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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: On Friday Helen suggested an innovative solution re avoiding potential duty but even if it was feasible the solution would not restrict supply which is the goal for the US players.

The softwood lumber trade dispute is not so much about finished lumber crossing the border as it is about land management. In recent years, the largest CDN domiciled companies have purchased 30-40 mills in the US because buying US mills is more profitable than investing in CDN mills. That is evidence against the US claim that gov't subsides make it cheaper to produce in Canada. Also, US owners have been bailing out of operating Canadian mills.

Large US companies want the value of their timber land to increase which is mainly why they attempt to restrict supply. For example, the largest US timber holder is WY, (NY). WY owns about 13,000,000 acres of timber currently valued about $1,000 acre. If they can restrict supply, the average value could appreciate to $2,000 - $2500 acre. The "trade" dispute is more about wanting to increase US based inventory values than unfair subsidies for CDN manufacturers.

Phil
Read Answer Asked by thomas philip on March 19, 2017
Q: This is a comment on Ken's question of this morning regarding LFE. I have analyzed this split share and I thought this might be of benefit to subscribers.: LFE net asset value (NAV) as of February 28 is $ 5.44. The dividends will be discontinued again if NAV goes below $ 5. The portfolio which consists of the four insurance companies Manulife, Sunlife, Greatwest life and Industrial Alliance has to produce a net return of $ 1.825 per unit ($ .625 for the preferred and $ 1.20 for the common) to maintain its dividends. Adding a .75% management fee so the total return for the portfolio has to exceed 11.8 % based on the NAV today. This I think is difficult for a portfolio manager to produce consistently. But if interest rate environment favors life insurance companies this might be achievable. The common share dividends is declared by the manager and to my knowledge the amount is not specific, so it could go up or down. The company uses options to supplement the return and according to their document uses some sort of derivatives which may help increase or (decrease) the value of the unit. Since its IPO, of $25 for both units in 2006 it paid $ 13 ( $ 6.35 for the preferred and $ 6.70 for the common). So yes I consider it risky but the IPO was right before the 2007 crash and lower interest environment which devastated life insurance companies. Although its past is not great, perhaps the future is brighter and it is not without its risk.
Read Answer Asked by Saad on March 18, 2017
Q: Being retired I like the idea of funds that use covered calls to boost dividends. I have a limited amount of these funds because I do not want to miss the upside. However, if you assume that, in general, valuations are stretched right now, would the attractiveness of these funds not increase? In addition they are a natural source of diversification.
This question was prompted by a recent response to a question on DFN. My RBC website shows a monthly dividend yield of 10 cents or 11 % annually. Am I correct to assume that this is a calculation based on history and that if I bought this fund now, the actual distribution I will get will depend on a number of market factors and there is no way to actually predict it.
Thanks in advance and congratulations to Ryan.
Read Answer Asked by Don on March 17, 2017
Q: 5i

I am 75 years old, retired and do not have any funds in my portfolio. Am looking at ZDV,ZRE,ZWH,ZPR,HPR. Looking at income and safety. How would you rate these funds for income and safety in today's environment and the environment you percieve in the next year. Any other suggestions appreciated.

Read your Q&A every morning, great info is generated through readers questions and your response.

W
Read Answer Asked by Wayne on March 17, 2017
Q: Hi Team - XTC has been a frustrating stock. It's a half billion dollar company with a low valuation, but it's price has languished below 12 dollars. Do you have any insight into why it's such a thin trader, and why there's resistance to moving to a higher valuation? The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that it's pretty easy to manipulate a stock with such low volume.

Thanks for your long term and very valued service!
Read Answer Asked by Rick on March 17, 2017
Q: I bought CRH at 4 dollars. It's now at app. 11 dollars. In the past with CCL and CSU, as the stocks ran up I trimmed and took profits. In hindsight, I would have done better if I had let them both run.

What I've learned from you is that picking a weight you're comfortable with is the best way to go. CRH now represents app. 7% of my portfolio. What is your recommendation as to the maximum weight for any one stock?

Thanks for the great service. cheers
Andy
Read Answer Asked by Andrew on March 17, 2017
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