Investment Q&A

Q: Hi 5i: Thanks for pointing out the BoC interest rate hike as the cause of the increase in CBO price. I had actually just realized that as I read the ROB magazine over lunch. But it is interesting that a significant increase in the CBO price seems to have started in late December/early January. Poloz is quoted in ROB saying "... the possibility of a rate cut had begun to enter markets in the last couple of weeks." I didn't think that was supposed to happen.

Q: Hi 5i: I've decided to add some more fixed income to my portfolio and was checking on how my CBO has done over the last year. I note that it jumped very sharply on Jan 20/21 of 2014. I can't recall what triggered that leap, which is visible in other bond ETFs also. Do you have any record of what the event might have been? Thanks.

Q: Hello 5i Team, first of all I'd like to say that this is a very valuable service. I wish I'd found it much sooner.
I'm in the process of moving our RRSP Mutual funds to a self directed account at my bank. The plan is to create a balanced diversified portfolio using ets's.

30% Fixed Income - XQB
25% Canadian - XIC
25% Us- XUS
15% Europe - XEF
5% Emerging Markets - XEC

(or something similar - not sure yet if I'm going with BMO, Vanguard or Ishares)

Or would it be better to choose sector specific ETF's such as Financials, Health Care, Industrials ect.?

Also would you recommend waiting until after the summer (sell in May and go way), buying into the market all at once or buy in 1/3rd chunks over a period of months.

Thanks you very much in advance

Q: Hi Peter and Team,
If a person was opening a TFSA with $5000, future additions of $200 biweekly and had no other holdings, what would be your recomendation. Low fee mutual funds, ETF's?? Canada only or something with international exposure? Thanks

Q: Can you suggest a good health sciences ETF.
Thanks

Q: In response to your answer to Indra regarding ZSP vs HXS, I just have a follow-up comment:

HXS uses a total return swap to replicate the S&P 500. This should allow for more accurate tracking and better tax efficiency. HXS does not receive any dividend distributions so unitholders will not be subject to tax on foreign income or any withholding tax.

Any distributions by the stocks in the index are included as part of the total return swap, so a unitholder would not miss out on the dividends. This increases the tax efficiency of HXS since the only taxes paid would be capital gains tax.

This increase in tax efficiency should also outweigh the negligible increase in MER compared to ZSP.

See http://www.horizonsetfs.com/Pdf/FactSheets/FundFactSheets/HXS%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf for details.

Q: Wondering what your thoughts were on VAB and XQB as alternatives to CBO? Or as part of a bond portfolio including CBO? Vanguard reduced fees last year and XQB looks interesting. Goal is to get between 3% and 4% return (yield and +/- capital) with low(er) risk. Thanks

Q: Can u give your opinions on which is better and why or an alternate suggestion ? Can u give an opinion for a 3 year hold . Am I interpreting this correctly as a play on the S+P 500 instead of SPY?
I would prefer to use can dollar to purchase vs US dollar
A past question / answer mentioned Zsp and Zsp.u What is the difference ? Thank you

Q: This is one of a new suite of funds offered by Purpose - this appears to be the largest and thus, most liquid, of the funds on offer - this company was started by Som Seif, the builder of Claymore Funds, and they appear to have some really interesting and different funds on offer via ETF'S and Mutual Funds. I would appreciate your comments on this fund which appears to be a blend of Cdn and US dividend stocks

Q: Is this a good time to step into Europe, using FHB as an
introduction to European banking.

Q: Am looking to take a position in the healthcare sector for my RRSP. Long term hold and a good safe yield is important. Your opinion on the following is appreciated.

ZUH
XHC
HHL.UN
GHC.UN

Is there another stock or investment vehicle you would prefer?

On another note, as a subscriber since Dec., I expected to benefit most from your opinions on individual stocks, but would say that it is your overall investment advice that I appreciate the most.
Thanks

Q: I read this (i've excerpted) over the weekend. I expect you're familiar with the thesis, but I'm wondering what your take is on this for someone with little interest in researching and monitoring individual stocks, asset allocations, etc.
The One-Minute Portfolio consists of two exchange-traded funds (ETFs): the iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund (XIU) and iShares Canadian Bond Index Fund (XBB). There is no requirement for hours of research to pick stocks or time markets. Only an annual rebalancing is needed….

Over the dozen years from 2003 to 2014, the One-Minute Portfolio’s average annual compound rate of return was 8.9 per cent on a total return basis. …

In the most basic form of the One-Minute Portfolio, an investor rebalances back to a fixed asset allocation, a common one being 60 per cent stocks and 40 per cent bonds. A slightly more advanced version, used in the published updates, allows the target asset allocation to vary according to the state of the stock market – as prescribed in Benjamin Graham’s investment book, The Intelligent Investor.

In general terms, the rule is: if stocks are getting frothy, their portfolio weight is cut. Conversely, if stocks are in a deep funk, their weight is raised.

from My OwnAdvisor

Q: Is there a Canadian ETF based on insider buying and if so your thoughts? Thanks, Bill

Q: Hi. How do ETF's Manage their fees. I am mostly questioning how can they add/decrease their positions in whatever companies they have in the Fund as money pours in and out of them. Are they not charged trading fees? How much will the Listing Exchange Charge them? Eventually there must also be a couple, few people who get paid from the ETF Company or Broker/Dealer that are creating the units as well. Are they able to bury certain fees in the ETF? I know they manage super large amounts of cash and investments but it seems that there could be manipulation of services/charges/arbitrage from the NAV vs underlying stocks. I tried understanding the Wikipedia definitions but it did lose me, and I was hoping you could tell me in simple terminology or perhaps do a Blog on the subject one day. Thanks

Q: Hi Peter & Team: Could I please have your thoughts on yxm now that it has been operating for some time. If positive, would you still consider the unhedged version given the amount the cdn. dollar has already fallen.

Thanks, David

Q: My daughter turn 25 this year . She wants to start investing ,she completed a risk aversion test that puts her at a moderate. She got approximately 5000$ cash . She also recently got approved for a 10000$ line of credit at the bank . What would recommend for her to start investing? Thank you

Q: Just haven't the time to build up a reasonable knowledge base in the US...so would appreciate your best pic on 1 or 2 US based ETFs covering Health/pharma, consumer discretionary & possibly Tech. Thanks.

Q: Good morning. Many Canadian ETFs covering the US market are CAD-hedged e.g., XSU. Can you please help me understand what hedging means to the retail consumer at the present time when the Canadian dollar is worth less than 80 cents US? Does it de-risk currency exchange so that, for example, an index ETF like ZSP gets the full benefit of an increase in the S&P 500?

Thanks as always.

Q: Hello, I have a question about the fixed income part of my portfolio. I have a total of 5 bond etf`s each at 5% for a 25% allotment of fixed income.

ZHY + 1.78%
ZCM + 4.01%
ZIC + 10.12%
ZEF + 2.06%
PSB + 1.65%

This works out to an average gain of 3.93% since January 1st 2015

Would I be better off to simplify my holdings by holding only VAB which is up 4.18% or a combination of the above?

I am also thinking ahead when interest rates may rise and that is why I have PSB.

Thanks, Mike

Q: Peter and team:
Could you please recommend a couple of options for"Dividend Aristocrat/Growers" style ETFs for US Companies. My preference is one that trades on the TSX, and unhegeded vs. hedged, though open to both at this stage.
Second part (perhaps unfair) how do these products compare with the "low volatility" products offered by BMO and iShares?

Thank you as always for a great service.

Phil