skip to content
  1. Home
  2. >
  3. Investment Q&A
You can view 3 more answers this month. Sign up for a free trial for unlimited access.

Investment Q&A

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

Q: The ETF Portfolios tend to indicate a preference for CDN Hedged ETF's. (XQQ; XHC). Do you still prefer CDN Hedged ETFs today? Can you suggest non-hedged alternatives?
Read Answer Asked by Joyce on March 17, 2020
Q: I am down on the stocks as follows but do not have offsetting capital gains to compensate for the losses - would you continue to hold or sell and please advise your rationale
Also, what criteria do you use for determining when this market has stopped it downward trend?
Read Answer Asked by David on March 17, 2020
Q: Which Canadian bank looks most attractive right now?
Read Answer Asked by sean on March 17, 2020
Q: First of all I'd like to commend you for the rational approach you're taking on this current meltdown in the financial markets. Many of your younger subscribers haven't had the experience of multiple crashes similar to this. I recall Black Monday (the crash of '87), the pop of the tech bubble in 2000, the 2008-2009 debacle, and so on. In that last one nothing was safe, even bonds and bank preferreds dropped. Keep up the good work. In the longer term I believe your advice will save people money.
Going into this I had slowly moved money into the U.S. market (mainly bonds) anticipating that the party was coming to a close and the Canadian dollar would also be heading down. This does not imply that I foresaw the Covid 19 pandemic or the Putin-Saudi hissyfit. Those two hit us all unexpectedly and I am down an appropriate amount. It was just that I felt it likely that a correction and recession was on the way. I believe you indicated that in the past in your answers.
Soon I expect it will be time to purchase some safe, value equities that will weather this storm and even profit from it. I'm thinking mainly of U.S. equities with large amounts of cash and a bright future. A healthy dividend would also be nice.
On my potential shopping list I've included Cisco which I already asked you about. What about Berkshire Hathaway? I've heard they have a vast amount of cash on hand and the U.S. dollar is considered a haven.
Another would be Blackstone (BX) in private equity. They've been hit hard yet interest rates are almost down to zero in the U.S. and Canada. Many potential targets will be distressed and money is cheap.
Would BAM in Canada fit these parameters as an aquirerer. They'd mainly be using Canadian dollars, however.
Finally, would an ETF of FANG stocks make sense?
Can you provide comments on any or all of this? I'm intending to start cautiously picking up half positions when I feel we're reaching a bottom. I'd be poorly paraphrasing Napoleon here but I think he said something like "When I'm up to my butt in trouble, I make haste, SLOWLY.
Read Answer Asked by Larry on March 17, 2020
Q: A friend tells me she has a mutual fund that attracts a capital gains tax every year even though she hasn't sold any units. I understand how that happens but I'm wondering: are there any equity mutual funds out there that won't attract capital gains tax (or losses) every year?
Read Answer Asked by Fred on March 17, 2020
Q: With this massive sell off, I am considering selling positions in to crystallize the tax loss, and immediately purchase similar companies to not miss out on future gains or realize any actual losses. Do you see any issues in this strategy and if not, do you have a couple suggested equal (or relatively equal) swaps in each sector? The banks are an obvious one, what about swaps for the tech, industrial, healthcare, utility companies in your model growth portfolio ?

Thanks for the great service!

Scott
Read Answer Asked by Scott on March 17, 2020
Q: Would it be a good time to buy Preferred shares?
Read Answer Asked by Paul on March 17, 2020
Q: In answer to Carlo on the call letters for the VIX, on TD Direct, they are VIN on US exchange.
Read Answer Asked by Shirley on March 17, 2020
Q: Hi there, just a follow up to my previous question. You mentioned a good strategy to get back into the market was to buy a 5% tranche on a 5% dip in the QQQ. If purchasing in Canada in a registered account, would ZQQ/ZNQ be good choices? Also, would you be doing 50/50 ZQQ/ZNQ split? Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Michael on March 17, 2020
Q: Would you buy any of these companies at this time? Would appreciate reasons for your answer. This will be in my cash account, 2-3 year hold, medium to high risk. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by K on March 17, 2020
Q: The payouts on preferreds have become astronomical, and I'm a retired person needing income. Is this the bargain of the century?

John
Read Answer Asked by John on March 17, 2020
Q: So with the various central bank moves, should I be nervous about holding Bankers Acceptances? They currently are my dry powder to buy stocks when things clear up. Would it be better just to hold cash or TBills?
Read Answer Asked by Greg on March 17, 2020
Q: If the impact of Coronavirus leaves a "stay at home" legacy do you think Upwork is a company that stands to benefit and grow (like Etsy for skilled labour)? My understanding is that it's a marketplace for those with skills to meet companies in need. Do you see it as one to benefit immediately and in an ongoing when conditions improve? Would you endorse scaling into this?
Read Answer Asked by Tim on March 17, 2020
Q: Hello 5i,
What do you think of REM as an income stock for a retired person?
Thank you.
Lisa
Read Answer Asked by Elisabeth on March 17, 2020
Looking for more? Sign up for a FREE 14 day trial! No credit card required

We invite you to sign up for a 14 day free trial of 5i Research!
Experience all the benefits and tools we have to offer; stock research, model portfolios, Q&A with our experts, and so much more. Join a community of like-minded investors today!