Investment Q&A

Q: How would you suggest I invest $100,000 in fixed income today, or would you recommend I hold the cash position into December? My only fixed income holding at present is a $200,000 5 year GIC ladder. Thanks, Barrie

Q: Hello,

What would be your current 3 favourite rate reset preferred shares?

Regards,

Robert

Q: Hi guys,

My portfolio is $500,000 with $450,000 in equities and $50,000 in fixed income. I just changed my asset allocation from 100% equities to 90% equities and 10% fixed income. I have $50,000 cash to invest in fixed income and I put my first tranche of $10,000 in CPD for the yield and to gain from rising rates if and when they occur. I was reading some previous questions and you talked about having ETFs as a minimum 5% weighting because of the number of securities they hold. In this case with CPD, it is currently 2% and I will add to it as opportunities arise. I debated splitting the 5% between CPD (3%) and HPR (2%), which is an active traded preferred share fund. Is this recommended for a total weighting of 5% in preferred shares or should I just stick to CPD. My other 5% weighting will be in a laddered corporate bond ETF since I think it provides better protection against rising rates that a government bond ETF and also has a better yield. Agree?

Thanks for your help,
Jason

Q: Hi 5i Team, can you please explain the impact of interest rates of CPD. I understand that last year the rate cut had a negative impact on the ETF and that a couple of years ago talk of rising interest rates hurt preferds. Can you please explain the impacts of either rate increase or cut on CPD?
Thanks

Q: Dividend 15 Split Corp. Preferred Shares DFN.PR.A has been rock steady for the last ten years or so (except for a plunge in '08-'09), paying 5%, while CPD and ZPR took a plunge starting in 2015. Why the steady performance of DFN.PR.A? How much would you recommend buying it? Thank you.

Q: Hi Peter and team, If interest rates go up in US but down in Canada what is the likely impact on CPD. Also, in a broad market selloff of greater than 10% how strong is the correlation of CPD to the overall market. Thanks

Q: What do you think of taking a position for a 5 yr hold in either of these? If you would take a position, which would you choose?

Thx, Carl

Q: I have these prefs in my rrsp,they are down a lot,paying between 5.5 and 6.4%,would I be better off holding them and hope they recover or selling them and buying etfs such as cdp,zdv or cdz.Any suggestion you guys have would be greatly appreciated.

Q: Hi !! It is me again. Would you consider it be time to invest in preferred shares again? If you would you recommend straight preferreds or floating rate? Could you also recommend some? Cheers, Tamara

Q: Saw your suggestion for CPD, XHY, ZRE for dividend income and wondered what would drive each of these securities price performance given that their overall return will be a mixture of price appreciation/depreciation as well as yield and each has a significantly different price history. I'm not planning to blend as I think you should know what drives each investment. I also saw your two notes on CPD so what I think I need is an overview of the relevant price drivers please. Thank you

Q: Hi Peter and team,
If US and Canadian stock market goes down say ~10%, how it may impact preferred etf such as ZPR, CPD, PGX (US) or split preferred (e.g. FFN.PR.A)?
Thanks

Q: Hi 5i Team, at 63 I know I should be in Bonds........but can't get myself to, especially if they go Negative. Hence, I'm looking for 1 or 2 good companies that pay a good/safe dividend. CHR pays almost 7%, and their Air Canada contract is good until 2025, so low risk of the dividing slumping & using the Rule of 72, my $ should double in 10 years. Can you please comment &/or offer an alternative? Thanks!:)

Q: I am considering purchasing a preferred ETF. Perhaps, one of CPD, ZPR, PPS or HPR. I notice that HPR has the lowest yield and highest MER but over the past 5 years it has done appreciable better; i.e., lost quite a bit less, than the other three. Is this attributable to its 'active' management or is there something different about its diversity of preferred shares?

Q: I recently added CPD for fixed income, how do you think it will perform going forward given a Sept/Dec US rate increase? Thanks.

Q: Preferred shares and fixed income

Hi 5i team : I own only common stocks in my portfolio and since I am a mature person that is near retirement, I have the feeling that my exposure to common stocks is very high. So far, to mitigate my risk, I keep daily of the market changes, so I do not get caught in a drastic downturn.
To get more protection, I have thought in buying some preferred shares , but I know nothing about them to start a position.
Are the P.S. a good way to go ?, if so, what should I learn about them and how (references, books, etc), also what would be a reasonable percentage of my portfolio to have in P.S.?
thanks for your help
Alex

Q: On the fixed income side of a portfolio 5i has included both conv. debs. and prefs. Do you see them as having a similar risk profile? With new money would you choose CVD or CPD? and why? I am having a hard time finding CDs that are worth the risk, yet the rate reset pref. market seems like a "bargin" assuming rates go up in the next 5,10,15 years.

Q: BMO US Put Write(ZPW)
BMO Europe High Dividend Covered Call Hedged to CAD(ZWE)
PowerShares Preferred Portfolio(PGX:US)
BMO Laddered Preferred Share Index(ZPR)
BMO US High Dividend Covered Call(ZWH)
BMO Equal Weight REITs Index(ZRE)
iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Preferred Share Index(CPD)
iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index(XRE)
BMO Covered Call Dow Jones Industrial Average Hedged CAD(ZWA)
iShares Convertible Bond Index(CVD)
BMO Canadian Dividend(ZDV)
Above are ranked as to yield - high to low. Can you rank as to risk - high to low?
Thank you for considering my question
G. Reynolds

Q: ZWB, ZWU, ZWH, CPD & ZWE...just looking for a simple ETF portfolio. What do you think of a 20% allocation in each of these names for a decent return with low to medium risk. Thanks.

Q: Hello Peter, I am looking for safe investment with dividends, I have ZEF in my portfolio, I would appreciate your help to rate the above, perhaps suggesting a couple better ones. Also, how would future interest rate increases effect their prises.
Many thanks, J.A.P. Burlington

Q: Hi there

I wanted some feedback about putting about 5% of my portfolio into Preferred shares for income purposes for over a 5 year hold. I know I could buy the preferred ETF CPD but have been hurt before in ETF bond funds so feel better buying two or three individual issues where I know up front what I will be getting in return for at least the first few years. Would it be possible to provide three preferred issues that you would recommend for income?

Thanks so much