Investment Q&A

Q: Hello Peter and the 5I team

I have been thinking of buying a defensive consumer stock, one that may benefit from the lowwer fuel prices and one that is some what protected against economic down trends. I have been considering COST (Costco) but am concerned with the currency difference. And also I have been thinking of buying DOL. Which one do you like and what are the pro's and con's for each stock. Anytime I venture to a Costco the place is packed and they seem to have an almost cult like following, I haven't been to a Dollarama lately but by the share price they must be doing equally well.

Q: Thought I would weigh in briefly and say that I have been with Q-Trade for 5 years and have never noticed a site crash. They come by their lofty ranking in the Globe legitimately. An outstanding site with many analytical tools, deep research, and recently, lower fees.

Q: Hi there,

Can you please give your current assessment of this stock - it reported great results but seems to have spiked recently and gotten ahead of itself. I have owned this one for a very long time and it would appear to be a good time to rebalance and take a bit off the table.

Q: Good afternoon,
I currently own shares (at a loss) of FCX and am considering a switch to BHP Billiton (BHP). I would appreciate your views upon this move.
Thank you.

Q: Some simple thoughts regarding ACQ's future potential and reason for considering it still a good long term hold.

1). Warren Buffet in the U.S. is buying up dealerships in the U.S. primarily for the same reason that ACQ is using in Canada which is that the dealer principles (owners) or getting old and want out so many are looking to sell so it may be a bit of a buyer's market with a sustainable future (auto sales and repairs).

2). ACQ's present dealership inventory is primarily in the west with a major concentration in Alberta (oil/gas territory). However, I wonder with this lack of Canada wide diversity (they do hold a few dealerships in Montreal and other easterly provinces) will ACQ continue to expand its territory more into the other Canadian provinces? If they do this they will greatly reduce the Alberta affect on their income and bottom line, which would be good.

Only time will tell if they expand significantly outside Alberta and the west in general.

Do you think this is in the cards for ACQ? Or have they suggested indirectly that they will not expand more into central and eastern Canada that I am not aware of or forgot?

Stan

Q: The oil and gas sector in Canada has been on the decline for a while. What are your thoughts on the prospects of this oil index and the oil/gas sector overall recovering in the summer, when the demand for this resource is expected to rise.

I bought HOU.TO at around $7.3 and am not sure when I should short it and if it is worth it to wait it out till the summer time.

Q: In the Consumer sector I like MG, LNR, L, ATD.B, WPK, CCL.B, GIL and DHX.B. I am looking for capital gains and would like to purchase 3 of the names. Would you please suggest 3 names for a 2_3 year hold. Thank you.

Q: Hi, Bank of America is only bank in my portfolio, bought it around 8$ but it didn't do much during last year. Should I sell it and switch to some Canadian bank. What is your risk/reward assessment vs. Canadian banks.

Thank you for great service.
Milan

Q: CMH has announced a new share offering at 5.00 per share and their stock is down 8% this morning. Newbie question: why would they offer shares at a lower price than they are currently trading, thereby pushing the price down? Is it to recognize the dilution? Thanks much.

Q: INFRASTRUCTURE:
There are noises of increased spending in North America on infrastructure. Could you recommend several STOCK options that have a dividend and growth and THE rational for them. w\would also like an ETF, if there is one, for the above
THANKS
YOSSI

Q: Hi Peter
Would appreciate your recommendation for a top notch ETF that covers the Government Bond Market laddered one to five years and perhaps the same ETF in the U.S.
Thanks
Walt

Q: In answer to Patricia I would like to say I have been with Qtrade for 4 years and have not experienced any significant problem. In addition their website is very user friendly and clear. They have excellent customer service and were chosen as #1 by the Globe & Mail for many years (I didn't check their present ranking). The only web interruption I experienced were brief and on weekends (probably for maintenance).

Q: Just wondering why this stock has been doing poorly lately.
I know it's a risky stock with a high valuation, but I cannot see any particular negative news to explain the recent decline.
Thank you.

Q: The stock has come off its low and seems to have stabilized. Do you feel this is a good time to buy? I look forward to your response.

Thank you,
Bob.

Q: Good morning,
I have a 3.5% position in RRX. It has shown considerable strength and performed well in this downturn in oil. Reading from the stockchase site, Eric Nuttall believes that the stock has risen so high that the expectations are almost impossible to meet. I would be interested in your latest views on this company.

Q: Good Morning Peter, thank you for the continued awesome service ! Re: QHR (Growth Portfolio); its down a little from 1 April and there's some news re: options for the CEO. For those who don't own it yet, wait or buy here ? Thank you, Paul

Q: The corruption scandal that is hitting Brazil's Petrobras, a number of high ranking government officials and several CEO's of oïl service companies has sent the country's economy into tailspin. It wouldn't be an exageration to say that there's blood in the streets of Brazil right now, which means that many otherwise profitable companies are selling at a deep discount. Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao seems to be one of them. Based on what your Bloomberg terminal says about the company, would this be a good time to buy CBD or would you prefer to wait until the dust settles?
Robert

Q: Hello- Well, Td Waterhouse is not functioning AGAIN this morning. I find that this happens much more frequently than acceptable, especially including days when there is heavy volume on the open. I am thinking of opening another account with another trading firm and wondered- does this happen frequently with the other bank or Questrade etc trading accounts? Any recommendations for better service would be much appreciated.
Thanks

Q: As a consumer sector investment in my TFSA what do think of George Weston Ltd (WN) as a buy & hold stock, with the possibility of a future dividend increase. Or would you recommend another stock in that sector that you believe would do better as a buy & hold investment. Thanks ... Cal

Q: Hi Peter: I would like to purchase a Canadian ETF that is based on Canadian Energy Infrastructure with reasonable management fees
{includes trp, ipl, ppl, ala, gei, enb etc}. I would appreciate your suggestions and comments on the timing of this purchase.

With thanks,

Tom