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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: Hello Team 5i and Everyone,

Unless Trump pulls a rabbit out of his hat, from what I’ve been reading the closure of the Strait of Hormuz falls into the category of “too big to fail.” And since the price of oil affects nearly everything globally, one would assume that we’re likely to see price increases soon enough in nearly everything as it is passed onto the consumer. (Like food, unfortunately.)

In another service I subscribe to a member there has a background with global oil logistics. In their assessment, if the war ended today it would take 4 months to get the shipping lanes fixed. 6 months to restart the oil fields at 85% original flow. 4-5 years to fix the LNG plants. Meanwhile countries are starting to hoard oil and oil products too, which only adds to the global demand when we really need to be destroying that demand at the moment. They equated that we need to destroy as much oil demand as we reduced during covid, but this time we need to do it with price.

At least with the problem of the tariffs, if the current US administration had snapped their fingers at any point last year and got rid of them, in theory the problem would have been solved “instantly.” But that doesn’t seem to be the case here because of the drones and missiles hitting the oil refineries. And sadly, especially for the people living inside this war, this is turning into a pretty big mess.

So what I’ve been mulling over is:

What effect would prolonged higher energy costs due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have on the data centre & AI buildout, etc and the debt being used to finance these projects? I’m under the impression that the AI buildout is supporting the US’s economic growth at the moment. Also seems like Space X, Anthropic, Open AI are all trying to IPO this year as soon as possible. The KOSPI which is over-concentrated in semiconductors looks like it had a blow off top recently.

What other important potential problems have your attention at the moment that the increase in energy costs could exacerbate?

Any further comments would be appreciated.

Thank you & appreciate the big brains at Team 5i,

Sandra
Read Answer Asked by Sandra on March 26, 2026
Q: I am thinking of adding one of these 2 beaten down health related ETF's to my holdings. I wonder if you can tell me if you feel either or both are at risk of further decline due to Trumps RX plan, and/or their exposure to the US healthcare system which seems to be under attack by this administration?
Do you have a preference for one over the other, or do you have another name in this space that you like, and how safe do you feel the dividend is for each of them?
I am looking for a steady reliable yield and prefer ones that trade in Canada. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Will on March 24, 2026
Q: My investments, across non registered, and RRIF accounts are full of banks, Brookfield’s, pipelines and utilities. My TFSA holds more small growth stocks and is 5% of total portfolios. I have never owned gold stocks but with their continued pullback are starting to look interesting with continuing geopolitical chaos ( not expected to stop as long as we have Trump ) and the significant decline in US government finances, I am looking at AEM or AGI as my foray using my TFSA.
Your thoughts on these two. Do you have a preference ? Time to buy a full ( or partial ) position or wait until decline seems be over.
Thanks. Derek.
Read Answer Asked by Derek on March 23, 2026
Q: Hi Peter and Team,

The March 21st issue of the Globe & Mail had an interesting article called 'Give peace - and bonds - a chance'.

My feeling is that the war cannot go on much longer, and Trump will be compelled to 'claim victory' even though Iran still seems to have the upper hand in their blockade of the Strait. Perhaps it's true what the US underground bombing of an Iranian facility in the Strait very recently stated "We not only took out the facility, but also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements," Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (Centcom) says in video message posted on X."

It occurs to me that it's extraordinarily difficult to follow one's portfolio with any degree of certainty now that economics and politics are so completely linked.

What's your take on David Berman's thesis, and the ZAG ETF he refers to.

Thanks as always for your insight, especially in these difficult times.
Read Answer Asked by Jerry on March 23, 2026
Q: Really a question of safe low growth dividend stock prices. All these utility stocks are at 52 week highs. Are they worth it at these prices or are they simply a place for people to hide out until Trumps latest crazy ego trip comes to an end. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on March 17, 2026
Q: Hi Peter & Team,

Yes, it's great to see TRI bouncing back; very encouraging.

However, since TRI is 'partnered' with Anthropic, are there any 'red flags' at the moment, when considering the ongoing disagreements between the Trump administration and Anthropic? (Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence and his recent demands aimed at Anthropic).

Thanks as always for your insight.
Read Answer Asked by Jerry on February 26, 2026
Q: I am starting to read more about the risks for Netflix with respect to their bid for WB. Particularly in light of the improved offer from Paramount this week, and comments from the Trump Administration that suggests they likely will be involved in some way in approving a deal at some point, however that ends up looking.

My question is this - in the event that Netflix loses out (my view is that it is 60-40 they do lose out, either on price or regulatory/DOJ hurdles down the road), do you think there is upside in their stock price near-term? And I have also been reading that if Netflix does not get WB, they may take a run at Disney.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks as always.
Read Answer Asked by Trevor on February 25, 2026
Q: The State of the Union address by Trump is on Feb 24th in the evening. The Supreme Court will release decisions on Feb 20, 24 and 25, and these are the last dates until July 2026. I predict they will wait until after the State of the Union address because Supreme Court judges attend the State of the Union, and they don't need Trump criticizing them in public and will release their decision on Feb 25th. If they decide the tariffs are unconstitutional, which sectors might be the winners?
Read Answer Asked by Murray on February 17, 2026
Q: Hi 5i, scanned comments for review of recent quarter but could not find anything. Pls opine on their results. Is there any reason for the slow grind down over the last year? I would have thought the "big beautiful" bill coming this year would ignite consumer spending hence their toll fees. I'm looking to lighten up on my Cad financial sector holding due to the lack of progress in our economy getting anything built, plus the bleeding of manufacturing jobs and increasing delinquencies. Thx.
Read Answer Asked by Christopher on February 17, 2026
Q: Under a scenario where Trump gets his aggressive rate cuts, US unemployment rises as lay-offs continue, U.S. personal debt delinquencies continue to rise and US national debt increases even further, what segments could see a lift? Segments to avoid? Please provide 10 favourite Canadian stocks under that scenario.
Read Answer Asked by John on February 13, 2026
Q: Conservative investor, given where markets are trading....and Trump. Seeking a 4+% yield with reasonable safety of principle in mind. In a 50/50 fund, what percentage of fixed income would you place in ZLC. Might a better approach be to just raise the total equity allocation instead by adding some US holdings, like ZWH for example? I realize you don't know all my details, just looking for a general comparison. Fantastic service, thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Curtis on February 10, 2026