Investment Q&A

Q: Many years ago, I used a small portion of my RRSP to buy Pengrowth Energy and the price of the stock dropped substantially. Now, I am planning to sell this stock and invest the balance to a venture stock that has the most potential. Could you suggest one for me? I am totally okay if the new stock does not work well and lose all the investment. Thanks

Q: What do think about comparing the current dividend yield to the historical yield of a stock as a way of assessing its value as an investment? i.e., if the current yield is greater than the historic yield (the average yield over the past five or ten years), than the stock would be a "buy" (notwithstanding other factors) or a better value than companies in the same peer group with yields lower than the historical average yield.

Q: Where would one find insider ownership of companies . ie evertz et

Q: I’m new to this ….what criteria’s should I use when choosing a stock?

Q: It is very frustrating watching many price gains being snuffed out by the end of each trading day. Is it possible that the shorts and hedge funds are contributing to this?

Q: when are you on bnn on friday the 1 pm or 6 pm show. dave

Q: Good day gentlemen, You re top 3 Cana
picks you suggest investing in today.

It doesn't t matter to me small,mid or large cap.

thank you in advance

Q: Lately there have been stories about extremely wealthy Canadians taking their money offshore. Additionally, it is well known that large US corporations are domiciling in foreign countries to avoid paying taxes. I find that this anti-investing attitude becoming so pervasive among the very wealthy that I have to wonder why I should risk my hard earned cash, when these two groups seem to be protecting theirs and not reinvesting it. Please make the case why I should invest the 75% of my money now that is in cash ... frankly, I see nothing truly compelling in the markets these days.

Q: I'd like to use moving averages as one of the buy- sell signals. What time span would you use, i.e. 1,2 or 3 year chart? Would you use a daily or weekly chart to assess moving averages? Thanks.

Q: I manage a part of my portfolio and have some with a wealth management firm that is strictly income. My wealth management firm has been buying a lot of ETF's lately, and I am concerned that I am paying fees to the firm as well as fees on the ETF's, and that overall it is cutting into my income more than I realize. I have been searching the internet for a site that will list the fees associated with ETF's so that I can make some calculations, but can't seem to find one. Do you know if wealth management firms get any sort of kick-back for buying ETF's, and do you (or another member) have a suggested site with fee information easily available?

Q: On my Itrade account under the April 26 news section Eric Sprott purchased 16.2 million shares of Newmarket Gold at $2.80 to bring his holdings up to 17%. On April 26 the stock was trading in the $3.30 to $3.40 range. How did he get them for $2.80? Where is the best place to find when companies earnings are coming due. There is very little information on Itrade about it. People looking for somebody who explains stock charts -- go to stock scores with Tyler Bulhorn - he has a weekly email that explains all the charts and where the markets are headed.

Q: It seems to me that shorts are a way for some investors to bottom feed. I really don't understand what they are about and why they are allowed. Is there a benefit to allow shorts in the stock market

Q: What are the differences between stocks that are listed as ABC.A or ABC.B? For example as in Chorus.A and Chorus.B. I know that they usually imply voting or non voting shares but could you please expand their status more specifically and how do they effect investment potential and which are preferred and when. What does voting or non voting actually mean and when are each the best investment? Your informed comment please.

Q: Hi, could 5i include a "Suggested Portfolio Weighting" comment in your stock reports? Even ranges such as "minimum", "recommended", "overweight" would be helpful. This would provide guidance for holdings that are not included in your model portfolios but covered by 5i.

Q: If a Stock has an Ex-Date of Tomorrow & I buy it today, will I still avail of the Dividend? OR, will it be denied because I technically will NOT own the stock until the Transaction Completes in a couple of Days?

Many thanks as always!

Q: Although the market has had a good run lately, many companies are simply beating reduced expectations. I saw an analyst on BNN this morning note that top line revenues will be down about 7%. The economy is coasting along and showing no signs of a big jump. My intuition tells me that this may be a good year to "sell in May and go away." Or at least lighten up. Since you rely on more than intuition, I would be interested in your opinion on this.

Q: Hi,
I have taken up a few half positions in stocks with the following details in my portfolio:
Full position = 4% of total portfolio = $6400
Half position = 2% of total portfolio = $3200
Transaction fee = $9.97

For full positions, my strategy as been to consider trimming them if they get $2000 or more above a full position. I will consider adding to them if they drop at least $1500 to $2000 below a full position. This keeps my transaction fee at about 0.5% to 0.75%

This same strategy with half positions will cost me more on a percentage basis. Should I ignore this and just be happy I'm diversified, or would you employ a different strategy? My current half positions are HCG, CXI, GUD, and PHM.

Q: What is the difference between Notional distribution Adjustment to Book value and RETURN OF CAPITAL ADJUSTMENT TO BOOK COST ????

Q: With the Canadian Dollar getting stronger is it time to pull out of my US stock and bring the money home. My portfolio is 50/50 CDN to US

Q: I have managed my own registered portfolio for the past few years(with valuable input from 5i). I have sold my GTA house and will have this house money during a 2 year relocation period and then will likely be buying real estate again. Any advice for managing registered vs. non-registered investments during that time. Also, any allocation ideas related to type of stocks, fixed income or other investments keeping in mind the two-three year time frame with the new money. I currently have a registered portfolio with a number of dividend payers. Am i better to switch the registered funds too a more growth oriented approach and buy some utilities/banks/telcos in the non-registered.
Also, are Canadian based ETF's that hold non-Canadian stocks eligible for the dividend tax credit?
Thanks team