Investment Q&A

Q: I have been looking for exposure in the hydrogen business and have a few questions. I own XBC based on your coverage and have done well so thank you. My first question is whether it makes sense to just pile into the US names like PLUG or FCEL as they are much more explosive given the audience or to look for quality names doing similar things in Canada. If you could also state your thoughts on why one market is better despite similar tech.

The second part of my question is that I notice DYA comes up alongside Ballard Power and Xebec in your answers related to hydrogen. The chart on DYA is almost an exact reverse of BLDP and XBC which holders of those stocks will know is a bad thing. What is DYA not doing yet (or has done wrong) that has caused it to go down vs. up? What needs to happen for it to catch investor attention? Is there a product or service yet to launch? Is there a technology not yet widely adopted? Lastly, does 5i see strong potential here for DYA to do "that thing" that will be a catalyst for the stock price or are you merely mentioning it as one in a sector.

Q: I currently hold both ZHY and XLB for exposure to bonds. I am looking to consolidate into one. Can you suggest which is better for a long term bond position?

Q: 3 grand children and 2 family RESP's. Ages 17 &12 in one RESP and 14 in the other. At present both RESP's invested in VBAL and I am concerned about the higher bond duration vs XSB. Therefore to keep this as simple as possible I am thinking of selling VBAL and putting the entire RESP's into XSB. I would then average into Veqt by reducing the XSB positions. I am still making annual contributions and am ok with the 2% XSB yield. Please give me your comments. Thanks guys.

Q: Hi,

Question from Penny on January 4th about the buyout. You said we need to advice our broker that we want to tender to the offer. This is also my first time holding a company that has been bought out.

Just to make it clear, when doing this the shares will be tendered at 15.22$ (purchase price from Goldman) or at market price of the day?

thank you

Q: Hi,
I am currently significantly underweighted in consumer cyclical sector. Can you suggest 2-3 names in U.S.? FTE names in U.S. and International would be great appreciated too. thanks.

Martin

Q: Annual mandatory RIF payouts will result in a negative RIF account balances which will incur high interest charges by the broker. Is this not a general
problem and how are interest charges avoided?

Q: The put I sold for REAL will expire below the strike price. Was wondering, when I'm assigned shares at $25 per unit, can I claim a tax loss if I transfer them to my TFSA in kind at the current price.

Q: Hi 5i team.
Re ZTL, this long term US Treasury Bonds ETF has been declining since May. With the blue sweep in the US, additional benefit spending to come, possible rate increase and inflation in a year or two, would you recommend to sell this ETF now? What needs to happen to see this ETF reverse the fall? Given the current world economic situation, what other bond etfs would be safer bet? (amount of interest income is not important) Thanks.

Q: I am looking to get some US exposure in my portfolio via an ETF. Both of these ETF’s have similar holdings. Can you please comment on which one you prefer and why.

Thank-you.

Q: Would you recommend a position in this company? If so, at what weighting? Would you consider this company a mini CSU?

Q: I want to increase my holding in Photon Control considerably. It has an amazing balance sheet and it seems cheap given technology valuations. However, can you help me understand Photon's market and customer base? For example, i read that Apple has begun creating their own semiconductors for optimal hardware/software synergy. Will Photon's clients eventually do this, too?

Best,
Jacob.

Q: Hello 5i Team

1 – Who decides on what Sector/Industry/Sub-Industry is assigned to a company?

Two companies for which the Sector/Industry/Sub-Industry changed were Altagas (ALA) which changed from Energy/Oil&Gas/Midstream to Utilities/Utilities-Regulated/Utilities-Natural Gas and Mullen Group (MTL) which changed from Energy/Oil&Gas/Oil&Gas Services to Industrial/Transportation/Trucking

2 – I have noticed different providers (TMX and RBC Direct Investing) appear to provide different Sector/Industry/Sub-Industry for the same company – is there not a standard that all data providers are to follow?

3 – TMX used to provide the “Sub-Industry” for companies, but with their revamp of their stock screener, they are no longer providing it. Does your data service provide this information and can it be added to your company information page?

Thank you for the great service you provide.

Q: Hi there,
I see I have quite a backlog of question credits so, I thought I should put some of that to work. I have a general question about rate reset bonds. I have been thinking about reset bonds in etf form if there is such a thing. This would be for using new money to start a small quarter of a position over the coming year. I am closing in on retirement within the next few years and would be interested in hearing your thoughts when compared to preferred shares or laddered bonds. Maybe resets are similar to taking a laddered bond etf - but I am not sure of the merits given the paltry income for bonds. My concern is this market cannot keep up this parabolic growth much longer and the market appears to be pretty frothy right now. As a survivor of the tech wreck, I am worried about what I see as a significant correction (up to 20%) within the next 24 months or so. I am not afraid of risk but I do want to explore a variety of hedging options out there without exiting some of my growth stock positions. Cake and eat it too I expect. I still have about 6 or 7 years in the market. Thanks as always for your thoughts.

Q: Hi Everyone at 5i! I am looking to invest in a bank. Could you please rank our five as well as National bank, for future growth and prospects. Cheers, Tamara

Q: If the hoped-for consumer spending rebound happens in say the second half of 2021, which companies ( us or cdn) should benefit the most? Are there ETF's that would cover the category that you would suggest? Many thanks

al

Q: Good Morning 5i Team,

Can you please give me your thoughts on Digital Turbine going forward. I have done very well on this stock (unlike a couple of other high-risk plays!), as my purchase price was under $9. I know you used to own it, but I believe you have moved on. APPs is only a 2% position in my portfolio, but I'm wondering if it's time to jump on the next elevator going up. I know you don't like to sell your winners, but do you think there are a few other names out there with high-flyer potential. Would CELH be a replacement or possibly SPT? Thsnk you!

Brad

Q: TIH or TRI or WSP or Finning for growth?
CSU or KXS or SHOP for growth?

Q: It seems commodities have risen and many are hopping aboard this train.
However at some point, will we not reach a limit to the amount of appreciation from demand destruction? Not many people have rising incomes which would boost demand.
I speculate that rising commodity prices without rising demand and incomes is a currency play only on a weakening $USD and one that could reverse.
What is an investment strategy that benefits from deflation of a commodity trade not including short-based approaches?
TIA

Q: Peter have you read the article from The Beacon Newsletter re battery storage in California . At location of Moss Power Plant.
Looks like it might provide some investment opportunities in this growing space.
Might not be too many in Canadian market.
Worth a look.

Q: Hey 5i,
Just looking for some clarification. When you reference your favourite growth companies like XBC, WELL, and LSPD in general or against larger cap stocks you usually say they are “higher risk”.

I understand that smaller, younger businesses are higher risk but when you say this- is this more as a “volatility risk”, “default/failure risk”, “downside risk”, “explicitly relative risk against larger caps but you remain very comfortable with the stock outlook”, etc.?

I’m asking since I am in my late twenties and holding these for long term. I actually enjoy volatility since I’m able to swing in and out of the stocks. I just want to make sure that I have this captured correctly.