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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Your portfolio review was helpful and appreciated. Am gradually tweaking our savings re diversification. Presently no healthcare. Am mulling a 3 - 5% (of equity) stake. We can do this in either Cdn or US$. The US healthcare sector is our preference. If we use our Cdn$, it appears you favour ZUH? Can you recommend an equivalent etf if we use our US$? I'm also hoping for your thoughts on whether now even the time to take a position in healthcare (given the current confusion down south) or would we be better off just to add this cash to our SPY or XSP. Thanks for your help.
Read Answer Asked by Bill on July 28, 2017
Q: I have seen my investments total value in US stocks and non hedged ETFs going down lately, although individual stock price are doing OK.
I know it is very difficult to predict currency fluctuations, I would like your view and recommendation on how to protect my portfolio. Is buying hedged ETFs is the solution and what about your view on the Canadian dollar against the US $ and the Euro.
I value your opinion
Raouf
Read Answer Asked by Raoul on July 28, 2017
Q: Hi,

I've just converted a significant amount of cad to USD. This is cash I plan on deploying in the event of a market correction. In the mean time, I am looking for a usd vehicle to park my cash, with the primary goal being capital preservation. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking something like horizon's HFR etf-does something équivalent exist for USD? Please advise if such an etf exists, and what your preferred vehicle would be.

Thank you
Karim
Read Answer Asked by Karim on July 28, 2017
Q: Hi Peter and Company,

I currently have a position on RY, TD and BNS and I am thinking of moving some money from Canadian banks to US banks. So of the three aforementioned banks that I currently hold, which one would you take off the table and is there a U.S. bank that you can recommend?
Cheers,
Harry
Read Answer Asked by Harry on July 27, 2017
Q: I hold small weightings in cdz,zwc,zwh,zwe as well as holdings in Canadian utilities. I am thinking of replacing cdz with either zdh or cyh to increase my international holdings. Would you please look under the hood of zdh and cyh and would you recommend this move or do you have another recommendation?. Thanx. Great service.
Read Answer Asked by Steve on July 26, 2017
Q: I've recently sold my ZRE position and am looking for some suggestions on what to consider purchasing with the extra funds on the fixed income side of my portfolio. My equity portfolio is balanced; I am about 8 years from retirement, and am conservative in my approach. I am about 30% in laddered GICs, 5% individual bonds, 3% CPD and 5% in cash. I don't have any bond ETFs (and am concerned about the principal in a rising interest rate environment). What to do with the extra cash? More CPD? Or an international REIT? Or a bond ETF, Canadian or International? Or something else?
Read Answer Asked by Brenda on July 24, 2017
Q: BMO ETF ZWH is seriously underperforming YTD, in a strong US market. According to BMO website it is negative YTD whereas ZWA is up over 7% in the same timeframe. Is there some reason for this ? Longer term ZWH outperforms ZWA. Thanks for your insight.

Ted
Read Answer Asked by Ted on July 24, 2017
Q: Without regard for sector diversification and/or weight - If I needed to raise some cash in my portfolio, and wanted to sell some of my losers...which of these names would you sell in order of priority. Could you kindly provide rationale for why you might sell vs. hold. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Jeff on July 21, 2017
Q: During the Spring I liquidated my CDN Equity portfolio. I wanted to move away from managing indidual positions and move to a more passive approach. Then I read Ryan's excellent article, Why it's almost impossible to be a passive investor in Canada. I looked at HEW; but it is very small with only about $12m invested. Are there other ETFs that do an equal weight S&P 60? I also am considering VCN and CDZ. I also looked at Two mutual funds, Mawer Canadian Equity and Lester CDN Equity Fund. There are High Conviction funds available; but with very high MER's.
Would you please recommend a portfolio structure that would meet my needs, I am a conservative senior. Please have the suggestions add to 100%.
Thanks Guys for keeping us thinking outside the box.
Read Answer Asked by Warren on July 20, 2017
Q: I have 2 questions. I am down 20% on clr and I would like your outlook for the next 6 months to a year. Time to sell or do you see upside? Would you look under the hood of xsi and comment on this etf as fixed income for a 1 to 2 year hold and what the influence of higher interest rates might be on the components? Thanx.
Read Answer Asked by Steve on July 20, 2017