Investment Q&A

Q: Hello 5i,

With the rise in the USD and decline in Asian and European stocks and ETF's, is this a good time to purchase ETF's for those zones with the anticipation that the ETF's will increase if the usd declines in value in the next 2-3 years?

If so, can you recommend one ETF for each zone for the cdn and us exchanges?

Thank you.
Debbie and Jerry

Q: My sister just pulled out of Questrade's Robo account to a self-directed account. She planned to buy basic 4 index ETFs in order to keep things simple (XIC for Canadian (30%), XUU for US (35%), VIU for Europe (20%), and VEE for emerging markets (15%)).

However, when the funds appeared, we found two thirds of it was in CAD and one third in USD. It seems inefficient to convert it back to CAD and buy those funds. So we're thinking of buying the US equivalent ETFs for XUU and perhaps VIU and VEE.

Can you give us the US equivalents of these funds. If you have any advice on our strategy here or the funds I've mention (eg. whether iShares or Vanguard is preferable in these areas) feel free to add your wisdom which I so much value as a member.

Q: May I please have the names of 3 or 4 recommended non-North American, non-European ETFs and one European ETF?
With appreciation,
Ed

Q: Would you have an opinion on the Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF? I already have VWO and would like to add more Emerging Markets, less some China - which seems to dominate VWO. I also do own ZID which gives me exposure to India.

Q: Would this portfolio held in RRIF have withholding tax on dividends. Does this look like a good portfolio?

Q: hello again

For my non canadian and non USA holdings, I have relied almost exclusively on VEA for the last two years with ok results. I'm wondering if the Asian markets ( China, Taiwan, Japan in particular) won't fare better in the coming years than will many other geographics. Do you think it wise to switch to a different ETF and if so, which would you suggest? thanks. Al

Q: looking to add Asian exposure in developed countries to my portfolio via an indexed fund . Suggestions please .

Q: Thinking of diversifying outside US/Canada. Can you please suggest three reliable China/Asia index ETFs in Canada or in the US with low management fee?

Q: Morning 5iResearch Team,

Would you please recommend an ETF/ETFs with focus on Asian markets, e.g. Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Vietnam, etc. traded in either Toronto or New York.
Great work guys and Happy New Year...

Q: I'm interested in VGK, VWO and VPL. They've all been doing quite well for some time now. Would you wait for some weakness before buying, or do you expect that all these funds will continue to outperform? I notice that the first two funds are doing a bit better than their Canadian-dollar counterparts, VE and VEE. Would you attribute that mainly to the composition of the funds? Thanks very much for your advice.

Q: Hello again. I’m interested to know how to consider currency when deciding between hedged, unhedged, and US dollar ETFs. In your answer to my last question, you mentioned that you prefer VPL over VAH; how was currency a factor in your judgment? Also wondering if you would approach European ETFs similarly, with respect to fluctuations between the Euro, USD and CAD (e.g. VEH, VE, VGK). Are there separate currency considerations I should take into account for each region, including EM? (e.g. VEE vs VWO)

When I hear professionals recommend CAD-hedged ETFs when the USD is falling, it sounds tactical but what if an investor has a long time horizon in mind? I’ve heard that unhedged ETFs yield better returns over time, say for a period of 15 years, but I’m wondering if US dollar ETFs are even more preferable, considering that I’ve already got some US cash ready to deploy.

Thanks for clearing up my confusion!

Q: I'm considering various ETFs (mostly from Vanguard) for global exposure and I just wanted to get your thoughts:

Asia/Pacific - VPL or VAH
Europe - VEH or ZWE
EM - VEE or VE
USA - VUN or VIG or VGG
Global - VT, VIGI, VYMI, VXC (would it make sense to buy all of these, or is there too much overlap?)

These would all be held for many years. I don't need the income from dividends, but a decent yield is always nice. Currently wondering about things like hedged vs unhedged, fund size, growth potential. Thanks for the advice.

Q: I have topped up my TFSA to the full allotted amount (since 2009) and am now ready to invest it in a simple way. What are your thoughts about an equal weighting in xiu, spy, vgk, vpl, vwo and xlu?
Thanks
Jan