Investment Q&A

Q: I currently hold XMC in my unregistered account as I want exposure to the S&P Midcap 400 index. However, as you pointed out in your response to a recent question, the MER at 0.61% is quite high. Do you recommend an equivalent ETF that trades in the US that I could buy instead? Are there any disadvantages to replacing a Canadian listed ETF with a US listed ETF in an unregistered account (other than realizing tax on the capital gain upon the disposition of XMC)? Thanks as always.

Q: Peter et al:
I sure hear a lot on BNN and read in the G&M about small caps making a comeback. Think I heard the same thing last year at this time. Would you invest in small or mid caps or split it up to include both? If so for small would you choose IWN, IJR, or VIOO ? IWO has a good deal of unprofitable small growth companies, that is why I chose IWN as a contender, or is it the same. If your choice would be mid caps which of VO or IJH and why.
Thanks ben.

Q: Hi,

Was looking at these two mid cap ETF's and noticed that for VO, the market cap of companies that it holds is a lot higher than the companies held in IJH. I would have thought that mid cap companies are usually around $2-15B. Many of the VO companies are >$40B, whereas the IJH companies are <$20B. Why the large difference in market cap between these two ETF's? What is the average mkt cap of holdings for each ETF? And would you be indifferent between IJH and VO? Thanks!

Q: which of the following mid cap ETF,s would you prefer and why IJH -ZMID -VO

Q: Can you recommend any small or medium cap, US dollar denominated ETFs, that don’t have any dividends, phantom dividends, ROC, etc? Only looking for a capital gain/loss.

Q: For a long term investment, which one would you like to start a position today? Please explain the reason. Thank you!

Q: can you recommend a US mid-cap ETF that sells in US and one in CAD?

Q: Hi:
I own IJR for usa small caps. Could you suggest an etf for mid caps?
Thanks, BEN.

Q: My son, 25, recently married and working in USA, has just begun contributing to ROTH IRA matched by employer and looking for advice on on initiating investment in top 4-6 etf's to achieve long term gains with appropriate market diversification. Also, could you please suggest weightings for each considering moderate to high risk tolerance? Thanks so much. Tony

Q: Just a follow up to a previously answered question regarding which ETFs you would choose. What would be your weighting in a portfolio containing SPY, QQQ, IJH, AGG and VYM?

If you were to remove bonds (AGG) altogether, where would you allocate weighting?

Q: If you were to build a portfolio of just ETFs, what 6-8 would you select? Maybe ignore Canada for this scenario as I have plenty of individual positions I'm quite happy with.

Q: Hi team,

I currently have IWO as a core holding. I would like to change to a more concentrated ETF holding either in small or mid cap US. With so many different factors to choose from such as large/medium/small cap, dividend/value/growth/blend, current valuations, etc... and looking at past returns over various time periods, how does one choose the best ETF to invest in going forward now? I would consider all these ETF's to be high quality and obviously no one knows what the range of future returns will be. With small/mid cap underperforming lately vs large cap, would you place your bets on that spread closing over time? I'm comfortable with volatility and have a long term time horizon (+15yrs). How would you rank these going forward for best risk adjusted returns?

Thank you!

Q: Hello 5i,

We currently have 1% positions in AXON, CROX, LNTH, TGLS, and INMD. All are up 5%-60% currently. We are considering adding 1% positions in WIRE, BOOT, AMCR & 2% in IJH.
We are in the 63-65 age range and do not required the funds for 5-10 years. Do you have any concerns or comments on this strategy?
Thank you for your help.
D&J

Q: I know you recommend this for around $240 is $272 not a horrible entry price? Thanks again for your great service this service truly pays for itself year after year.

Q: Thank you for providing a great analysis of the historical performance of LC, MC, and SC stocks after a 20% decline on Apr. 18. In a previous question asked by a member you recommended IJT as a way to buy the S&P SmallCap 600 growth stocks. What symbol do you recommend for the S&P MidCap 400 group? Thanks again for the amazing service you provide.

Q: Please suggest a few US and Canada mid-cap equity ETFs to invest for over 5 year term--buy & hold idea. As well, please provide for each a good entry point.
Thanks,
Roger

Q: Hi Peter,

Do you see any "Generational opportunity", or "Once in a decade opportunity" for a Long time Invester in today's market.

Q: Hello, just read Ryan’s excellent article from
October’s Canadian Money Saver magazine. Are there any ETFs tracking the S&P 600/400?

Q: Given recent corrections, which ETFs (both Canada and US) are worth watching/stepping into to take advantage of the sales.

Q: Dear 5i,
I would like to spice-up my portfolios with small allocations to some small/mid-cap/thematic/sector ETFs. The Active ETF's can be sold on a US or CDN exchange and the holdings can be in any country. Can you suggest as many as you can so I can do some further research. (ie ARK products look interesting to me)

thanks for your suggestions