Investment Q&A

Q: Owning stocks is by nature an intangible asset. In the event, of lets say, a black swan event such as a cyber threat world wide and all our intangible assets are basically in digital form (as opposed to physical and tangible) what, if anything can an individual owning stocks do, if anything, to make that asset more tangible? I assume the stocks in all your model portfolios have been suggested because of they have been deemed higher rated companies, those more likely to survive any temporary stock market crash. But can we make owning them more tangible or are we fully at the mercy of the Internet?

Q: Hello,

I have been reading about Evergrand in China and their potential default on $300 Billion in housing debt. It's being noted as the Chinese Lehman Brothers.

Do you see any knock on affects to the rest of world economy?
How big can this go?

Q: If inflation does continue can you give names of companies that i may want to hold and company's that i should not hold in different categories? Thanks, James

Q: Hello,
I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, the EU Climate Transition Benchmark (EU CTB), and the EU
Paris Aligned Benchmark (EU PAB)?

I would appreciate your macro view on these and the impacts you see them having, if any.

On a side note thank you 5i for always having such excellent materials. I particularly look forward to reading your blog.

Q: In response to yesterdays "tapering" report, if one is looking to add liquidity in order to take advantage of a resulting market dip, would you consider selling existing positions that have done well in the recent market growth with the intention of buying back in at a low point? I know you often advise against trying to time the market but this seems like one of the few scenarios where it could be in ones interest?

Or would I simply be better off to leave my current positions alone (everything is slated for long term holds) and try to put aside as much cash as possible in the meantime while we wait for the opportunity to buy?

Thanks

Q: What stocks in Canada do you believe will do well with the passing of the Infrastructure Bill and Reconciliation Bill in the USA? Please list in order of preference. Thanks.

Q: Peter,

Bank profits are massively up. Normally they suffer when the interest rate differential between the deposits and loans is as squeezed as much as it is now. What is the big reason for the huge profit jump? Is it simply the loan revenue from mortgage lending, the reversal of prior loss reserves , the wealth management areas or something else?

Thank you

Paul

Q: Was up 30% on MG. Purchased at $84.50. Stayed too long at the party. I still like it longer term. I like the fundamentals. Do you if so why?
I hesitate to average up here. You have better insight on MG than I do. Also in my experience over the years September/ October are notorious months for market drop, I have 10% in cash for purchases just in case. It’s a large well diversified portfolio. Cyclicals make me nervous here.
Roy

Q: Hi, My questions is about the best way to hedge the current market and economy. I have a large portion of my money in the stock market, and I feel things are becoming over extended. I've thought about putting some money in the VIX, however I'm not sure if that's the best way to play a downturn. I'd appreciate if you could give me your opinion on the best way to hedge, in case of a heavy downturn in the market/economy. Thanks a lot.

Q: The data currently coming from Israel and the UK indicate that the vaccine efficacy is waning, earlier than many predicted. Given that most Western countries have employed a vaccine strategy to address Covid, I would like your advice regarding how to position a portfolio in the event of a Black Swan event.

In the fall, we will likely have another flu/virus season in northern US and Canada. Basically, I see 4 possible scenarios of decreasing probability but increasing risk: (1) the vaccine acts as advertised and we have few cases/deaths; (2) the vaccine is less effective than expected and there are many cases, but few deaths; (3) the vaccine is not effective and there are both many cases and many deaths; and (4) as has been suggested by some top scientists, there are long-term risks with these mRNA vaccines and deaths/ adverse events are much greater than if no vaccine was taken.

If an investor has concerns about scenarios 3 and 4 in particular, but is hopeful that such an event does not occur, how should one best position the portfolio. Should one stay fully diversified sectorially and geographically in stocks? Should one consider increasing allocations to gold, cash, bonds, etc? What are your thoughts?

Many thanks for your insightful advice.

Q: what sectors could really be affected badly if interest rates go up significantly? thank you.

Q: What sectors on the TSX are going to be strong in the next 3 months?

Q: Were do you see the US markets going in the next 5 months?

Q: It looks like around Seven AM this morning the Canadian dollar abruptly shot up a more than 1%, thus wiping out any gains I might make for the day. Any idea what the cause was? Any predictions about where the dollar-dollar ratio is headed in the near term? I hold a lot of US stocks in unhedged Canadian ETFs and am now reconsidering the helpfulness of hedged products.

Q: I have a number of laggards in my portfolio that have been dramatically outperformed by peers during this year's rally, many of which I already own. I realize that you have generally rated these as 'hold' when asked in the past-yet I'm seeing a substantial opportunity cost to holding while others hold momentum during these hot markets for tech, industrial and commodities.
Any thoughts on whether it is worth continuing to hold and would you advise replacing at this time. ie on the balance of possible outcomes, would I be better off to stand pat or shift over to comparables within the sectors?
Thanks,
Peter

Q: Precious metals having a good day today, assuming its mainly because of the hot inflation numbers coming out. Do you see these stocks having more room to run? I own the above. Can you rank the above stocks in terms of the inflationary environment and which have the best growth and potential. Which sectors would do the best? Also I'm low in energy, would that sector do well if inflation persists or is it mainly driven by energy prices? Do you still see inflation as transitory or more persistent? Thanks!

Q: Hi Everyone! Me again. I have been listening to some financial podcasts and the discussion came around to a liquidity crisis which these folks are predicting may happen in the fall. Now taking this all with a grain of salt, what , in a nutshell , is a liquidity crisis and under what circumstances could this becoming our way??? Cheers again, Tamara

Q: When financial aids due to pandemic shut down measures end do you expect market downdraft? In Canada the CERB will end on Sept 25, 2021. Not sure when the U.S. financial aids will end though.

Q: Over the next 5 to 10 years, which index do you expect to perform better? The S&P500 or the NASDAQ100 and what would be your reasoning? Thanks in advance.

Q: The fixed income portion of our portfolio includes XBB@15% and ZIC at 6%. Portfolio analytics is suggesting fixed income assets @40%. I am not keen on adding more bonds and would be comfortable at 30% in FI. Can you suggest 1-2 alternatives for someone entering retirement?