man AHL hedge fund MCC101 in my RRSP for a number of years. It did well in the market crash. I think it would do well in a market up turn but in an up and down market like we have had it does nothing. Is there any point in holding on to this? I think if I just followed your model portfolio I would do (a lot) better.

Q: Hi Peter and Team

I am a timid do-it-yourselfer Senior and do appreciate the service that you and your team provide.

My question is about the treatment of an ETF, by the CRA, that is sold on both the TSX and NY, under different symbols. My example is the Vanguard ETF VIG and VGG, and there are others. They are both the same fund since VGG holds VIG as its sole holding. However VGG is sold on the TSX in Cdn dollars while VIG is sold on the NY exchange in US $. VGG is not hedged. Is VGG treated as a Canadian ETF and if so what implications does that hold for tax purposes since it has US holdings. They each pay a dividend in US$ and I would assume there would be a 15% withholding tax on each of them. Perhaps you might also comment on the requirement by the CRA to state whether or not one has $100 000 in foreign assets on one's tax return and what implications if any there are with purchasing either of these type of twin ETF's into one's portfolio. I would appreciate any clarification that you might provide.

Many thanks

Bill

Q: Is now a good time to buy preferred shares

Q: Hi

I am following your model portfolio in my RRSP and could not be happier. I make regular contributions to my account and I am wondering if there should be any strategy involved in adding to my current positions. My regular contributions are not large enough to be able to maintain the current balance across all stocks but I did not want to sit on cash unnecessarily.

Thanks and please keep up the great work.

Q: I manage between 25-30 individual stocks in 4 portfolios - 2 for each of my wife & I in RSP, CASH & TFSA accts. I would appreciate your advise as to where I could obtain "software" that would mimic your "Model Portfolio" as well as allow for the production or graphs & bar charts to monitor trends, etc.
Thanks again for your superb service!

Q: What was the start date of your model portfolio?

Q: I would appreciate an independent opinion: I will be retiring soon and am thinking of taking the commuted value of my pension. Is it better to invest in your model portfolio or place the funds in Sunlife My Money for |Life Plan for Income and capital appreciation

Q: The new Canada-EU trade pact will likely open many opportunities for Canadian companies, in time. Which ones might be the biggest beneficiaries long term? Since Magna has a large presence in Europe already I can imagine it would be one of many. Thanks, J.

Q: Hello. Can you name 'pound the table" buys in each of sector - energy , financial , transportation, industrial and technology. I have long term horizon and decent risk tolerance. Thanks

Q: Hi Peter
Could you recommend a great site for Screening Canadian Stocks I would like to do more in depth analysis before I buy any stocks

The site could be a fee based or free
Thanks so much for putting the retail investor on a level playing field

Q: David Rosenberg from Gluskin Sheff posted a report on Friday in which he suggests that the resource sector may be in for a bit of a bounce. One of his recommendations involves companies that are involved in the construction of energy infrastructure, specifically "Engineering & Construction companies specialized in natural gas infrastructure." Are there any companies that you like that are involved in building facilities for the distribution of natural gas, both for domestic consumption and LNG for export. Thanks again for your great service.
Chuck

Q: Any suggestions on Canadian stocks that will benefit from the new Canada-EU trade deal?

Enjoy your service. Keep up the great work.

Q: Hi team,

What is your rule of thumb for placing an on-stop sell order, besides the obvious objective of
locking in a profit? Would it be a based on a percentage move on the downside? Or is their other criteria you look at? Thanks for your help and the great service you provide.

Q: The S&P500 has been going vertical since Nov 2012, except for the mussing about QE easing. Profits have been slowing and the multiples are expanding. When do you expect a pull back in the US market?

Q: Hi 5i Gang, I saw a commercial for a software program called "vectorvest". I was wondering if any of you have heard of it, tried it, or have any concerns with it. The commercial makes it sound way too easy, but it sounds interesting non the less. Seems a little pricey as well.

Q: Hi Peter, how does one know whether or not there are too many shares outstanding for a company? For example, in a previous question regarding Bombardier, you said that they have too many shares outstanding. How can I know that Bell, Rogers, or any other company has too many shares outstanding? Is there some sort of calculations to apply? Thanks Gervais

Q: hi 5i team
What is better right now, TFI or CSS, or a bit of both ?
and is this market overbought after this agreement on the US debt ceiling ?
thanks