Investment Q&A

Q: XIC and VCN. Which one of these two ETFs do you prefer and Why?

Many Thanks

Q: Good morning,

This weekend I came across this ETF that invests in private companies with the largest holdings being Space X. The 52 week action on tis is insane and I believe it is only a few weeks old in terms of being traded. What is your opinion of this ETF their strategy if any and the trade action in such a short time. Are there other more established funds out there that do the same thing? Would you buy something like this with some fun money? Sybol DXYZ

https://destiny.xyz/tech100

Q: I have cash available to invest which I am not ready to deploy into the market. However I want to avoid interest income from HISA and bonds. I believe you have mentioned some funds/accounts where the money is reinvested in a way to produce a capital gain rather than interest income. I’m not thinking of stock etfs like HXT which do not create distributions.
Thanks for your help.

Q: why is the management fee so much more expensive for Canadian ETF's?
XEG at 0.6%
vs
XLE at 0.09%
similar with XIU vs SPY as another example.

Q: Peter, I am a 75 year old active and avid stock picking DIY investor and have been pretty successful thanks very much to you and the staff at 5i Research. However, my wife has no interest and no knowledge to manage our portfolios if something were to happen to me. And with a nod to Warren Buffett I believe I would like to leave clear instructions that our stocks be sold off and the funds invested in a passive 80/20 equity/bond (or what split would you recommend?) all in one ETF that would provide for my wife for the rest of her life.
What ETF would you recommend for this? And is one truly enough?

Thanks. David

Q: Hello fellow 5i community,

New ETF investor question here. I have no experience with ETF's and therefore have none in my investment portfolio. Based on all the Q&A's and my own research, this is an area I need to get into. Can you please recommend your top picks (open to all suggestions both geo and industry - please rank) and how many ETF's would you recommend if also investing in individual stocks? (including % of a portfolio). Thank you

Q: Warren Buffett says " buy index funds" preferably Vanguard.

What would you buy in Canada & the USA?

Thank you.

Q: QTUM NYSE Arca/US Defiance Quantum ETF.

What's your opinion on this ETF? Has a high MER.

Would you recommend something better?

Thank you.

Q: what do you think of a switch from enb.pr.f to zwc for same div but more growth ?thanks Phil

Q: VUG seems to have out performed VOO over the years. Is there an argument for VOO over VUG if one just wanted to own just one ETF.

Q: Transition metals. You mentioned SETM in another query. What about XETM? Are there others that could be considered too?

Q: After receiving a t3 from a high dividend paying etf I was a bit suprised to see a bit over 60% of the distribution was Return of Capitol - as I see it basically getting my own $ back on that 60% portion. Sitting with my accountant I walked away with more questions than answers, for instance would a pure play dividend stock paying half the yeild as this etf be a better investment, what happens if I hold this for years and my intitial investment is returned, do I still get the 10% distribution? Is the ROC a mute point if this etf is held, in a registered account? I realize these questions may not be in your area of expertise, also am thinking many people are buying these high paying ETF's not realizing a big portion of the advertised yield is ROC.

Q: I'm new here and am looking to increase my international exposure. Can you recommend a few international ETFs that don't have US exposure and some that include it as part of their holdings? Should I look to these ETFs to include exposure to both established and emerging markets or strictly more developed countries? I'm looking at investing between 30% of my portfolio as I already own QQQ which represents approximately 12% of my holdings now). Thank you in advance, Elaine.

Q: Dear 5i team.

Can I have your updated views on this covered call etf? What % are they writing cov calls on, and what is the projected elasticity of price moves assuming markets up/down 20%

Tanks for your help.

Q: I didn't get a distribution from QTIP this past month. Any reason why this bond ETF would skip a payment? It's not the first time they did that.

Q: hello 5i:
we are (satisfied) holders of DIVO. Would like your take on IDVO and see its not listed in your data base yet. Is there another International ETF you'd recommend? We currently hold both VIGI and EFAV in the international space.
thanks
Paul L

Q: These 3 new Hamilton covered call etf's seem to my untrained eye to provide a very smart blend of generous income in excess of 10% annually each as advertised plus 70% of the holdings aren't subject to the call writing and thus are able to deliver a substantial portion of potential capital growth. The current portfolios for all three seem well chosen, solid picks. Each of these etf's has over $100 million invested rather quickly and they are likely to continue subscription growth. Newness aside, what's not to like for income plus exposure to a basket of high-grade US healthcare, financials and Cdn and US energy equities? Whatcha think? Thank you.

Q: Could you confirm what is happening with the price of long term U.S. treasuries?
I purchased HPYT in January for the high yield to fund my RIF withdrawals. I understand the inherent risks of the structure of HPYT and anticipated some volatility but a generally a flat to upward trajectory given the forecast of reducing interest rates. I know the timeframe is short but wanted to confirm that the reason for the slide in HYPTs price is long term treasury rate increases.
Do you still anticipate rate reductions in US treasuries?

Q: On march 28 question ,I was interested by the topics and by your answer,that seems to consider the 3 ETF in the same category :"HMAX would fit in this category as it does employ a covered call strategy targetting Canadian financials and primarily the 'Big 5' banks. Some covered call ETFs we like are QYLD and XYLD. We also think Hamilton ETFs line of covered call ETFs is solid, although some are very new and small which we would watch out for. ". Personnaly I did not choose QYLD and XYLD since I don't consider them in the same category as HMAX and others ETF as BMO ETF etc.. QYLD exerts options on 100% of its portfolio,wich limits upside and could lead to a significant long term downtrend; this is not the case for HMAX whose options are on 50% of its portfolio and consequently it keeps some upside potential.Is my comprehension OK or Do I miss something?

Q: What do you think of this ETF as a buy and forget type of holding? It would be held in TFSA & RRSP. Track record is fairly impressive. Do you see any drawbacks?
Thanks