Investment Q&A

Q: From what I recall one of the reasons 5i Research does not like to put stop losses in place is to avoid being stopped out in "flash crash" events.

How frequent are "flash crash" events? There is the May 2010 flash crash, but that was 8 years ago. Can you tell me when all the market flash crashes occurred in each of the last 5 years?

If "flash crash" events are rare then is it really worth the risk of not having stop losses in place?

Many stocks in the balanced and growth portfolios are down substantially from their peaks (e.g. NFI, TCL.A, KXS, MX, PBH, TSGI, SIS, MG...), so if trailing stops of 20% were in place they could have been sold by now. I know, "don't sell a stock just because it's down", but with some of these former winners now down 30% to 50%, it seems that stop losses could have helped limit the losses or preserved some of the gains.

Q: Happy New Year guys

In regard to CNR it would appear one of the main issue the company has seen over the last two years, and going forward, is too much freight to move and a lack of capacity. I have to think isn't this a "problem" a lot of companies would dream about. Only really two possible railways to choose from and both running higher than capacity. One would think that would give CNR some pricing power as well. And moving forward it would appear the only option for the next few years to move oil is through increased shipments, where the government of Alberta is paying for the cars.
In this environment the stock has fallen about $18 a share.

My question is what do you see as weighing over the stock, are these fears justified and do you see this as a decent entry point. How is the stock trading in regards to typically where it would be at the end of an economic cycle.

Much thanks

Stuart

Q: Happy New Year
I own 600 CCO and 800 GEI both have come back to where I bought them. My Question is should I sell these and invest in something else, CCO has almost no Dividend. I do not need the money for next few years so I could wait. If you suggest to sell any Idea what I should buy.
Thanks you for your time

Q: I just saw Tesla’s Q4 production and deliveries numbers in an article on Cleantechnica. It looks to me like they were excellent and it sounds from coverage I’ve followed that they’ve maintained and grown numbers that impressed in Q3 and also have solved a number of issues in Q4 that should enable better production outcomes in future quarters.

On the end user side, the cars seem to be crushing the competition - Safety ratings are a step change vs. ICE cars and the performance of model 3 seems to beat luxury competitors or at least match with lower Running costs. Data is showing that they are stealing share from competitors rather than cannabilizing Model S and X sales.

My question for 5i: is this becoming a good company to invest in? I still fear the debt but Mr. Musk says they intend to pay it down substantially in the near future. Me. Musk seems to have settled down and recognized his importance to the company and the importance of his behaviour but I do fear that if something horrible happens to him that the stick gets crushed. What are 5i thoughts given the latest?

Q: This company has gone from $ 3.20 all the way down to $ 1.29 in the past yr. Only has 17 employees . Was recommended by Motly Fools. Is it profitable ? Would you buy it ?

Frank

Q: I am down roughly 50% on GPS & was hanging on for one more quarter. When they reported on December 19th rather than losing .02 as forecast it was .23 loss per share. Most everything else that was reported seemed to the down side too. Rather than totally tank the stock has actually picked up. The only reason i can think of is that there is one big shareholder at 10% & investors are anticipating a possible takeover? I was going to dump it or is it worth hanging in a bit longer.
Thanks

Peter

Q: Hi,
I am down 12% KXS,20% NFI and 20% TOY.
Considering a two year time frame,are these companies a buy,sell or hold?
If they are a hold then at what price would they be a sell or buy?
Thank you.

Q: The price action is quite positive lately, even in a bad market .
Is there insider buying or other activity to account? What does the
balance sheet look like and are they cash flow positive at all?

Q: Hi There,
Can you tell me what the total return for the TSX was for 2018?
Thank You

Q: To date, I have not moved out of RHT yet. It only makes up 1.09% of my overall portfolio. Do you see any sense in holding it?
If not, what are your replacement recommendations for the technology sector? Do you still see CSU as an option?

Many thanks.

Q: Re your answer to Craig on ZUT. Aren't you concerned that the highest % holding they have in their ETF is JE at just under 10%.

That's the only reason I haven't bought into it. Your feelings?

Q: Hi, the listed shares currently make up my portfolio in relatively equal portions. I was wondering--with the $6000 TFSA amount, do any of these names stick out to top up with the full $6k or partial amounts? Alternatively I have been following Savaria SIS and considering initiating a new position? Thanks so much for your guidance.

Q: The Vanadium REDOX storage system is a competitor for intermittent energy generation storage competing with lithium battery storage.
This company has installed systems, has spent the last year acquiring a bankrupt Austrian firm that has working storage systems in Europe since 2000, acquisition of a "nuts and bolts" power management company with existing revenue and a recent spin out of a Vanadium resource in Nevada and is about to introduce an improved battery system with much improved economics.
I have a tiny holding and I am unsure of it's competitive landscape and management ability to execute.
Thank you for your comments.

Q: Would you sell Celgene at this price?

Q: TRP OR PPL for growth and div. increases?? Thanks

Q: This Toronto based company is in early increasing revenue from the Americas and Africa with great several types of technologies-software controlled LED/battery lighting where no electrical grid exists (Hamilton, Ontario to Michigan to Morocco) and an alliance with a company in Kenya to develop solar panel powered WI-Fi hot spots. And an alliance with Telefonica etc. for Latin American off-grid solutions.
Interested in your comments. 2% of my holdings.

Q: Hi foks, Bonne Anne from Quebec. Update & thoughts on Vegas Spec buy on maxar. Decimated in tax loss to $13 and now off the lows. Besides debt,what are the biggest drawbacks to the massive selloff, and do they still have a viable business plan heading into 2019. Thanks as always, jb Piedmont

Q: Obviously Apple is taking a big hit today and will likely continue to struggle for some time. How do you feel the news on Apple will affect Microsoft and Keysight and Canadian stocks such as Constellation Software and Descartes? Thank You.

Q: Recently read John Bogle, "Common Sense Investing"

What are my choices for purchasing the s & p 500 index, please compare MER, do all offer a canadian hedge? and what are the pros and cons of buying it hedged to canadian dollar?

thanks

Ernie

Q: Hi, I have held DRA.UN for about 2 years and done well (30%). This holding continues to trade under it's NAV, and the yield is over 6%. In the past you have classified this trust as "riskier income". What are your current feelings on the future prospects for this trust? Is it time to take the money and run?