Investment Q&A

Q: What is your current opinion of high yield US corporate bond ETFs, such as XHY and ZHY. Specifically, do you recommend them in the current economic environment for a relatively conservative income portfolio?
Many Thanks.

Q: Hi Peter,

I do not believe in technical analysis, however, from a technical analysis perspective, what would be a great entry point in the next three to six months to purchase shares of SPY, QQQ and XIC? What is the likelihood of these great entry points happening in the next three to six months?

Thanks

Q: Over the next few months I’ll be duplicating the ETFMU Growth ETF portfolio inside my LIRA with retirement being 30 years away.

Out of the 13 ETFs in the portfolio , Which ones do you feel are a strong buy currently? Wanting to start purchasing the strong buys, highest convictions ETFs first.

Thank you,

Q: What is are you best ideas for small-midcap US EFT? I already have S&P 500 fund and several large caps.

Q: Could you make a case for each of these two Treasury ETF's ? Would you favour one over the other ?

Do you prefer other Treasury ETF's to these two ?

Q: Hi 5i,
I have a few of questions about a few tech ETF's - please deduct as many points as you think appropriate.
In comparing XIT to TXF.B I note that XIT has a better 5 year annualized return (16.03% to 7.87%) but TXF.B has outperformed XIT over the past 3 year annualized period by 10.23% to 8.38%. In addition, TXF.B pays a very healthy distribution (over 9% annually) while XIT pays none. And then finally, XIT is all Canadian and has over 75% of its NAV wrapped up in 4 names - CSU, SHOP, CGI and OTEX.
All that being the case, I wonder:
Is XIT too dependent on just a few names that are all in one geography to have the safety one expects (hopes for at least) in an ETF, both looked at in isolation and also when compared to a name like TXF.B?
XIT obviously hit it big with those 4 names (and especially CSU I'd think) but is its good return likely to continue into the future with so much reliance on so few contributors, all of which are in Canada?
Is there a site that does the hard work of comparing the actual returns of ETFs by analyzing the combination of capital gain combined with the contribution of distributions so that it's possible to get a true idea of the performance of an ETF like TXF.B with its 9% /year distribution compared to XIT's zero payout? and finally:
Between a hedged ETF like TXF vs an unhedged ETF like TXF.B which have identical holdings, which would you expect to do better over the next 3 years or so, and why? I note that unhedged TXE.B has outperformed hedged TXF over the past number of years, and I wonder if you think this trend will continue.
Thanks 5i, I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Peter

Q: I have no International exposure to date. Can you please suggest your top three International ETF's.

Q: What are your views on this as a place to protect some dollars?
Are there better places ?

Q: Are there any Canadian listed American utilities covered call etfs or non covered call etfs? Thank you.

Q: Good morning 5i, I am looking to add some covered call ETF’s to my holdings. Which covered call ETF’s would you recommend in the sectors of industrials, tech, consumer discretionary and energy. Which would you recommend reflecting the S&P 500.
Thank you in advance
Dan

Q: Dear 5i,
Out of all the countries classified as Emerging Markets.
In your opinion which countries are expected to outperform the S&P500 index if held for at least 5 years? Can you suggest some Canadian and/or US listed ETF's that might achieve this goal. I'm interest in holding a 2 to 5% position for at least 5 years in my TFSA.

Q: hello 5i:
would like your take on this ETF, for a registered account. We're looking for sustainable income: I've reviewed the sector and holdings breakdowns and realize the fund will not do as well in a bull market. Part of the reason we're so interested is that Seeking Alpha’s Quant system rates DIVO the very best nontraditional equity derivative income fund out of 14 choices, which is a fantastic stamp of approval.
If (a big word), we return to a bull market where growth handily beats value, DIVO should still see gains in NAV, correct? And the yield (around 5%), should be sustainable, correct? What have we not thought of here, or in other words, what are the red flags we've missed?
thanks
Paul L

Q: Hi Peter,
My question is about Target Maturity Corporate Bond ETFs. Please comments on the advantage and disadvantage of using a ladder of these target maturity bond etfs as a base for the fixed income portion of one’s portfolio. Seems to me instead of buying individual bonds at a discount to take advantage of capital gain upon maturity, the investor can purchase these target maturity bond ETFs to achieve the same goal with more diversification. Is this correct? For investor, is the tax treatment between individual bond and target maturity bond etf the same on an annual basis on the interest income received and on the maturity year when the principal at par is paid out? What should we watch out for when considering this kind of ETFs? What will be your pick for the best target maturity corporate bond ETFs offered in Canada and in the US? Thanks.

Q: Good afternoon,

Q1. I would appreciate your thoughts on initiating a position in the Semiconductor sector at this time.

Q2. What are your thoughts on XSD ETF and do you have a better recommendation in this sector.

Many thanks and I'll await for your response and sage advice.

Q: Please offer your top 3 sector ETFs (US) with highest conviction for overall return, over the next 3 years.

Where would IJS rank ?

Thank you .

Q: I don't mind this ETF's strategy, and am attracted to the underlying ETF's dividend tax-credit eligibility, but the issuer reports AUM of less than $5M, which suggests poor liquidity, if not trading-by-appointment. Is there any reasonable argument for overlooking this weakness - for example, that domestic large-caps just aren't likely to appreciate by much over, say, the next twelve months?

Q: Dear 5i,
In regards to Horizon's ETF; HBB.TO
There web site says the MER is 0.10% and the swap fee is
no more than 0.15%. Does this mean that %Gross Total Return gets
reduced somewhere between 0.10% and a maximum of 0.25%?
Are they any other fees other than trading fees I need to be aware of?

Q: Good day,

I was considering parking US$ funds from my brokerage account in SPRXX (Fidelity® Money Market Fund) or VMFXX (Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund). However, I am given to understand that Canadian citizens cannot own US mutual funds. (Thank you for the guidance!)

Is there something else that you can suggest for US$ in lieu of these? How do they compare to Canadian ETFs CASH.TO or PSA.TO in terms of safety etc?

Thank you

Q: I am currently 14.5% NVDA in a 1.2M portfolio. Should I trim back my shares and go into QQQ or VGT?

Q: Hi 5i,

What is your opinion of the growth prospects for iJS over the next 2 years?

Thanks for the opinion.
John