Q: I have no current exposure to oil or gas. Thinking it may be time to acquire some. Is an etf the better way to go or perhaps going with Birchcliff, Seven Generations, Peyto. Which etf if thats your choice and what % of a portfolio should a person consider at this juncture.
I asked a question 3 or 4 days ago, can't tell if the credits have been reduced but I did not get an answer. The question referred to a choice between TXN vs NVDA. I currently own about 18% in technology,CSU,IT,GC,GOOGL but was thinking that perhaps I should sell ULTI in exchange for TXN or NVDA, or whatever recommendation you think is best. Thank You.
Q: I own the 5.5% Aecon 31 Dec 18 convertible debentures. They are trading at about $109, and I bought them in Dec 2014 at about par. Should I take my profit now? If I wait until maturity, I will lose the current premium. I suppose they are trading at a premium because of the embedded warrant value.
Q: I've been to China 5 times in last 24 months and on my recent trip I observed more and more people have smart phones than previous trips. Speaking with one of my Chinese colleagues on this trip, we discussed how most people in China with a smart phone use WeChat as their messaging app. WeChat is not just a messaging app, you can make payments and shop. Travelling thru several cities, most retailers requested payment thru WeChat. I was amazed at the adoption of this app. It is owned by Tencent and trades OTC in the US. Do you know anything about this company and do you have any concerns with buying stock on the OTC?
Q: This is just my opinion, but I think that Avigilon is another example of a case where Quality of management i.e, CEO attitude is the number 1 factor in their situation. I recall watching interviews on BNN where comments were made about how agressive the CEO was and I believe there was, at one time at least, a higher than average turnover in the C-suite and R&D department due to the CEO. I try to emulate the growth portfolio but I could never bring myself to buy AVO because of the impression I had of the management.
Q: Going forward from here what would be your top 3 picks for 1)Growth stocks, 2)Dividend Stocks and 3)Bond ETF's (assuming one doesn't know what individual bonds to buy)?
After the decline of CXR you mentioned some ideas were coming for the growth portfolio - will u be sending out e-mail notifications?
Thanks kindly.
Q: A comment and a question if I may. There's so much talk about markets being at 'all time record highs' as if this is a reason in itself to sell or short. But if markets have consistently gone up over many decades, you could argue that in a historical sense the market is almost always at an all time high.
On to my question: I need to add an oil/energy stock for diversification and I'm on the growthier side of risk tolerance. Do you have a preference between RRX and ENB at this time?
Q: Hi, I know that going forward, with the trend in ETF investing, mutual funds might not be a lucrative for fund compagnies like CIX and IGM, but as these compagnies are trending down in prices, at what point do you think they represent good value? I know a lot of people who are still invested in mutual funds and don't have any intention to change. Also, CIX, with the acquisition of First Asset, seem to be adjusting to this new trend. Which one would you recommend and at what entry point? Thanks.
Q: Any chance this company turns things around over the next 2-3 years ? I had a small position which is now tiny. Do you usually recommend to move on in these situations.
Also, i was reading stock options are offered to management at $0.48 , is it common practice for a company that has been doing so poorly. Does not feel right for investors who have paid way more. Thank you !
Q: Regarding Richard's question re AQN. I think he was asking about the instalment receipts in particular. They were recommended on BNN Market Call.
I participated in the EMA and FTS instalment receipt deals with their large USacquisitions. In both cases things worked out well. Of course it has been a hot market for utilities so the underlying shares increased in value while I was holding the receipts, which obviously helps.
Two comments 1) These deals make sense only if you would be comfortable owning the shares when the call for funds comes (when you have to put up the other 2/3 of cash). It is kind of like selling a put. The income is nice, but you have to be ready to buy the security if things go wrong. 2) best not to buy in a registered account, unless you have room to add the additional 2/3 cash to buy the shares. You don't want to be forced to sell the receipts at a bad time just because you are trapped by your RRSP or TFSA limit.
Hope this was useful.
Cheers
John