Investment Q&A

Q: I find preferred shares a very complex area (other than perhaps fixed date callable/retractable). Could there be some catches to them requiring a review of the prospectus.

For resets, I don't suppose that yield to maturity takes into account whether the reset provisions result in an equivalent security e.g a change in spread to Canada's relative to the spread on original issue date. Or can one depend on such a change not occurring.

Q: Following on with Alan's question of 09/22 would you please make recommendations for specific "exposure to fixed income" investments.
thank you
Deborah

Q: Questor (QST) is dropping in a major way today. I expect that small caps will generally fall more than large cap stocks when we experience the kind of drops we have seen on the TSX over the past few days. This, however, seems overdone on no news. Is this an opportunity to add to my QST position?

Thanks you for your assessment.

Q: T:AD - ALARIS ROYALTY CORP
Please provide me a recommend a list of Canadian companies that can benefit from us markets and us growth . I believe that AD would be an example as it is in the us or moving that way ? . I prefer dividend stocks.
Thanks
Yossi

Q: I have had BYD.UN for a long time and it has done good but it has gone down (like most everything) today. What is your feelings of this stock. Thank you.

Ron

Q: I am considering buying linamar or magna with the recent drop in their stock price. Would you prefer one over the other and why?

Q: What's your view on what's going on in the markets today?

Q: Could I get your opinion on ZHY. I'd like to entertain a bond position with pending interest rate increase on the horizon. Is this the right instrument and is the timing right?

Q: I appreciate the wealth and wonderful information you have been accumulating on your site. I have a general strategy question. On building just a dividend income portfolio, using Canadian blue chip companies, there is a sense that the rise and fall in stock market price becomes back ground noise. These tend to be very long term holds however some of these companies can get some bad press which exaggerates a fall in price and then it bounces right back. Is there a critical no return price to watch for in these blue chip long term hold companies? For example would a fall of more than 15% in price be a trigger for something more than just stock market noise?

Q: I've been considering Disney (DIS) for US exposure for a while, but it never pulls back, just keeps going up. Do you think it's a good idea to start nibbling at it here?

Q: I wanted to follow-up a comment that was made ... perhaps a week ago ... ??? when you responded to another member's request for target pricing: your response suggested you might consider doing a webinar on how investors could construct their own target prices on companies.

YES! A thousand times yes! Consider me first on that registration list, if it ever comes to pass. I have always found it a challenge, and a mystery, when it comes to knowing just when to get out of a stock. Having some sort of mid-level confidence is assessing a company's inherent worth would take away so much grief and second-guessing.

Market timing, as you have inspired in us so well, is a mug's game. So, having some sort of sense of when a stock might be "fully valued" without having to incessantly rely on your analysis of each individual stock in the portfolio, would provide immeasurable freedom to know how to handle -- and to make our own determinations on when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em.

Thanks for everything on this site! -- as well as for your wonderful endeavour this summer on behalf of children with cancer. An amazing accomplishment for such a worthy cause.

Q: There seem to by some extremely heavy trading volume on Friday in several stocks that I follow - AYA, CTC, BNS, GE TD, WFC, CAE just to name a few. Was there something special going on to account for these numbers?

Thanks

Paul F.

Q: Article in this weekends Globe suggests defense and aerospace is a good place to put money with countries putting in extra effort to defend against terrorists. Berman mentioned Alliant Techsystems as well as others. Would you recommend following this path and perhaps suggesting a Cdn possibility that could benefit from beefing up defense positions. As always thanks so much. Maureen

Q: Great work Peter ... I am now retired and am about to allot my funds into their proper allocations. RRSP,RIF,and LIF ... I had chosen 7 stocks from the Income Portfolio for my LIF but having read comments from other investors I am not sure if I am heading in the right direction. You and Ryan have been so supportive so I must ask How would you allot 400K(RRSP), 200K (RIF) and 210K (LIF) ...right now I am completely covered 400K in the Model Porfolio. If this is to much to ask I completely understand , I do have a plan but would like to allow your expertise to weigh in. Thanks for all you do and post this at your discretion.

Q: Any opinion about Pengrowth (PGF)? Their latest quarter showed slightly lower production & financials. Do you think the share price has over-reacted on the downside?

Q: RRX/RMP/RE - please compare strength and medium term prospects(potential) for each - thanks.

Q: Could I get an update on San Gold, specifically on Greg Gibson and his involvement with the company plus the combination of Sgr and Kerr. I was a big loser with SGR in the past but did very well with Trelawny when Greg sold it. He impresses me as a very honest knowledgable mining person. Thanks

Q: Can you give me your thoughts on Zargon Oil and Gas, ZAR. Another source of stock advice changed their recommendation from hold to sell. I have a large position, and am about break even. Thanks for your advice.

Q: can you comment on Hertz as a long term buy.Thx. Keith

Q: for your reader who asked about paramount, I have it from a reliable source that the reason the stock is going up while other oil and gas companies are tanking is that land adjacent to theirs owned by private interests has a huge huge oil discovery.i trust my source on this one. dave