Investment Q&A

Q: Are you aware of any research that provides detailed analysis regarding oil patch exposure of the big 5 banks?

Q: What would be the top 3 Canadian banks have the best/quickest rebound potential ? thanks

Q: Good day Just wondering if u still have a positive outlook for BNS. I have a full position, This one has been lagging for a while. I was thinking of moving on to JPM. Your thoughts.

Q: In a taxable account I have TD and BNS each with $2500 losses should I sell for the capital loss and buy Royal bank. I have capital gains I can write off then

Q: Retired, conservative dividend-income investor with a "buy-and-hold & trim-add around a core position" strategy. At times like these, I take a fresh look at my holdings and ask two key questions. #1 = are there any of my equity holdings that have alarm bells going off? #2 = how safe are the dividends (knowing that no dividend is 100% secure)? The portfolio capital may rise or fall, but it is the continuation of the dividend that is more important.

For asset allocation purposes related to individual stocks (as opposed to sector allocations), I use the following:
5% targets = AQN, BCE, BNS, PBH, RY, TRP, WSP
4% targets = AD, AW, CSH, NWC
2% targets = LNF, MG, NTR
ETF targets = roughly 3-7%

Q#1 = are there any of these equities that you hear alarm bells?
Q#2 = are there any of these equities where you foresee dividend risk?
Q#3 = any thoughts on how I have my asset allocations set up (knowing it is a very personal decision?

Take a bunch of credits. Thanks for your help...Steve

Q: I currently own BNS, BAM and GSY in my Canadian equity portfolio for a total weight in the financial space of about 12%. I am wondering if you would currently favour a switch to SLF from BNS, especially if I could crystallize a taxable loss?

Also a comment about the questions on market timing that you have recently received. If you are reacting to volatile markets it may simply be that you are not as risk tolerant as you believe!

Q: Thoughts on the CN banks? Low rate environment; Cdn economy hampered economically due to low oil and lacklustre mtg/productivity . How does this factor for growth in our banking oligopoly? I would think the 4-5% dividend yield is relatively safe but I cannot see where the stock price growth would come from other than wealth management divisions and perhaps trading which is somewhat risky. Thanks.

Q: H8 I bought this at 75 I’m wondering your thoughts as the price keeps going down buy sell or hold and why thanks

Q: Top 5 picks for a Smith Maneuver portfolio of dividend paying stocks for someone in their late 30's?

Q: I know you really like BNS but with TD at a 52 weeks low, would you pick it over BNS for a long term holding. (Building a position for dividend income)

Also, can you explain me if there is an advantage to own 2 full positions of banks vs 1 of bank and 1 of SLF (knowing that its your top insurance company pick)

Q: Assuming we get a rate cut of 0.5% by Poloz tomorrow, or, over the next few months, how bad will that impact CIBC's NIM and can we estimate the hit on their earnings? Is one bank more exposed to NIM than others? Regional banks are not reacting well right now. Thank you.

Q: Hi...just read your March 1 email....very timely. I have been evaluating some of my current equity holdings from the point of view of topping up some or all of them over time...to reach my asset allocation targets. I do a monthly review of all of my holdings using metrics like P/E, P/BV, P/CF, ROE, Beta, Analyst targets, charting vs 200 mda and higher highs-lows. Mid-Feb I raised roughly 5% cash (basically trimming oversized positions that also appeared to be stretched) and could direct it to the above list. I am a retired, dividend income investor.

The 4 BNN Market Call guests on Thursday-Friday indicated that legging in to this buying opportunity should be considered, as, in their opinion, the market is extremely oversold. In your past life as a Fund Manager, what metrics did you use to guide your process on whether to buy or sit on your hands? For example, "when the VIX is high, it is time to buy"...the VIX is now at 40.

If this is a fair question, could you rank the above 9 equities for topping up to existing positions? My process, for example, has identified LNF as one of the priorities.

Take as many credits as you think appropriate. Thanks...Steve

Q: Appears this is a good time to prune stocks for tax loss to then buy best in class. Would you pls. offer your best choices in various or obvious.

Q: two questions...all things equal, would you own any Canadian banks...and if yes, which would be your top 2?

Q: With the recent volatility we have seen in the markets, can you recommend some canadian dividend stocks which have become more attractive. Thx

Q: Not a question, but adding context to an answered question. BNS stated last year that they were moving from a semi annual dividend increase to an annual. That is why there was no increase this quarter like some of the other banks. I believe the annual is in q2.

Q: Hi Peter & 5i,
BNS had been increasing their dividend every second quarter. Did BNS give their stated reason for not increasing the dividend this quarter in their quarterly report; or do you have an opinion why they didn't increase?
Thanks for your insight and advice.
Cheers

Q: Hi guys, I own the following with the respective total portfolio weightings. My TFSA is all CDN and RRSP is a mix of USD/CDN. When I rebalance, should I try and rebalance with respect to % of TFSA and % of RRSP or rebalance each holding as a percent of overall portfolio? If the latter, I would consolidate some of the holdings in my TFSA to bump up the individual weightings. Are there any obvious adjustments that I should make? I’m heavy on AAPL but have sold so much of it over the years I’m very tempted to let the remaining shares ride.
Please deduct as many credits as you see fit and many thanks for the excellent service you provide. The Q/A is invaluable as are the periodic market summaries. You’ve pulled me away from the panic button many, many times.
RESP:
VFV 1.30%
RRSP:
GOOG 4.78%
AYX 3.77%
AAPL 11.77%
BNS 5.26%
ENB 5.50%
GH 3.69%
XQQ 6.23%
JPM 4.80%
GUD 1.63%
NVDA 5.91%
DIS 3.25%
VXC 24.23%
TFSA:
ATD.B 1.96%
CAE 1.30%
WEED 0.48%
CSU 2.73%
GSY 1.94%
GC 1.59%
KXS 1.42%
LSPD 1.80%
MX 0.67%
PHO 1.14%
SHOP 2.69%

Q: hello 5i:
recently, I asked a question about WFC. Thanks for your prompt reply. However, it leads to a second part. I already own BNS and BMO in a weighting I'm comfortable with, but do wish to add another financial (not sold on JPM). TD seems to have a large US presence, something I want, while also seeming to find favour with you over the years as a "go to" name in the financial sector. Obviously then (if I have this right), you'd take TD over WFC. But would just adding to BNS or BMO be a viable option? The only factor these banks seem to lack is the larger US presence.
thanks
Paul L

Q: I have some American cash that I would like to put to work but am hesitant to buy American stocks. I know there are Canadian companies that are listed in the United States. My question is, which Canadian companies that are listed in the U.S. would you buy today, based on the belief that they have the most upward potential for 2020. I would appreciate it if you could suggest 5 or 6 companies.