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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: my position in XLB:CA has almost recovered to break even. i am adjusting my behaviour in investing to try to avoid betting on conditions such as rising , falling, or staying near current for longer. I am getting the feeling from comments that long bonds are a play on rates dropping. If this is true, i would rather be positioned in bonds for more balanced risk/return regardless of rates. Any suggestions ?
Many thanks for your great service!
Read Answer Asked by Tom on December 19, 2023
Q: Do you think it is a good time to add bonds? It seems the most likely scenario's (slow growth with moderating inflation like now, or full blown recession) will be more favourable to bond investors than equity holders. What is the asset mix you would employ and do you favour longer bonds today? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Curtis on October 26, 2023
Q: Some time ago when rates were starting to go up I bought XSB for the bond (cash) part of my investments, . The thinking was that the "Short" would protect against rising rates. Alas, things did not work out that way and the holding is down about 9 %, not including interest paid. At this point, can you see any advantage to holding XSB with a return of 2-3 % when GICs are available at more than 5%? Many thanks
Read Answer Asked by Leonard on October 13, 2023
Q: With the sell-off and resultant higher yields on bonds, what are a few bond ETFS that I might consider as a short term park for money in registered accounts. Maybe there are bonds I could buy? They are hard to get some times on my bank platform: CIBC Investors Edge.

I have not owned any bonds for a very long time. Prefer dividend growth stocks.
Read Answer Asked by James on October 04, 2023
Q: Dear 5i,
Many experts are suggesting that Bonds are very attractive right now because of the high yields.
Can you please suggest some Canadian bond ETF's and Mutual Funds that one might want to do further research on. In your opinion what duration range represents a sweet spot that might offer attractive total return within 3 years.
Read Answer Asked by Ian on October 02, 2023
Q: Hello 5i, common question for you but I have very little bond exposure and was looking to start building a fixed income portfolio. Can you give me your current top 5 bond picks (assuming ETF's). This can be USA or Canada bonds.
Read Answer Asked by Dean on September 22, 2023
Q: What bond funds are the best to invest in right now for the long term? Currently I hold ZAG.TO and CVD.TO. Should I continue buying them? I would prefer a higher dividend than what the ZAG gives.
Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Pat on August 22, 2023
Q: Hi there,

Can you please suggest Canadian-listed ETFs for the bond portion of a long-term portfolio? I'm interested in diversification.

Thanks,

Chris
Read Answer Asked by Chris on August 01, 2023
Q: Supposing that an investor had three registered accounts of roughly equal size that they wanted to change from equity ETF's to a fixed income allocation for their portfolio, and these accounts would have to be converted to RIF's in 6 years. Let's also assume that we get one or two more small rate hikes this year, then interest rates flatten and begin to come down slowly over the following several years. Which of three options would you choose on a risk/reward basis? 1. Just hold money market funds currently paying 4.5%+ 2. Barbell XSB and XLB using two accounts, and put XBB (or ZAG) in the third (avg. yield close to 3 %? with potential cap. gains) 3. Put TLT in all three, yield close to 3%? maybe highest potential cap. gain? With the BOC policy rate going up close to 5 points since the start of 2022 the bond funds above fell anywhere from 10%+ to 30%+. Does that imply that if the BOC rate went back down 2.5% that they would rise 5%+ to 15%+, or you can't make that kind of straight line assumption? Maybe there is a way better option, but I don't really want to tie up funds in GIC's and don't want to try to pick individual bonds either. I also considered something like PSA but no cap gain upside there and the money markets probably pay as much interest or more. Thanks for your thoughts.
Read Answer Asked by Stephen R. on July 05, 2023
Q: Can you name a few securities that you would recommend in an effort to capitalize on the potential bond market opportunity as outlined in your March 16th market report?

Please rank and provide a brief explanation for the ranking.

Read Answer Asked by Simon on April 03, 2023
Q: I am looking at adding a 15 to 20 percent bond component to my portfolio. From the mix of laddered, aggregate, short/long term and high yield ETF’s listed. Which would you recommend and why? Please let me know if you have other possible suggestions? Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Myron on March 02, 2023