Investment Q&A

Q: Good morning,
I'm looking at adding a QQQ equivalent component two my Cdn$ Non Registered portfolio.

HXQ and XQQ are among the ETFs currently under consideration.

Q1. At this point in time, would you recommend a hedged or unhedged Canadian version of QQQ?

Q2. Not limiting yourself to HXQ and XQQ, what would be your recommendation for a Canadian QQQ equivalent?

Thank you

Francesco

Q: I would like to hold a NASDAQ 100 ETF long term in a non registered account.

1. is there a tax / bookkeeping advantage for holding one of the above over the other? (some websites imply that you have to keep records closely for American dollar ETFs, I believe they are referencing adjusted cost base at time of future sell.)

2. Is there an alternative to HXQ.CA that you would recommend? Or do. you think this is the best one at the present time?

3. Do any of your answers change if held in a TFSA?
4.Do any of your answers change if held in a RRSP?

Thanks
Ernie

Q: Could I get your suggestions for some $CDN ETFs to invest for a toddler's RESP. I was thinking maybe a split between a tech-based ETF and a general North American-based ETF, but am open to any other ideas. There is not too much in the RESP at the moment, but it does have years to go, so growth is the main goal.
Thank-you

Q: What % or range would you recommend for theses Horizon products in a portfolio?
Thanks for your service

Q: Do you have a preference between HXS.CA vs HXS.U and HXQ.CA vs HXQ.U and could you comment on HXX - would it be the same as the others with the exception of the focus on Europe?
Thanks for your service

Q: Thanks for your previous response confirming these etfs cover major asset classes and geographies for an RSP with 5 years to retirement. Could you please suggest a couple of etf alternatives that could be added to provide a little more torque with a 5 year timeframe. A brief explanation for each would be appreciated. Thanks.

Q: Happy New Year!
I currently have no US exposure, Looking for some Canadian Based ETF US Tech exposure. Interested in XQQ. It has risen a lot the past year with the rest of the market. Is it buyable today? Do you have another preference? Is it suitable for a non-registered account?

Secondly, if I want to build up my US exposure using Canadian ETFs, can you give me some names I could start with?

Q: Are there any Canadian based etfs that track the Nasdaq 100 index similar to ZQQ but are not hedged to CAD?

Q: Dear 5i,
Do you think the CRA will have any concerns with Horizons change from a Total Return Swap structure to a Total Return Corporate Class structure implemented in Nov. 2019?
I understand that Horizons changed all their Total Return Swap ETF's to this new structure late last year. I would like to avoid any future CRA tax issues if I purchase one of these Total Return Corporate Class ETF's. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

Q: On July 2, 2020 John asks for tech oriented ETF suggestions; you mentioned a couple but not TEC or HXQ. Are these tech oriented? Any particular reason why you would not want to consider them? Also, I am thinking of taking positions in these ETFs as and then selling some of the large US tech names I hold directly and then diversify into other US areas; would these be a good strategy? Last, about ETFs generally, does the price of an ETF depend solely on the values of the underlying securities, or can the price also be affected by the demand for the units? thanks for your excellent service.

Q: Is it better to own QQQ and pay the extra fees for converting Can to US dollars through my broker ( TD ) or buy hxq, znq even though they have small market caps and have low trading volumes? Both seem to have better performance over the last year than QQQ.
Thanks, Michael

Q: Is the only difference between these funds is one is hedged and the other non hedged.

Why do you prefer non hedged and if so what are the reasons?

And is the a BMO product similar to hxq?

Q: Hello team,
please help me on this, compare these two ETFs, with size spread; returns; fees; and so on.. if only one to go with, which one and why? please confirm they are NON Hedged, as I DO stay with US currency

Thanks

Q: I would like to purchase QQQ but in Canadian funds and not hedged. I think that QQQ.F.CA or XQQ are options. But I notice that QQQ shows about 10% better price increase over the last 3 years than the CDN options.
Are there other pros and cons of purchasing say XQQ instead of converting my cash to USD and buying QQQ?

Q: I have a 22% portfolio position in ZSP and I'm looking to add a 5-10% position in HXQ do see too much cross over here?

Thanks for being here for us!

Q: Good morning, stay safe and keep up the good work.
My question is on hedged vs unhedged funds.
My son is 27 and his time horizon for any investment is long term.
Now that our Canadian dollar trades at an all time low against the USD, (last time we hit similar lows was in 2016/2017) and the chances that our CAD trades lower are relatively slim, wouldn't it be preferable to invest in a hedged fund version of the Nasdaq-100 indexed ETF. The reason being is that the return of an investment in a USD equity (when converted back to CAD) decreases in a strengthening CAD environment. On the flip side, in a weakening CAD environment, the same USD investment's return, when converted back to CAD, would be increased.
To recap: My assumption (might not be a valid one) is that our CAD can only increase in value against the USD. In this strengthening environment, isn't it better to purchase a hedged ETF ?

Q: Good morning,
My grand childrens' (8 years old) in trust accounts each have $60K in CASH and would appreciate your thoughts and comment on the merits of my following investment plan:
Q1. Investing $20K in each of these funds (HXS, HXT and HXQ) and not selling any of them until the children are 18 years old at which time they would each open a TFSA account and start transferring each year the maximum annual TFSA contribution allowable from their non registered account to their newly opened TFSA account; and
Q2. Assuming that you are ok with the above plan and given that there may well be still a further sell off in all three sectors, when would you recommend initiating a full or partial position in all three sectors? Thank you.
Francesco

Q: Please recommend a CAD unhedged US tech ETF and CAD unhedged US industrial ETF or any ETF which has a combination of both and would you buy at this time? Long term hold (10+ years) and medium to high risk. Thanks.

Q: The ETF Portfolios tend to indicate a preference for CDN Hedged ETF's. (XQQ; XHC). Do you still prefer CDN Hedged ETFs today? Can you suggest non-hedged alternatives?

Q: What Canadian ETF would you recommend today for covering the Nasdaq including the FANG stocks?

thanks
Paul