Investment Q&A

Q: when do your top picks for first quarter on 2013 appear in national post jan 5 or jan 12. i understand these are not recommendations but more 3 month picks and could be risky.
but you had weq.un and mmt , i love them both and continue to own. as ever dave

Q: Thanks for all your good work in 2012. Never mind the Boxing Day sales, you guys are the biggest bargain on Bay Street! I've done some annual Christmas clean-up by dumping Parallel Energy Trust(PLT) for a tax loss. Am looking at staying in the sector by replacing it with Eagle Energy Trust(EGL). Any thoughts?

Q: I would appreciate your comments on GUY, Guyana Goldfields.
Thanks

Q: Happy Holidays to all at 5i Research your unbiased approach is unique and always very helpful.
What are your thoughts on Potash Corp of Sask( POT ) for 2013? It seems to have been range bound for a long time and since farmers don't have to apply potash every year do you think the demand will be there from either China or North America farmers? Thanks O.K.

Q: Interest in PLI seems to have picked up recently.Could I
please have your opinion.Thank you.

Q: WTE - Westshore Terminals. Would this be an opportunity buy at or close to the current price? No doubt the damage to one of its berths and the subsequent decrease in the dividend have contributed to the decrease in share price. With a forward P/E of 18 would this still be considered expensive?
Thank you.

Q: Hi Peter - do you have any insight on NII. I've been underwater for what seems like years and wonder if I should just ship and forget about it.

Q: What is your opinion on gxi, i think they have put themselves up for sale, seem to be making a lot of right moves lately. Dave

Q: Hi Guys. What do you think of HNT?

Q: At least 2 of the winners are Amaya licensees. Significant? TIA

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Q: In regards to the upturn in car sales question on Dec 26, what is your opinion on MRE related to the other auto parts stocks mentioned in that post? Thanks!

Q: 5i:
a very happy New Year to you all, however that looks to you, and I'm speaking from a long term perspective. One question:
have you thought of doing any seminar type meetings in different locations (ala Larry Berman) in 2013? While I understand your subscriber base is probably growing by leaps and bounds (and with our record and service it should), would that be the type of thing that would interest you folks?
Again, all the best and keep up the GREAT work.
Paul

Q: A recent customer, I am very pleased with your service. Best wishes for a happy & prosperous new year.

You have previously recommended holding about 20 equal weighted stocks in order to provide optimal diversification (with benefits of diversification decreasing as the number of holdings increases beyond 20 – and returns trend towards index-like returns). I believe that your answer to Mary Jean was to consider all accounts as part of the 20 holdings. I have several diversified accounts that are managed (by the same portfolio manager) and an account that I manage myself. Would you then suggest that I have less than 20 in the portfolio that I self-manage? If so, how much would you concentrate (less than 20 seems risky to me) ?

Q: Just as a follow up to the SW question, do you personally prefer something more conservative like CGX?

Q: SNC appears to have levelled off after some well publicized faux pas. It is trading at about 25% off its 2012 high point. Does it present good value at this point?

Q: Hi Peter. I hope your team had a nice holiday. What do you think about Sierra Wireless?

Q: Hi Peter and team. There have been several questions recently about how to profit from what appears to be a recovering U.S. housing market. What about the very frothy Canadian housing/condo market? Any thoughts on how to play a likely correction domestically? Are you a believer in the "soft landing" scenario? Thanks.

Q: You have mentioned that 20 stocks make for a balanced portfolio. It's a big question (really more than one) but what 20 stocks would you recommend for 2013 (I saw the five you recommended recently in another question - AYA, STN, CGX, KBL and PKI)? When answering could you please consider my question from someone who is getting close to retirement (5 - 8 years out) and who has a very low current exposure to equities (about 6% of my total portfolio)? Also, do you have a recommendation for what percentage of one's total portfolio should be in equities under the circumstances for a conservative investor trying to improve returns over bonds but also wishing to preserve capital? Finally, does it make sense to ease into equities under the circumstances, and if so, at what rate? Many thanks for your great service!

Q: Wisinhg the whole team at SiResearch a prosperous 2013.
re: Premium Income Corp. Cl A (PIC.A); I am invested in the Canadian banks through holding ZEB and ZWB. My focus is capital preservation and annual income over 2-3 years. Have you any comments on how PIC-A compares with the earlier mentioned ETFs? I would propose to hold them in a registered account, and review annually.

Many thanks.

Q: In light of the upturn in car sales in the US, would you prefer LNR to XTC or just go with Magna?