Investment Q&A

Q: Just a comment with regard to RoC paid by ETFs...if there is a large inflow of new funds between the payment declaration day and the date of record that can result in RoC. For example, an ETF such as PSA declares a 9 cent interest payment with the date of record 2 weeks in the future. If the 9 cents is 100% of the interest earned but a large inflow occurs before the record date, the ETF would likely have to pay out the extra interest as RoC. I imagine this can be minimized by holding back some of the interest earned in case that happens.

Q: Can I have your opinion on this fixed income etf.
It is Blackrock first actively managed fixed income ETF.
The US version is called BINC.

What are the risks/benefits of this product.
Thanks a lot.

Q: Could 5i give a list of the various covered call gold ETF's offered and their yields ? Canadian and/or American ...... The only one I am aware of is AMAX on the Hamilton website. The yield is indicated at 9.52% but it always says that no matter what the daily unit price is. So if you could update the yield based on current unit price it would be appreciated ? .....Also are there any enhanced yield gold ETF's and if so their targeted yield ? Thanks for your terrific service . Garth

Q: Hi,
Maybe I'm late joining the party but would you have suggestions on how to invest in the European military spending that is forthcoming? Any specific stocks and/or ETFs?
Thanks

Q: Hi,

I was surprised to learn yesterday that a T3 form was provided to me from by bank for holding Purpose High Interest Savings Fund (PSA). It says there is a minuscule return of capital. I thought PSA would only provide interest as reported on a T5.

I went to the PSA website and sure enough, there is a ROC and has been since 2013. Do you know if this is typical of these high interest savings account ETFs and if there is another fund that is similar to PSA without the ROC component?

Thank you.
Michael

Q: Hello. I was going to ask you about MSTY:US, one of YieldMax ETFs. It creates synthetic long exposure, then writes covered calls to generate income. I specifically wanted to ask you about how distributions would be treated from a tax perspective as a Canadian. The distributions are options premiums. So would the distributions then be treated as capital gains, or as US dividends? I assume there would also be a 15% US withholding tax.

When I entered the symbol to ask this question, I discovered that MSTY:CA is a Canadian equivalent, although they only have 50% exposure. Do you know anything about the company Harvest? I had never heard of them. Are they an established and reputable company? How would distributions from MSTY:CA be treated from a tax perspective? Thanks for your help

Q: I am considering adding an ETF that provides coverage of assorted/balanced commodities. I would appreciate having some names that you would recommend; Canadian or USA. What is your opinion of adding a position as an uncorrelated asset to balance an all equity portfolio. I hold diversified energy holdings already (pipelines and producing companies in both oil and gas). I also hold mining stocks, RIO and AEM.

Q: This etf seems to have come out of the latest downturn without to much difficulty, so wandering what the reason for this latest performance. Is it because of the fairly low fees, or the quality of the stocks being held or is it a combination of a number of factors. I am thinking of investing in this etf for the long haul. Many tnx.

Q: Greetings 5i,

I'm looking to decrease some of my US investments and want to sell XUS (I also own VFV). I'm looking at either VIU or XEF as a replacement for XUS. Does this make sense and if so do you have a preference for either of these ETFs or would you recommend something else as a replacement?

Thank you.
John.

Q: What am I missing here? This is a bond fund with an almost 12% payout? Is this something you can put $100k in and get $12k paid out every year forever? I get that it does covered calls but it just seems too easy. It completely trashes the TSX yearly returns with far less risk?

Q: The factsheet of these ETF’s says that they have 2 and 4 million dollars of assets under management. How will these ETF’s gain popularity over the coming years and will that push the price up?

Q: I am concerned that the next few months will be as volatile as the past month as the US continues its tariff agenda. Do you think it is a good strategy to invest in other currencies. If so what is your opinion of these two ETF's. (Swiss Franc & Japanese Yen)

Thanks Stew

Q: With inflation in Canada edging up, and concerns that tarriffs are inflationary, is it a good time to move to shorter duration bonds? The counter is that if a recession hits interst rates may decrease. What is your take on the timing of all this, and how best to position a bond portfolio?

Q: Canadian HISA accounts do not have such good yields anymore. And the income is taxed as interest. I was looking at my 2022, 2023 tax returns and the revenue from canadian ETF like ZAG, XSB, XLB was mostly ROC. If I’m not wrong, thus, much more tax efficient? Wouldn’t be a good idea to switch from HISA to XSB, XBB, etc to park money in the next few months?

Do you know if high-Yield ETFs are taxed the same way (ROC) ?
USD-HISA are more generous so the logic might be different.
Thanks.

Q: Hello, looking at UMAX, the price went from 16$ to 14$ in less than 2 years. Is it because the NAV is going down because of the dynamics of covered calls? Sould we expect a steady price erosion for the foreseeable future? It’s nice to have 13+% annual distribution but if we have a corresponding capital loss, I am not sure it makes sense. Can this ever be a long term hold? Thanks.

Q: Hi Peter,
For non registered accounts, please advise your best picks for European Equity ETFs that have ample room for growth and can withstand this volatile market. Dividends are not important. I also look for Asia ETFs that have a high percentage of holdings in China and to a lesser degree in South Korea. Please advise of your best picks. Brief explanation of reasoning for these picks is appreciated.

Q: Hello 5i, I am looking at Global X DAX ETF and Vanguard FTSE Europe all cap index VE to diversify my portfolio? Could provide an analysis and recommendations for both? Thank you in advance!

Q: For some diversity on the US side of my portfolio, I added both ZLU and ZVU. It has now been roughly three years since I bought them and ZLU has averaged 12% including distributions while ZVU has averaged 1.5%. What do you think selling ZVU and adding to ZLU, or buying ZDY? The goal is to offset some of the volatility from my growthier US stocks which include many of the top names in the S&P 500 Index. Thank you.

Q: A friend is several years from retirement and is in this (quite good) finanical situation: a teacher who will get an Ontario Teachers' indexed DB pension, CPP and OAS. Owns a modest home in Toronto with no mortgage. No dependents. No debt. Can supplement income after retirement by continuing to teach at about a 20% course load. These income sources would more than cover her living expenses.
She also has an RSP that is currently managed by a financial advisor and holds mutual funds. Friend is asking if she should leave the advisor due to fees and his very conservative management. The RSP has underperformed the markets for an extended period. He sold her holdings at COVID bottom "to avoid further losses" and has said that "at her age" (about 60) she should stay away from equities and hold money market funds or bonds. Since my friend is not financially sophisticated, but is interested in learning, I am thinking a self-directed RSP holding several ETFs might be an alternative for her. Could you suggest three to five ETFs that would provide more growth potential in the 8 to 10 years before mandatory RIF conversion.

Q: Peter; What would be a French large cap ETF to cover their major corps? Thanks .
Rod