Investment Q&A

Q: Hi there,

Can you please provide your top 12 US growth stocks, assuming that sector diversification is not a concern?

Thanks!

Q: I have room for one more Tech stock in my TFSA. Of the two - CSU and GOOG - which would you buy and why ?
Thanks

Q: Would like your opinion om this fund for my US account, its performance is excellent five star morningstar rating. MER at 2% is high. Is there a similar ETF with similar performance? Or should I just be contented paying this fee considering its return? Do you see this sector continuing to outperform?
Thanks

Q: Hello folks, break up the big techs, the theme has been for a long time, and once awhile come back on center stage.
my q is: does the " Break Up " increase shareholder value or vice versa?
thx

Q: I am thinking of putting a substantial portion of my portfolio in the MAGA stocks Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Apple + Facebook. I understand that this will not be diversified as probably most would like to be but these stocks have performed incredibly over the past 10-20 years and I don't see much changing in the future. Any thoughts on this strategy other than lack of diversification.

Q: I want to buy some Alphabet stock - do I buy GOOG or GOOGL - what is the difference between the two ?
thanks

Q: Kim Bolton on Market Call had 2 charts one for Cloud Consumer and Cloud Producer.
Cloud Consumer Stocks
TWTR, SPOT, SNAP, SHOP, NFLX, JD, Googl, FB, EA, DIS, BABA, AMZN, AAPL, ZS, ATVI.
Cloud Producer Stocks
ZM, WORK, WIX, WDAY, SPLK, RNG, ORCL, NOW, MSFT, INTU, DOCU, DDOG, DBX, CSCO, CRM, ADBE.

Can you please suggest 5 top picks from Consumer and producer in order which one would you suggest has Little or No DEBT and good management.

Thanks for the great service

Q: Good morning,
I own a small house in Ottawa that is free and clear with a current market value of approximately $350,000.
A recent discussion with my trusted mortgage broker confirmed that a 5 year term (Closed & Fixed) term mortgage can be obtained at a rate of 2.29%. This mortgage is said to be:
a. insured through CMHC,
b. portable, and
c. transferable.
At that rate of 2.29% and given that the interest paid would be tax deductible if I use the funds for investment purposes, I'm seriously considering borrowing around $200,000 and investing this amount for an initial 5 year period with an expected net rate of return on investment of 4.5% .
Q1. With $200,000, what are your thoughts of splitting this amount in 5 different chunks of $40K in the following instruments:
a. Mawer Tax Effective Balanced Fund,
b. Mawer Global Balanced ETF Fund,
c. Vanguard Balanced ETF Portfolio,
d. IShares Core Balanced ETF Portfolio, and
e. BMO Balanced ETF

Q2. As an alternative to the above and given the 5 year time frame, would your preference be to invest the $200,000 in a selection of best in class individual stocks split between different sectors and if so, would you be so kind as to provide me with ya listing of your best ideas at this time.

I thank you and look forward to hearing your thoughts on both of these investment strategies.
Francesco

Q: I would to start a position in all 3 of above mentioned stocks, however, based on today,s action I am thinking I should, I love the long term prospects of all 3, and will be a long term holder. Especially the first two, I really like the exposure to the av technology, I think it’s coming sooner than most people think, and I think it will transform many industries, your general thoughts would be most appreciated

Q: Hi Peter, Ryan, and Team,

Today (rightly or wrongly), I used the large uptick in the share price of CAE to sell my position that's held in my TFSA. (I sold with a gain of 4%, not counting the previous dividends.) I feel that the "airline" sector will still be under pressure after the present euphoria settles down, but who knows?

Having said that, please suggest two or three stocks or ETFs from each of the following sectors that could be considered somewhat defensive as well as being suitable for a TFSA. Portfolio Analytics indicates that I'm underweight in:
Basic Materials
Communication Services
Consumer Defensive
Energy
Financial Services
Healthcare
Industrials

Please deduct as many credits as you deem necessary. Thanks for the continuing superb service especially during this unusual time.

Q: I have the following sector stocks and would like your expert opinion on which stocks I should keep, sell, buy more OR please suggest new stocks I should buy. Please take into account the survivability of the company if economy takes a 1-2 yrs to get back to "normal".
Financial - BNS,ECN,FSZ,MFC,TD,ZBK
Technology - FB,GOOG,IBM,KXS,LSPD,PHO,QTRH
Industrials - AFN,FDX,QST,RUS,SFL,SIS,STN
Energy - FRU,HWO,RDS.SU,VET
Materials - LIF,MX,NEXT,NTR,SJ,TECK,TV
Consumer Discretionary - BOS,BPF,CCL,CGX,DIS,GC,MG,NFI,PDYPY,TCL

Q: Harry asked an interesting question about investing in US Tech stocks and wanted an ETF. I did a 52-week comparison of the performance of the 4 mentioned Tech stocks with the ZQQ ETF. If my rough calculations are correct, one would have almost doubled their money with these 4 stocks compared to the putting the same money in ZQQ over the last 52 weeks. Past performance is no indication of the future, but I would like your thoughts on buying these 4 now versus the ETF. In my situation I would put 5% of my investments in these four and currently well diversified and a good chuck of fixed income (>30%). For me maybe okay (your thoughts please) but in general would this also apply to most investors. Please respond to my situation and the general situation if you can please. Thanks so much. Dan C.

Q: I recently asked a question regarding switching strategy from etf to individual stocks and i appreciate your answer very much. My question was generated by the response that you gave to James regarding investing in a diversified portfolio. At that time you gave him the follwoing names: TEAM, MSFT, GOOG, ROP, PG, BIIB, VZ, SBUX, COST, JPM.

Just a followup clarification on that suggestion. I wonder, because of the tax advantage for Canadian dividends and the predominance in the TSX of Banks and Telecoms, whether one might be better to replace VZ and JPM by Canadian names? I know that the question asked, I think, specifically for US names. But, just wondering if one held both Canadian and US, whether this might be better? Also, do you think that say, ten like this, is enough diversification on the US side?
thanks

Q: Good morning 5i, I am piggy backing off a recent question by James, but if you can disregard sector diversification and risk is also not an issue and main goal of course is capital appreciation.

"If you were starting a new account with 100k with a portfolio of 10 US equities, with a 10 year time frame, which 10 would you currently choose?"

Q: Which of these two do you prefer today for a 5 year hold. Risk is not a concern.
I’m considering potential for capital appreciation.
Thanks

Q: Can you give me names of 10 companies - CDN and U.S - that you feel have:
* strong balance sheets,
* a strong likelihood to survive or thrive in the current environment
* appear to be of good current value with an eye on a potentially strong rebound given a bit of time.
Your opinion is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Q: Hello Peter,
If you were starting a new account with 100k and wanted to build a somewhat balanced portfolio of 10 US equities, with a 10 year timeframe, which 10 would you currently choose, including considering current price?

Q: Morning 5i,
I'm looking to get my US allocation in my portfolio up to ~40% in the Healthcare, Industrials, and Tech sectors. I have a VERY long time frame, but I'm interested in businesses that have aggressive/high growth in the IMMEDIATE to 2 year timeframe.

Could you please rank the names below in terms of highest short-term growth potential coming out of a COVID world (reopening, new normal).

And if possible, are there any US names that trump these selections instead? Please take as many question credits as required:

Healthcare: VEEV, AMGN, REGN
Tech: TEAM, TWLO, MSFT, NVDA, AYX, AMZN, GOOG, QCOM, PYPL
Industrials: ROP, RTX

Q: I just read the following on CNBC news feed:

A bill that could force Chinese companies to give up their listings on American stock exchanges is now moving at “warp speed” in Congress, one analyst says.
“We believe it is only a matter of time before this bill (or something similar) is signed into law,” Raymond James analyst Ed Mills wrote.
The Senate bill would require companies to certify that “they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government” and allow the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist non-compliant firms.

They claim it is receiving bipartisan support as it would be political suicide to be seen as supporting Chinese interests and such a bill would help prevent issues such as the Luckin Coffee fraud.

I would be interested in your thoughts. I own TCEHY and wondered:
1) even though it is an ADR, I assume it would be effected by this?
2) I have to believe this negative perception of Chinese stocks will not go away anytime soon and will put downward pressure on TCHEY (or at best, mute its upside potential). Am I better to sell the stock and use the proceeds to purchase a high quality US tech company, and if so, what would you recommend - add to one of my existing positions of AAPL, GOOGL, CSU, KXS, NVDA, AYX, OTC, SHOP, SWKS,........or start a new position in one of your other favourites not listed here.

I have held TCEHY for a few years and am basically flat. It keeps teasing me with its potential but I do not want to be in a fight that is MAYBE bigger than than the stock and become emotionally attached to a position when there are so many good companies out there. Your sage adivce is most welcome
Scott

Q: Hi 5i - I have been thinking of starting a half position in Apple, looking at a 3-5 year hold. Do you think the timing is OK or would I be better to add to my current holding in Alphabet which is only a quarter position. Or should I hold off and wait for another market dip. Thanks,