Investment Q&A

Q: Can you tell me what to think after the US rate cut? Dow is down about 450 points as I write this which is a bit surprising since I figured a quarter point cut was already baked in.

Should a typical investor change anything?

Q: What sectors/industry do you see as the most promising over the short, medium and long term?

Q: Over the weekend I was reading about the potential for mean reversion producing a rebound in value stocks in the US. Do you think this makes sense overall, or is it just about as likely as any of the ten thousand other 'this is what is going to happen' stock market ideas? And, do you have any CAD US based ETFs that would fit this profile and that you would recommend? Thank-you, again.

Q: Hello, With the news of Deutshe Bank in disarray and the high potential for a new 2008 Lehman Brothers scenario, are we going to see the tidal wave coming or is it already too late to run to higher grounds (higher % cash). Please advise.

Q: I used to think of bonds and stocks as generally moving in opposite directions so that bonds could be a safety factor in my account for when stocks go down. Stocks used to go down for economic reasons and then bonds would go up since the central bank would reduce interest rates to try to stimulate the economy. This worked marvelously for me in 2008-9. However, it is far more common now for them both to move in the same direction since stocks are dependent these days more on lower interest rates than economic news so they go up when there is a hint of interest rates going down and so do bonds as they always did. In reverse, when interest rates even hint of going up, stocks decline and so do bonds. Good economic news means the stock market is likely to decline since interest rates might go up. It seems that the market believes that it cannot survive any interest rate increases. So what do you suggest these days to balance against this unified stock and bond reaction?

Q: I have a lump sum from a sale of an investment property. I struggle with the decision whether to invest the money now given the long bull market that we've had and the increase in trade tensions and the political landscape. I know returns rely on time in the market as opposed to timing the market, but its hard to justify psychologically. What would you advise to do with a large lump sum? Do you see areas that are undervalued? Is there better relative value in Canada or the U.S. or abroad?

Thank you,
Jason

Q: This is a follow up question to my previous question about building a solid portfolio sector distribution.

You mentioned "If inflation picks up, you might want more consumer staples and less consumer disc (it is the other way around right now)"

Are you saying that it would be best to have more Consumer Disc now than Consumer Staples? If so, why?

Thanks again,

Fed

Q: I am trying to build a solid portfolio sector distribution, for reallocation purposes moving forward. This is only for the equity component of my portfolio. I am keeping a significant portion (50-75%) in non equity fixed income. I am looking for a retirement type Portfolio, with relative stability and good dividends. I am also worried about inflation getting carried away, as I feel most governments are not truly addressing the financial issues of the day. That is the reason for my 15% allocation to Mining. I have a house, so I do not feel I need to allocate anything to real estate.

Do you feel this is an appropriate distribution? Do you see faults in my reasoning?

Energy (incl pipelines) 8%
Mining (incl gold) 15%
Industrial 12%
Cons Disc 10%
Cons Staples 8%
Healthcare 6%
Financial 18%
Teck 7%
Telecom 6%
Utilities 10%
Real Estate 0%

Thanks once again,

Fed

Q: For years economists had referred to the Canadian dollar as the "petro dollar" in that our dollar fluctuated with oil prices. With plans by our government to phase out the Canadian oil sector (e.g. Bill C-69 & other policies) what impact will this have on our dollar in the future?

Also, President Trump wants a lower U.S. dollar. How do you think he will achieve this? And what impact might this have on our Canadian dollar and on our exports?

I had converted much of my investments to U.S. accounts when the Canadian dollar was closer to par with the U.S. dollar (& oil prices were high) and am now deciding if changes to my portfolios are warranted,

Thanks
Bryan

Q: Hi 5i,
Can I get your asset allocation suggestions for a taxable account based on the following guidelines:
1. I don't need any of this money to retire
2. account size is approx. 1M
3. I wish to buy individual US and CDN stocks
4. I will buy International ETF's if required
5. I am a buy and hold investor
6. I prefer not to have a high dividend due to tax issues
7. My RRSP's provide enough retirement income and are diversified
8. My TFSA's are growth oriented and are diversified
What is your range for:
International ETF's
US Stocks
Canada Stocks
Cash

thanks

Q: HI 5i team, recently you mentioned couple companies with a growth rate of 50%. Do you mean revenue or earning or some measure ? Will you please list top 20 Canadian companies with such growth prospect. Thanks.

Q: Hi Group - I am getting a bit concerned about the US dollar verses CAD, I hold 50% of my portfolio in us funds. If I believe that the US stock holdings I presently own are way more solid than Canadian companies but am concerned about the US dollar dropping significantly what defensive strategy should I consider? PS I trade with RBC direct investing Thanks

Q: Peter, do you think the Bank Rate will change on July 10th? Do you know what the consensus is?

Q: The Canadian dollar has risen two and a half cents against the US dollar in the last month or so. Is this likely to continue? Should I be thinking about transferring into hedged ETFs for American exposure?

Q: What stocks would you focus on acquiring if a recession is around the corner?

Q: On Friday David Rosenberg was interviewed by Andrew McCreath. He expects inflation to increase due to global debt and recommended real rate return bonds. While I do have some bond exposure I have never owned any of these bonds. Your thoughts please. As always, thank you for your excellent service. Nigel

Q: Hi Peter/team what is blockchain and how can someone invest there.Thanks

Q: My Question is on General market conditions from Technical point of view

Its seems looking at the technical charts for $INDU (DOW index) it has formed a TRIPLE TOPs with divergence in RSI and MACD with lower lows at each tops and $INDU now breaking off 200MA and from todays action its seems $INDU may run down to 20,000 or even 18,000 unless it jumps back above its 200MA
5i expert comment on this please

Q: Is portfolio balancing different than averaging down? I will be doing my semi-annual portfolio over the next couple of weeks and with the decline of names like MG, MX and TSGI to name a few I suspect I will be a bit underweight in consumer discretionary and materials. I see portfolio balancing as shoring up the laggards and trimming the overweight (winners) but that means buying stocks that are not showing momentum and may even be in continuing decline. So, are these two ideas incompatible and if so, what is the "proper" way to rebalance?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: With all signs pointing to a long US/China trade spat, what sectors do you see holding their own. I would expect that Tech and Consumer Products will be hurt the most. Your comments would be appreciated.