Investment Q&A

Q: Could we please have an update on BEE.
Thank you,
Bob

Q: What do you think of Encana right now?

Q: Might I get your opinion re whether this may be a solid longterm buy and hold for a small position in an otherwise well balanced portfolio or would you not favour buying this equity. Thank you - Ken

Q: Update

Q: Both these companies report in USD. They are listed in NY and Toronto. Is the Toronto price basically a function of the rate of exchange?

Do these companies have a hedging strategy to protect the Canadian shareholders?

I suppose that an investor concerned about foreign exchange losses should examine the hedging strategy of any company holding assets outside Canada.

Q: What do you mean when you refer to a stock as a good/not-good "trading" stock (as for instance in your reply to Robert's May 19 question about CHE.UN)? Thank you.

Q: As always, thank you for the great service you provide.

Could you provide a few potential high flyers for a speculative position in a balanced portfolio?

Thanks!

Q: Good afternoon,

Can you please comment on DRM, today's news and its implications?

Thanks and have a great long weekend

Q: Hello 5i;
There are several ways to buy bond etf`s that are better during possible rising interest rate environments .
Those being;
1- Laddered maturity schedules
2-Floating rate bond etf`s
3-Preferred shares with a minimum reset provision .
Which of the 3 would you consider best , 2nd best etc .and what would be your top 2-3 choices for each .
Thanks
Bill C.

Q: Would you swap BAM for BEP ? Why, why not? Thank you.

Q: Now that Europe's economic ship appears to be turing around, ( Do you agree with this thesis?) can you suggest a few ways to play Europe? ---I recognize this isn't your bailiwick, but respect an light you can bring to the subject. Thank you.

Q: I note that I can buy an ETF that is in Canadian funds but that holds exclusively, for example, the US$ ETF as it's only asset. In this case am I paying the MER for both the Canadian ETF AND the US$ ETF?

Q: I would like to ask a question about mutual funds that take a global approach. (Sorry I am a ETF Newsletter subscriber and I do not know where to post a question there so I did it here). According to the high-profile consulting firm, McKinsey & Co., the expected return on NA and western EU will be far worse than 30 years ago. See the link for detail.
(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-05-12/millennials-don-t-worry-you-ll-be-able-to-retire).
If it is for the long term, I personally agree with the global approach combined with active management, what do you guys think?
I would like to also ask you for a list of global-approach funds. I remembered you mentioned "Trimark Global Endeavour Fund" in the newsletter. Can you give some more names here or please do it on the next issue? Thanks, Tony.

Q: Can you please recommend a Balanced ETF for my account?

Q: I need to convert my RRSP to a RRIF by Dec 31. The portfolio is all GIC and bond ETF's. I want to add an equity factor to increase the total return that will cover the early minimum withdrawal requirements. For each sector I want to pick one larger stock that is stable and fairly valued vs an equity etf. I picked BNS.NFI,MG,ATD.B,OTC,BCE,BEP.UN,ENB,GUD and CCL.b.

What do you think of the selections and any other thoughts you may have? Thanks

Q: Hi, may I please have your opinion on the National Bank of Greece? It seems like there is more than just blood in the streets. It looks like the carcasses are starting to be cleaned up with further bailout talks. Good risk/reward? I'm okay if it goes to 0 if there is equal chance it can be a 10 bagger.

Q: Is there a publicly traded company focused on animal health such as pharmaceutical or general medical services. I think the pet industry is hugh but not sure where to invest.

Q: I am thinking of purchasing a 2 year GIC. Would you consider CWB a safe investment considering what is going on with Home Capital?

Q: Hi 5i: I find the behavior of Bond ETF's quite mysterious. I bought CLF some time ago, in the belief that a short term ladder protected to some degree against the effect of rising rates. Canadian rates have not risen and those in the US have gone up only a little. Nevertheless, CLF has gone down steadily (linearly until recently) over the last two years. The chart suggests they may recently have bottomed. It may be that the decline in price is because the underlying bonds are bought at a premium. If so, is this effect likely to be negated as rates go up? Bottom line: what can I expect of CLF over the next couple of years? Thanks for your always valuable advice.

Q: my question is one I have been puzzling with and that is I hold your balanced acct in its entirety and have had great success - better than ever in my investing career. Having said that with the exposure outside of canada of many of the companies in the portfolio is there a compelling reason for a retiree to hold exposure to other countries. If so to what percentage of a total portfolio would you undertake and would that be with etfs such as xeh or vt or possibly some other mechanism. Thank you for your expertise and great service...