Investment Q&A

Q: Would I be correct in concluding that Trump's on again off again tariffs are good for covered call ETF's ? When he announces a tariff the market takes a dive. When he backs off the market rises ..... Under those conditions can not the call writers charge a higher premium ? I've noticed GDXY yielding 43% was at 52.9% the previous month. And SLVO is yielding 23.2% . Even the US treasury ETF HPYT is yielding 20% .....Even boring old UMAX a utility covered call ETF is yielding a hair under 16% ..... Do you see a relationship between the amount of the premiums covered call ETF's can get to " Yeah I'm going to tariff the snot out of you " to " Nah, i was just kidding " ..... market swings ?
Basically I'm wondering if Trump is the perfect storm for options .....

Q: What do you recommend for an ETF or actively managed fund which holds high quality (blue chip) stocks, and pays out some dividends?

Q: Hello,

I'd like to invest a portion of Industrial allotment to European defense and aerospace. Are there any ETFs that you recommend? Preferably on TSX, but I'm ok with US markets as well.

Thanks.

Q: In an effort to balance my portfolio, I’ve invested in both short-term (XBB, currently +0.9%) and long-term (XLB, currently -2.74%) bond ETFs, all held within a registered account. Despite these being commonly recommended by industry analysts for portfolio diversification and stable returns, I’m seeing losses across both and finding it difficult to understand how to generate positive returns from bonds in the current market environment.

Given this, I’d appreciate your guidance. Should I consider:
• Selling XBB and XLB and moving the funds to a high-interest savings account?
• Adding to my bond holdings by including alternatives like XSB or VAB?
• Holding my current positions and staying the course?

I’m open to adjusting my strategy but would value your insight on how best to approach bond investments right now.

Q: With so much media attention recently to the Middle East do you see investment potential there? If so is there one or 2 companies listed in the USA that you could recommend? Alternatively, perhaps you could suggest an etf.

Thanks

Q: Hi All at 5i!! A young friend is starting to invest in his TFSA. He has a long time horizon. Basically, he wants to just put the money into the TFSA and let it grow until retirement in an uncomplicated manner. (IOW no individual stocks). If you were to suggest an ETF, would VFV fit the bill, or would he be better off investing in a more structured ETF which encompasses several markets (US,Canadian etc) and a small bond holding as well?. What would you suggest?


Cheers,
Tamara

Q: Hi 5i, I am looking for some new options for relatively conservative, monthly income funds. I would prefer no leverage and no return of capital. Over the years, you have mentioned these three funds (ZMI, XTR, FIE). Are there any new options that you would add to this list? Have the fundamentals changed on any of these three that would cause you to no longer recommend them? Thanks so much.

Q: What is your opinion of this ETF ? Is this a good option to have Large Cap Equity exposure to European Large Cap equities ?

EUZ is up about 24% YTD. Do you see more upside to it, considering current geopolitical and trade uncertainties due to US administration policies ?

Would consider it as a good long term holding to add for diversification ?

I like its Sector breakdown as the largest weight in Financials, Industrials, Technology and Consumer Discretionary at 24%, 20%, 12% and 12%, respectively. Your comments, please.

Thank You

Q: You recently answered a question about HDIV and ETSX. I currently own ETSX and have been happy with the income and growth it has generated. I am thinking of adding HDIV or EIT.UN.
Could I get your comments on EIT.UN as a comparison to the other 2 funds?
I am a retiree looking primarily for steady income with some growth.

Q: I listened to a CIBC webcast today outlining the fact international equities were cheaper then US and possibly Canadian equities based on P/E ratios and are expected to outperform US and possibly Canadian equities in the near term. Interesting sectors discussed were international infrastructure companies, defense, e-commerce and semi-conductors. Could you provide a few Canadian ETF's that would provide exposure to these themes and list you favourite?
Thanks
Jeff

Q: Is viu a “derivative” of vxus? Total overlap?

Q: CQLI Here is one I can not find much information that I am hoping you can shed some light on. The chart look good and the yield is over 20%. Looking for niche areas for a mid term places to place some cash with good returns until the clouds clear a bit.

Q: Your suggestion for an international equity ETF that excludes the USA please.

Bill

Q: Hi 5i, If you had to hold only one gold position, which would you choose...AEM or PHYS? btw...what is the MER of PHYS and would this be a factor in your decision?
Thanks

Q: Adding fixed income in individual bonds is made complex by bank-owned brokers, for some reason. I finally thought of adding Bond ETFs. Please give your thoughts on the following high yield bond ETFs : FALN, BINC, JBND and USHY. Any that one should stay away from?
Thank you.

Q: Long-term rates in the US are reaching above-average highs. Am I wrong to think that these rates are unsustainable in the long run and therefore they have to eventually come down? If this thesis is correct, doesn't that make TLT an excellent buy now? You are paid to wait and know that you will get your money back someday.

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: Hi Peter and 5i Team,

Just a followup to my question about ETFs that focus on long term and mid term Treasury bonds, are there any ETFs that focus on Canadian Treasury bonds, or are the ones that you suggested (TLT, SPTL, VGLT, IEF), the best options?

Thanks again for your great work!

Q: I purchased these with a view to moving away from equities. I am retired and interested in dividend income. While capital appreciation would be nice, ensuring limited capital losses is more critical. I'm getting a healthy monthly income from all 3 but based on recent adjustment by RBC Direct it seems some of that is ROC ... so it's an inflated dividend percentage as it is clear capital is eroding. Seems like I may have made a mistake ... down about 7% as I sit today since I purchased. When you consider ROC I'm down over 10% on my original purchase price. Not the end of the world, but what is it going to take to get the share price moving back up for these 3? Would you continue to hold ?

Q: Good morning. I currently own the above 4 ETFs in the following shares of my portfolio:
ZDI: 9.56%
The combination of ZDY, EQL and EQLI: 15.9%
I have some other US positions while ZDI is currently my only ex North American position.
ZDI has been performing very well YTD with +13% total return (per my purchase cost) while The US EYFs are lower than 0% total returns.
Do you currently see the European momentum building or continuing ? And if so woul it be worth it to flip some of the US ETFs over to ZDI or any other ex-North America ETF ? THank you.

Q: Have some money to park but looking for best interest rate return. Looking at CASH and CIB238. Which is better in your opinion? Looking for safety for 1 year. What is approximate current return for each?