Investment Q&A

Q: Hi the great 5i team, can you explain the cost of buying and selling ETF? Where does MER come in the picture? What is the difference between trading stocks and ETF?Thanks.

Q: What your comments about the recent bitcoin bull run. Would you consider adding QBTC to one of your portfolios?

Q: Good morning - I was reading an interesting GS report which is calling for a structural bull market for commodities, starting in 2021. Let's say GS is correct. Assuming that, what would you suggest for a Canadian investor, both at home and in the US. Also, is there an ETF or two that you would suggest to address this assumed trend. Finally, do you think GS is on or off target here?
Thanks

al

Q: Hi Team,

Like many I am trying to figure out what to do with cash on hand with interest rates near zero. I am trying to generate income while managing risk/volatility for this "low risk" part of my portfolio.

After some research I have come up with what may be three "best of breed" places to put some cash to work: REITs (e.g., RIT), preferred shares (e.g., HPR) and real return bonds (e.g., XRB).

What are your overall thoughts please on these securities at this time? Do you see any better alternatives in this market and interest rate cycle? What are the main downside risks you see for each security? Would you consider blue chip, high yield common shares more attractive or is there a diversification benefit here?

(Please deduct as many credits as appropriate for this compound question.)

Thank you so much, Michael

Q: Happy New Year 5i team - I was reading about the iShares Global Green Bond ETF (BGRN on Nasdaq) in today's Globe. I would appreciate your thoughts on this fixed income fund. I have avoided bonds in my portfolio and have opted to hold cash in a high interest savings account for flexibility. I'm retired and am wondering whether this may be a good and relatively safe way to hold one to two years of living expenses, while at the same time generating some income. Thanks for all your good advice over the past several years.

Q: ARKW's annual report shows that this fund owns one share of Shopify. I'm curious as to why such a fund would retain only one share of any company. Can you explain the purpose of this?
Thanks Peter.

Q: What should I do with my kweb, because of ny delisting of some Chinese stocks I hold in my lif

Q: With BAM's takeover of BPY I will have some cash in my RRSP to invest. I want to add to my position in the US market. I currently hold the above ETFs in my RRSP in fairly equal weightings and represents a total of 20% of my total investible assest. The cash from BPY would represent a half position relative to my other US holdings. I do not need to RRIF for another 8 years.
2 questions:
1. Can you recommend another ETF for the US market in CAD that might supplement my current holdings or simply add proportionally to my existing holdings.
2. I am a bit concerned about the S&P 500 and the recent addition of Tesla which is at a stratospheric valuation in addition to the FANG stocks which are also at high valuations. (I also have a position in FANG with ZQQ). Would a switch to EQL or similar ETF provide a better balance and take advantage of a more broad market recovery in 2021.
Thanks.

Q: Is there much overlap in holdings between These two ETF’s?

Q: Are any of the ARK funds involved in clean energy?
If not do you think adding a clean energy ETF would be complementary to owning ARK funds.
Thanks Peter

Q: Is there a index measurement for Dividend funds/ETF's for Canadian and US portfolios? How did these index's perform in 2020?

Q: Hi 5i Team
I would like to invest in a Canadian ETF that follows one of the Canadian Indexes. I am retired and looking for some yield (3%) and returns that an index would give me. Any good suggestions.
Kevin

Q: Happy New Year!
I currently have no US exposure, Looking for some Canadian Based ETF US Tech exposure. Interested in XQQ. It has risen a lot the past year with the rest of the market. Is it buyable today? Do you have another preference? Is it suitable for a non-registered account?

Secondly, if I want to build up my US exposure using Canadian ETFs, can you give me some names I could start with?

Q: Accordingly to the Portfolio Analytics I need to bring up my International Allocation up 25%.
Any Suggestions?

Thank you, John G.

Q: I was reading something from Paul Merriman where he recommends allocating a portion of your portfolio to a small cap value fund, particularly for investors with very long time horizons as he claims that historically this is one of the best performing categories over long periods. How do you feel about this strategy? I was considering either IWN or VTWV. Do you have a preference between these two and can you suggest a similar ETF for international (non US) small cap value?

Q: I have a fairly large holding of FIE. I like the large dividend and considering adding more to my position. What is your opinion about the sustainability of dividends for this ETF? Do you have any other high dividend stock/ETF you can suggest? This is for my TFSA.

Q: Hi,

Probably a newbie question, however if I don't ask I will never know :)
Can VLB be considered like an hedge against VSB?
My fixed income portion needs to be higher and I currently own vsb.
Or would it be wiser to simply buy something like VAB instead of the other two?

Thanks

Q: For US exposure which would you recommend for a long term hold? Or is a combination preferred?
Thanks for all your help

Q: Which ARK etf's look good for 2021?

Q: Comment on Previous Question
someone looking for a conservative's investment over a three year period.
XTR is not what I would think conservative, This was down 50% in the crash in 2008 and 25% in 2020, this is not a sleep at night investment.