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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: 3 short questions:
(1)XSU:CA is the TSX listed hedged version of IWM:US. Is there an unhedged version of IWM:US on the TSX?
(2) Is there a listing on the TSX for IWN:US; either hedged or unhedged?
(3) XSMC:CA (100% IJR:US) has net assets of only $35M compared to net assets of $544M for XSU:CA (100% IWM). Can I conclude from this that IWM is the more popular US small cap ETF in Canada? 5i research has suggest the IJR holds larger, possibly more stable US small caps compared to IWM.
Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Grant on February 26, 2024
Q: Just finished reading the Money Saver's email warning " Avoiding The Yield Trap " on covered call ETF's . Where it mentions ETF's yielding in excess of 10% yet uses a BMO banking covered call as an example . I believe all the Hamilton ETF covered call products yield in that 10% or better area and in the case of the banking ETF ZWB used as an example, HMAX yields 15% which beats ZEB's 10 year return by over 5% . And that doesn't take into account the 50% of the HMAX portfolio that contains the underlying stock which should return 50% of the return on ZEB .....If ZEB over 10 years returns 9.6% then HMAX should return the annual yield of 15% plus 4.8% reflecting the 50% of the portfolio containing the underlying stock .... There will also be a small capital gain/loss reflecting the covered call side of their holdings which I have no idea how to calculate so have ignored .... Please explain how I would be missing out growth in the banking sector using the example the Money Saver used were I to purchase HMAX instead of ZWB ? 15% + 4.8% = 19.8% which doubles ZEB's return ...... Please explain the flaws in my logic. { I suspect they are there I just don't know what they are }

Also could 5i give me a list of all the Hamilton ETF products that operate like HMAX { 50% of the portfolio with the underlying securities } with an explanation of what sector they represent, their current yield in percent , and annual dividend amount { I'd like this number so I can calculate the yield on any given day while I follow them and make my decisions on whether and when to purchase }

Thanks for your great service in helping us DIY investors ......
Read Answer Asked by Garth on February 26, 2024
Q: While planning for our upcoming Japan trip, I noticed that the Japanese Yen is at a 30 year low against the USD. Any insight into why that might be? Do you see a way to profit from this, directly or indirectly?
Read Answer Asked by Alfred on February 26, 2024
Q: In the last couple of days there has been a few references on BNN to some regulatory changes that will have the effect of reducing the rates paid on HISAs at banks, etc. Can you pls explain exactly what is happening and how much effect there will be from this? Last, are there reasonable alternatives (ie secure with good rates) available if the rates go down in any significant way? Thanks for your excellent service
Read Answer Asked by Leonard on February 23, 2024
Q: Can you suggest some Canadian and US listed stocks and ETF's one might want consider to get a small exposure to BlockChain in a TFSA. Do any of these companies make any money? Do you think the ETF's are reasonable proxies for BitCoin but with less volatility?
Read Answer Asked by Ian on February 22, 2024
Q: I would appreciate your expertise on the idea of a large portion of my rrif ,my only source of retirement income beyond government oas and cap. Comprising a global etf with some stability, income 3-4% and some growth. If you feel this is better done with a North American or purely Canadian product that is ok but it would be supplemented with NA income stocks.
Thanks for your help
Tom
Read Answer Asked by Tom on February 22, 2024
Q: Wanting to add Cdn. oil & gas producers to my portfolio. I would like to add 2 ETFs, one to go into my TFSA and the other into the taxable (cash) account. What I would like some thoughts/suggestions on, are possible alternatives. Obviously, one of my major concerns is tax efficiency. Thanks to other subscribers for their questions and, of course, to the 5i Team. Bill
Read Answer Asked by Bill on February 21, 2024
Q: Hey Peter & Team,

Apologies if I missed the answer when I searched, but I found it difficult to find my answer when I looked for a U$ dollar equivalent to "CASH." What would you suggest 3 - 6 months hold??? OR is there a U$ ETF representing GICs?

Thanks for all you do

gm
Read Answer Asked by Gord on February 21, 2024
Q: Hi Peter and 5iresearch team
I don't have any exposure to materials. I have XBM and LIT on my list.
1. Is now a good time to start investing in materials?
2. Would you consider other ETFs/stocks (US or CAD) that must be held as a first step investing in materials?
Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Ahmed on February 21, 2024
Q: I currently hold XMC in my unregistered account as I want exposure to the S&P Midcap 400 index. However, as you pointed out in your response to a recent question, the MER at 0.61% is quite high. Do you recommend an equivalent ETF that trades in the US that I could buy instead? Are there any disadvantages to replacing a Canadian listed ETF with a US listed ETF in an unregistered account (other than realizing tax on the capital gain upon the disposition of XMC)? Thanks as always.
Read Answer Asked by Andre on February 21, 2024
Q: Can you please suggest a few ETF's for a young investor who has recently opened a brokerage account.
My 30 y/o son will be transferring funds currently held at his bank. (TSFA , RESP, RRSP accounts) He is looking for long term investments options.

We as grand parents have started a RESP for each of the grandchildren. Looking after their first year RESP contributions. Currently invested in HXS and a small VFV position.
Can you please give some options for :
RRSP
RESP
TSFA
Thank you
Gord
Read Answer Asked by Gord on February 20, 2024
Q: Morning 5iTeam,

Would you please recommend a couple of bitcoin ETFs in both Canadian and US markets.

Cheers,
Harry
Read Answer Asked by Harry on February 16, 2024
Q: I am looking for an etf that addresses small-mid cap US stocks in a cash account, but can be bought in $CDN. I stumbled across TQSM which is a little small for my liking and has a higher MER than I prefer, but otherwise seems to cover the field I am interested in.
What is your opinion of TQSM and do you have other suggestions for this area?
Read Answer Asked by Elliott on February 16, 2024