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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: Mid day 52wk lows yesterday for TSX & SP500. Both markets today doing better. How should I approach putting cash to work? I don't want to be early, but I don't want to miss the sale prices. I am conservative with a 40/60 asset allocation, 40% equity and have a 7 year hold.
Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Richard on March 20, 2020
Q: I have been sitting out this market decline with inverse etfs and HUV. I see the major North American indexes have again broken support and are heading for 2016 levels. 2016 levels would appear to be an important support level BUT the time-frame of the current coronavirus lock-down that could go on, in one form or another, for many months. The Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling and other organizations put out a report on March 16 (available online) that recommends the type of drastic measures we are now seeing implemented globally (social distancing of the entire population, home isolation of cases and household quarantine of their family members, ...supplemented by school, university, and business closures) in order to prevent serious loss of life (2.2 million estimated in the US alone) and huge social and economic impacts. The release of this report is what swiftly galvanized the current global efforts to contain the virus over the past few days. These efforts may seem harsh but are essential to avoid the worst effects of the contagion (as we are seeing in places like Bergamo, Italy).

The report recommends that these measure be maintained (to avoid rebound) until a vaccine becomes available, and that is estimated to take 18 months or more.

Now, we all know markets hate uncertainty. Hence the unprecedented volatility over these past few weeks. I don't see a silver lining yet, except of course the prospect of getting past the pandemic, which is a real possibility now that the correct measures are being taken. Therefore, I don't see a need to buy anything until we have flattened the curve and the markets respond accordingly. Until then we are likely to face further declines (to who knows what levels) with periodic relief rallies. Again, I ask, am I missing something?
Read Answer Asked by David on March 20, 2020
Q: The REIT sector seems to have been decimated. Residential REIT's which usually hold up better have come down big along with the Industrial REIT's.

Would not be a good time to accumulate some of the residential REIT's in Canada. Why would these companies decline so much ? Are they being priced such that folks will not be able to pay rent forever ?
Read Answer Asked by Mayur on March 20, 2020
Q: Hi - I've had about 4-5% in each of the above going into the recent crash. Do you have any thoughts on hanging on to AD vs moving money to the banks (for example). AD has been hit much harder, but the dividend is larger. I would hold on if it's clear they will come out the other side ok. Similarly with APO, if you can comment on the US side.

Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Yasin on March 20, 2020
Q: In this time of turmoil, I’m just wondering how is the 5i team managing their own individual portfolio.....
Are you selling, are you buying or are you on the sidelines....
Just curious to know how your managing.
Read Answer Asked by Kevin on March 20, 2020
Q: To Kevin who asked about Sunlife and pension mutual funds. At the institution where I work Sunlife offers a portfolio of ETFs with very low fees something he may want to look at
Read Answer Asked by Keith on March 20, 2020
Q: Is this a buy today? Just read the headline below on the heels of hearing nothing but "not enough ventilators" on CNBC all day

Medtronic Boosts Ventilator Production in Response to Public Health Emergency
19 Mar 2020 04:37 ET
04:37 AM EDT, 03/19/2020 (MT Newswires) -- Medtronic (MDT) said Wednesday that it is doubling its production capacity to meet the high demand for ventilators which will be used by hospitals in the management of the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
Read Answer Asked by Tim on March 20, 2020
Q: Greetings 5i: I have some XLB which I thought would do well when/if interest rates fell. When interest rates plummeted the unit value dropped almost $7. Now I could be wrong (again) but I don't think interest rates are moving up or down any time soon. It's my expectation that when rates do eventually start to go up that XLB may not be something I want to own. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks. Rick.
Read Answer Asked by Roderick on March 20, 2020
Q: When things seem like theyve settled down some, I plan to average down on some of my higher quality (less speculative) stocks. Im also planning to do this around dividend dates since this seems like a good time to compound DRIPS and collect extra shares.

Now, the core of my portfolio is still in a few broad market etfs. Do you think in the recovery that a certain market (S&P500, Nasdaq, DOW etc. - Im assuming not the TSX since Canada is fighting an economic war on multiple fronts) will happen faster than in others? Would you think in the recovery that buying hedged would be better since the US Dollar has been climbing recently? Thanks
Read Answer Asked by david on March 20, 2020
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