Investment Q&A

Q: There's lots of chatter about a secular rotation out of stocks and into bonds. The US 10 year treasury bond has crossed over 3% and lots of speculation about more interest rate increases coming from the Fed. I've seen declines in my bond proxies (REITS, Utilities, Pipelines, Infrastructure, etc.) over the past few weeks but in recent days lots of talk from talking heads and analysts suggesting that the market has peaked and could be time to rotate. What is 5I's position?

Carl

Q: what do you think of david rosenbergs column in todays globe, why this rise in interest rates has me very concerned.
personally i think he is far more correct than wrong.
and please do not answer with for every viewpoint there is an opposing view.
rosenberg backs up his article with facts. dave

Q: Hi Peter
Recently several high profile investment advisors have predicted an "eminent crash" in the markets. Any suggestions on how to protect oneself in these uncertain times. Do you believe a crash is eminent.
Thanks.
Cam

Q: Hello, I would like to have some US dollars for future travel. Is it a good time to change some Canadian into US currency? What is your outlook for each in next 3-6 months? Thanks. Helen

Q: In a well diversified portfolio which one of these three companies would you choose for a long-term hold and with a view of an increased probability for a recession by the end of 2019? Can you please comment on your investment rationale?
Thanks

Q: Hi Peter,

With the TSX not doing much in recent months, are there any sectors in it that are starting to look good? Any sectors that could see some positive movement in the near future? Any recommendations in those sectors? I'm looking for growth with medium to high risk.

Thanks as always. Please deduct as many credits as appropriate.

Q: Hi 5i,
Can you please recommend some good dividend paying Canadian stocks that behave well during recessions. Can you also generalize and comment on the type of stocks that behave well and poorly during recessions.
thanks

Q: I know you are not a fan of market timing. However, with all the action coming from the Mueller investigation of Trump I can't help but digest and interpret the news as a tightening of the noose around Trumps neck. I've gone to 20% cash and might not be done yet. I've committed to sitting here until Mueller resolves one way or the other.

My question is how have markets reacted during previous impeachments (eg. Nixon, Clinton)? Obviously negatively, but to what degree and for how long? Would international equities be less effected?

Best.

Q: I've noticed very divergent opinions on the future of the Canadian dollar versus other currencies. My own opinion is it's headed down but, as you know, these things are difficult to predict especially when unknown political decisions can suddenly change things. Do you have opinions in this area? How do you anticipate the Canadian dollar will perform versus the US dollar, the Euro, the Pound, etc? Do you make recommendations regarding the amount of foreign exposure in investment portfolios based on forex implications. If so, where (US, European, emerging markets, etc.) and what percentage?
Feel free to choose your own time periods if you feel able to answer this.

Q: Recently the Globe & Mail has an article discussing the merits of using a one-Balanced ETF strategy and recommended the following three ETFs: VBAL, CBD and HRA. What would you consider to be the best one? Also, when I reviewed the information on their respective websites, I can only find Management Fee info as opposed to MER info. Is it because they are all ETFs that are composed of various ETFs. So the ultimate MER of these balanced ETFs would be the sum of the quotes Management Fee plus the MER of the underlying ETFs?
Please deduct as many credits as you see fit.

Q: If Kinder Morgan Pipeline does not get built and our Canadian Cabinet does not step in to have it built what effect will this have on foreign investment coming to Canada. On BNN today it stated that Canadian Stock Market ranks 77th in the World performance. This is due to lack of interest in our Stock Market. Are we getting to a point where we are Closed for Business and we should be 100 % invested outside of Canada in USA, Europe and Emerging Markets until we regain our senses. RAK

Q: My weighting in the financial sector is 12% and I am wondering if it is time to increase it to 15%. I already own BNS,RY and SLF. I was wondering if ECN and FCR would be good choices to add to the mix or if you have any better suggestions.

Q: Hello 5i team,
Do you give any credence to Z scores? My take is that the values may depend on the sector. For instance in the utilities; AGN, BIP, BEP, EMA all have scores below 1 ranging from .45 to .82 and thus doomed to failure! KWH, SPB ,and VNR ave from 2.02 to 3.53. Thus the sector is all over the place. In what context would these scores be used, if at all?
Thank you
Stanley

Q: I was wondering what your thoughts are on using Put Options to protect a portfolio in the event of a market crash?
Thanks, Bill

Q: Good day 5i team
I would like to know why and when to change a companies sector (TSX) to one I feel is more appropriate in my portfolio. It is something that skews a balanced portfolio as stocks will move with their sectors? I am using the examples from your balanced portfolio that have different sectors listed from the TSX. Or does it matter at all as all these companies are touching on both allocations?
Thank You J

Q: Good Morning, Are there any Canadian companies that may benefit from the tariffs China has placed on the US. i.e. Could tariffs make Corby's more competitive in China vs. US distillers? Could CAE and BBD benefit from tariffs on Boeing?
Thanks

Q: Dennis Gartman has boldly declared a new bear market. What do you make of this opinion?

Assuming the market might decline for a good while, would you still recommend owning growth stocks like SIS, PHO, KXS, etc? How would you suggest positioning a portfolio to preserve capital during a bear market, but also take advantage of any opportunities? Thanks.

Q: Dow up 700... Tsx flat..the world has stopped investing in Canada leaving it up to us to finance our companies..
Do we not have any profitable companies or assets worth investing in from a global prospective?. Even our own investors seem to be shunning any new investment in the stock market...When was the last time the countries stock exchanges were diverging as they are currently and what do you see are the fundamental problems?

Q: Financial stocks of every type are getting hammered again today, as they were yesterday. Everything from banks to insurance companies to credit cards and payment processors in both the US and Canada are down between 5-10% in the last two days. Can you draw a line for me on how the possibility of trade disruption between the US and China could account for this? Is Bank of America really worth 9% less today than Wednesday because of Trump's trade tariffs or this just mindless "sell everything!" panic?

Q: I have a general concern that I would appreciate your assessment regarding both the US and world economies. We have a US stock market that has been rising consistently for some time now. Bond yields are on the rise with increasing concerns about inflation. Now there is a threat of a major trade war as Trump considers placing significant tariffs on Chinese imports. This has been tried in the past (ie 1930) with dire consequences. Sure, US imports of tariffed goods decreased but so did exports as other companies struck back with their own tariffs. And if China, for example, sells less goods to the USA it will buy less raw materials from other countries affecting their economies.. So the risk is a major slow down in world economies. I would expect prices for many products in the US to rise substantially, due to Trump's insular view of how things work with increased pressure on inflation and bond rates. My concern is that all of this could result in a major recession next year. How do you view this situation? I would appreciate your thoughts and analysis. Thanks.