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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: ISV or Information Services Corp. Could you please comment?

Cordially,

Dave (Nicholson)
Read Answer Asked by David on July 29, 2013
Q: I just want to add my two cents on US dollar registered accounts at TD Waterhouse.My information may be a bit out of date as I transferred my accounts to another broker a few months ago. This issue was a major reason.
TD began to promise a US dollar account for RRSP's, RRIF's etc several years ago when the restriction on foreign content was removed by the Federal government. I regularly checked back with them but the answer was still the same.... it was "under consideration". If you read on I think you can get a good idea of the reason.
TD make a 3% spread on their foreign exchange. .. i.e. if you bought 100 GM and sold 200 F today with each trade grossing about $3,500US they would take about $210 ( 3% of $7,000) in addition to the commission on both trades. It is true that they came up with the convoluted scheme of matching buys and sells on the same day and applying one rate to the trades. Nevertheless they are still hitting us for 1.5% on a transaction which has absolutely no risk to them. Also if you have to go the desk for this "service" they will charge $29.99 commission instead of $9.99 if you do it yourself.More than this all the dividends and interest which accrue on your US holdings are clipped for this 1.5% or more.
I have heard recently that they are implementing a charge of $2 for each letter mailed out to clients. This would include trade confirmations and monthly statements. Life for TD clients is becoming very expensive!!!
Read Answer Asked by michael on July 29, 2013
Q: I am thinking about taking a position in BDI or HNL. Which company do you think is a better long term investment(3 to 5 years)
Read Answer Asked by Ken on July 29, 2013
Q: Good morning 5i team. As investors, we’re told that our stock portfolio needs to be diversified across various sectors. Makes sense, but is there such a thing as a universally accepted list of sectors. If so, what are they? Do I need to hold stocks in all sectors? If not, how many represent a good level of diversification? And is there a readily available source (website) to identify which sector any individual stock falls under? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Thomas on July 29, 2013
Q: Good Morning, I am considering adding WaterFurnace Renewable Energy to my portfolio. Could I have your opinion on this company? Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Alan on July 29, 2013
Q: Hi Peter and team,
While P/E ratios are often used by investors to value a company, many pundits warn against using this metric in every instance. A number of investment gurus recommend using EV/EBITDA ratios. Besides being difficult to calculate, I see that it's not always recommended in every situation. Can you give me an idea which type of stock this metric is ideally suited for and if there is a website that provides that data?
Read Answer Asked by Robert on July 29, 2013
Q: Hi Peter and Team.

Quick thoughts on CVR Energy, CVI.
Read Answer Asked by Graham on July 29, 2013
Q: Hello 5i .my question this morning is regarding Ben Bernanke 's replacement.For the past 2 weeks i have been reading several articles concerning this matter.from what i understand the outcome could greatly influence stock markets.even Warren Buffet has stated in public that Larry Summers would be disastrous to equity markets. what are your thoughts and what is an investor to do ?
Read Answer Asked by NORM on July 29, 2013
Q: good day to all of you.
would appreciate your views on LYG,RBS and Barclays bank for the short and mid term cycle thanks in advance
Read Answer Asked by georges on July 29, 2013
Q: hi. My question is about TCK.B and the recent rise in stock price. Would it be right to say that this rise is due to news that india whants more coal. I found this article from the vancouver sun,(Fuelling India's coal needs) and for now, nothing did change in the company finance. Teck is reopening a coal mine in B.C would you see any relation with this deal to come. thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Dario on July 29, 2013
Q: Hello 5i, Could you comment on the recent stock price increase and trading volume on Connacher Oil CLL
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Michael on July 28, 2013
Q: Can you suggest a good site for current sector information example small cap,financials, materials, etc. and a site for current world market statistics example TSX. DAX, Sensex, Nikkei Etc.
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Stan on July 28, 2013
Q: I was complaining about the MER rate om my mutual fund at RBC and my son said I should look into index funds. I did not know of them so my wife brought some literature home on RBC Canadian Index fund and 3 other RBC (US div, International & US index) index funds. I do not see them on the category side bar so I believe you may not be into these. However can you give me a brief explanation of how they work and are they suitable for an ingenue? TIA
Gary
Read Answer Asked by Gary on July 28, 2013
Q: GDI vs MDA
Hi Peter and Staff
I am interested in 5i's opinion on General Donlee as a yield producing alternative to MDA
Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Kish on July 28, 2013
Q: 5i,

Your thoughts on CXS-T (Counsel Corp)? An impressive business model. You think the company still have room to the upside given its current valuation?
Read Answer Asked by Sasha on July 28, 2013
Q: Help. I check all the stocks on google finance. I'm cheking out a stock E I believe it's enterprise group inc. But when I type the letter E or type out Enterprise Group Inc. I can't find it.I think it's around .60 cents. Do you know if it's going under a different name. your help would be appreciated. Thank You. Andy
Read Answer Asked by Andy on July 28, 2013