Investment Q&A

Q: What ETFs best mirror selling put options on the S&P 500, the Nasdaq, and the Dow? Would they be a viable hedge against a falling market without having to sell individual long term positions that I wish to continue holding?

Q: Are currency exchanges using a DLR/DLR.U transaction to be reported on one's income tax return? The transaction will usually result in a small loss when the commission is factored in. (It would seem odd to be able to claim this loss, when you can't write off the fee for exchanging dollars at the bank!)

Q: Hi 5i team,
Is there a canadian listed ETF that you'll recommend that invests primarily in US big banks like JPM? When do you think the US financials will recover from the turmoil caused by the pandemic? Thanks.

Q: What do you think about nibbling a the Russell 2000 right now? I think it will present a tremendous buy if the markets really drop. Thoughts on this move?

Q: Other than CEF holding silver and gold bullion what differences are there between it and PHYS. Ownership of physical bullion, redemption of units for bullion etc.
Thanks Kenn

Q: Good morning, with current market turbulence does 60/40 index investing formula still make sense or is one better investing is good growth stocks for the long term?

Q: Hi

Thinking of changing the above mentioned for PHYS.CA in my RRSP accounts for some protection in the virus situation and what is going to occur after.

I do not need the dividends.

Comments please

Thank you

Mike

Q: Hi 5i - I have 5% cash left and was thinking of allocating it to CDZ - it yields 5.8% and is it would be a 50% gain if it gets back to its highs. I know dividend paying stocks have taken a beating, but does this seem to be an excellent long term investment? Thanks, Neil

Q: In most bear markets I would turn to a security that is negatively correlated to the equities, such as TLT. However with interest rates at historic lows, can there be much more upside to TLT?

Q: XCB is quite negative this morning. Problems with the BBB bond exposure in Canada ?

Q: You had previously given the following criteria to judge momentum stocks: "For momentum we like a rising stock price with increasing volume, positive earnings surprises, accelerating earnings, analysts' upgrades and target prices. "

Would I be correct in assuming that in the current markets, we need to think more like value investors, however, than momentum investors? If my observation is correct how does one then analyze value stocks?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: Which would you prefer for a 4 to 5 year hold in a rrsp,or would you recommend some of both? Could you please give your usual in depth analysis? Thank you.

Q: I understand that a covered call ETF will produce lower highs and higher lows compared to a non-covered call ETF. However, what would cause the ETF's to have an inverse relation on a trading day? For example, if we take ZEB and ZWB, I noticed on some trading days in the past (even before the current volatility), one ETF would be up a few % points, while the other ETF would be down a few % points.

Q: I want to invest approx 10,000.US in China. Is FXI a good choice ...another suggestion like a Vanguard fund ?
Thanks for your excellent work. Helen

Q: Good morning, do you know if there is much overlap regarding the equity portion of these two etf,s, XWD and VBAL, thanks?

Q: Good morning, stay safe and keep up the good work.
My question is on hedged vs unhedged funds.
My son is 27 and his time horizon for any investment is long term.
Now that our Canadian dollar trades at an all time low against the USD, (last time we hit similar lows was in 2016/2017) and the chances that our CAD trades lower are relatively slim, wouldn't it be preferable to invest in a hedged fund version of the Nasdaq-100 indexed ETF. The reason being is that the return of an investment in a USD equity (when converted back to CAD) decreases in a strengthening CAD environment. On the flip side, in a weakening CAD environment, the same USD investment's return, when converted back to CAD, would be increased.
To recap: My assumption (might not be a valid one) is that our CAD can only increase in value against the USD. In this strengthening environment, isn't it better to purchase a hedged ETF ?

Q: Hi Peter and Team,
Hope you're all staying safe!
I believe there is a secular push for clean energy around the globe and I also want to expand the global exposure relative to Canadian markets in the portfolio so I'm thinking of adding some ETFs like ICLN to help me in both these regards. How do you feel about this for new purchases for planned long term holding.

Q: Hello 5i,
Interesting times. Thank you for the backup.

I am trying to help my sister rebalance her portfolio and to get it retirement ready. She does not want to watch the portfolio but is open to rebalancing a couple of times a year. She is in the 40:60 to 50:50 bond:equity range for comfort (although this market is a great test about that assertion). She will live 3 - 4 months in the us during retirement.

I’ve been playing with the above mentioned etfs, keeping in mind that USD are already held (25% of portfolio), to find the proper mix of etfs to get to a 40:60 mix of bond to equity, with an equity exposure 25:50:25 Canada, US, International.

Please feel free to suggest other etfs as necessary if the above are not appropriate. Can you suggest an appropriate etf composition/ collection to satisfy the above criteria?

Tia

Q: Looking to simplify my life going with either XBAL or VBAL. They seem very comparable with slight differences regarding how much Canadian content.I also have the following ETF's .. QQQ,XQQ,SPY ,IWO ,XHC and ZAG. Could one still retain these or am I doubling down when really XBAL or VBAL will cover most of the stocks in these ETF's. Are there any that could be sold eg ZAG I don't mind having a bit extra in tech though.Thanks for your sound advice in these crazy times.

Q: What would be a non-covered call version of ZWU?

Thx