Investment Q&A

Q: What are your thoughts on how overvalued AI stocks are and what factors we should be concerned about that could cause the bubble to burst?

What are some good ideas for relatively safe stocks and etfs to hedge against a AI and tech weighted portfolio?

Q: I think the CRM and NOW will benefit from AI agents.

However these stocks are not performing well lately.

I am currently 10% down on both. Is it a good time to start DCA into them?

Q: the impact of AI seems to be negatively affecting many SAAS companies - in particular CRM and NOW. Is this temporary in your opinion or could it be existential risk?
the market seems to be thinking the latter..

Q: Hi 5i Team - First a general question on the topic of AI. Is agentic AI the sequel to generative AI and from an investment point of view are companies that are developing or involved with agentic AI ones we should be looking at now. Specifically is UiPath one to invest in along this theme and do you have any suggestions for other ones that may be equal to or better than UiPath. Thanks.

Q: How would you rate these for holding in the SMID Growth section of a portfolio (A couple may not be SMID, which means they just may not be forever keepers for me) - I hold all except SNPS and NOW, which I've been watching, and I’m thinking of consolidating into 6-8 positions, but could keep more. I'm considering 3-4 for shorter-term growth, 1-3 years, 3-4 for longer-term growth, 5-10 years. Please order from most conviction to least with a preference to Shorter (S) or longer(L) or either (E). Thanks!
SNPS, NOW, GLXY, KSI, FOUR, ROAD, CLBT, CRM, HPS.A, VHI, GENI, SRAD

Q: Hi,
In your answer to Neil yesterday, you said that there are numerous high growth software companies that remain down 20%.+ Could you name several you like, both US and Canadian? Thank you Mike.

Q: Good evening,

I am wondering if you have any possible suggestions regarding companies that focus predominately in the application layer or operate full-stack models of AI.

The reason why I am asking this is because of an article entitled: "AI's revolution is just beginning" in Sunday's Globe and Mail. Sadly, there are a few parts that I don't fully comprehend which unfortunately prevents me from investigating more fully. A starting point would be great!

Take a peek to the article as it draws parallels to the dot com/internet crash of the 2000s.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated so I may begin to investigate.

Conversely, state any points you think should be taken with a grain of salt!

Thanks!
Arturo

Q: Are there any US stocks that are getting hit right now that would be good buys for long term growth holds?

Q: As one of 5i’s early subscribers, I find it a useful thought experiment to give my answer to a question before clicking on the 5i answer. I have found over the years our answers converge and so I rarely send in questions and comments. However my sense is that DeepSeek is a significant change.

On one level it is a clear lesson in the reality that, as Keynes said many decades ago, it’s real resources that matter, not money.

The American approach to AI development was that if you don’t have a $1billion you're not in the game. The Chinese have shown that if you have the pool of talent, amazing things can be done with relatively little money. The prevailing narrative that the Chinese are just copy cats was also blown out of the water. DeepSeek not only upends every assumption underlying the American approach to AI, it shows that the Chinese can out Silicon Silicon Valley and that means that, unlike in the past, China’s most talented minds will want to work for Chinese companies not American ones.

How will the Americans respond? Having staked political capital on the $500 billion Stargate, Trump and his entourage of billionaires have no choice, they will double down. We are hearing the narrative already, they are now saying that $500 million invested in DeepSeek’s advancements will produce even more amazing advancements in AI.

At a moment in history, as America consumes itself, China has taken a leap forward. Not only have they bloodied Trump, they have shaken the world in ways Napoleon could never have foreseen.

There are actually lessons to be learned in how Canada might deal with Trump but the political bobble heads and corporate Canada have actually come to believe the myths of neo-liberalism they started purveying in the 80’s, and are now incapable of rising above their paralysing fear.

Every investor has to ask, what are the implications of DeepSeek for their investments? Doubling down by the Americans will keep the party going for a while but it seems reasonable to expect a reckoning. Where would 5i look for alternatives to AI investments? Please suggest 5 US and 5 Cdn stocks that have strong balance sheets and reasonable growth prospects (without stretched valuations) that would benefit from using much less expensive AI? Also, please suggest a couple of ETF’s for Europe and China that would benefit should those markets surprise to the upside?
Mike

Q: Do you prefer CRM or NOW. It seems CRM is down in sympathy with NOW results. Were they really that bad? CRM trailing PE is almost 30 but NOW is much higher I believe. I have sold half my NVDA with the idea to move it into the next phase of AI adoption, software. Am thinking one of these and perhaps PLTR. You have much posted on it, any information you could add regarding buying it, would be helpful. Any other software companies you would consider? Thank you so much.

Q: While picking up the pieces from the Deep Think carnage on my tech stocks, it occurs to ask which stocks will benefit from the possible reduction in the cost of AI......can you provide a short list 5 - 10 of potential beneficiaries of that? Many thanks for your excellent service.

Q: I own small (2-3%) positions in Snowflake, MongoDB, and Datadog. Would you currently hold these stocks or sell them? If sold, what are some possible replacements in the tech sector?

If I were only to sell one, which holding would you let go of first and why?

Thanks.

Q: Happy New year to everyone!

My TFSA is strictly US growth. I'm looking at the software space as I'm tech oriented.

I do own MSFT, ORCL on it's recent decline.

Some of the players are fairly expensive or have some negative momentum. NOW, SNPS, CDNS are 3 candidates.

Would you have a preference of these looking forward accounting for current value etc?
A top tier selection that isn't one of these?

I'm looking for your thoughts and a reasonable entry. Of course this is 3+ year hold.

Thank you very much.

Q: Your opinion of how it is doing and a buy today?
Thanks Again

Q: Why the big drop,earnings appear good??I

Q: Hi Team,
Two part question . What’s your thoughts on metas earnings and their big sell off today? Unjustified ? Buying opp , hold or sell?? Can you give your thoughts on the company? I would have hoped these trillion dollar companies would eventually quit moving like small caps. Unreal really .

Also can you give me your take on Now earnings and your thoughts on the company as well.

Thanks ,
Shane

Q: Hi 5i, pls comment on CRMs results. Now that both NOW and CRM have released, if you had to pick one base on future outlook, current valuation, which one would you choose? Thx.

Q: Hi 5i,

The following companies are being released as CDRs tomorrow: BlackRock Inc., Constellation Brands Inc., Deere & Co., Palo Alto Networks Inc., ServiceNow Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Please rate them bases on long term componders, shareholder friendly and valuation.

Thx.

Q: Could you please compare and contrast NOW and SPSC?? Would you consider both of them a buy, for a 3-5 year hold? Thanks.

Q: Motley Fool published its Top 10 stocks to buy now/ as of January

I have followed most of them for too long …..watching them go up. So, for me its buy now or wait for pullbacks which hasn’t worked so far.

My 4 favourites of the 10 are: Meli #1….NOW #2…ANET #7…TSLA …#3

Can I have 5i’s perspective please. Thank you.