Investment Q&A

Q: I have money invested in non-registered accounts which I will need in 1-3 years for a downpayment on a house.

Am I correct that money needed in a 1-3 year time frame should not be invested in the markets ?

If so, what should be done with this money ? Any "money" ETF s to consider ? Thank you !

Q: Hi Peter,
Regarding bond and US treasuries ETFs, if the ETF yield on my purchase date is 5%, would my annual interest income remain to be 5% as long as I hold the ETF, similar to my buying a bond with a yield to maturity of 5% and hold it to maturity? What are your top choices for 10 year US treasuries ETFs US listed, and Canadian listed and what’s their current yields? Thanks.

Q: Recently I asked a question on HBND. Could 5i give me a similar analysis on HPYT ? As well as comparison of the different structures between the two . The only one I am aware of is the 50% position of HBND that is not covered calls . Not sure what the situation is with HYPT ..... The yield on the two is considerably different with the former yielding 10% and the latter 15% ...... Please compare what you would suspect would happen differently with each under rising/stagnant/falling interest rates ?..... Thanks Garth

Q: I am looking for $US-denominated ETFs to hold within my RRSP/RRIF. I would be interested in both shorter and longer-term names. When I review the questions you have answered and the company's literature, it is not clear if the bonds pay US dollars or are simply US bonds bought in Canadian dollars.

I am assuming that any ETFs that fit my criteria would not result in US taxes being paid as long as they are held directly in my registered accounts. If this is not the case, please suggest ways to ensure no taxes are withheld at source.

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: Some time ago when rates were starting to go up I bought XSB for the bond (cash) part of my investments, . The thinking was that the "Short" would protect against rising rates. Alas, things did not work out that way and the holding is down about 9 %, not including interest paid. At this point, can you see any advantage to holding XSB with a return of 2-3 % when GICs are available at more than 5%? Many thanks

Q: Hi team
I have around 150,000 in money market funds which is earning decent interest
I am going to use the above as a cushion so that if the stock market went down further , I do not have any worries
interest rates can still go up, but eventually cold come down so that the nice returns from the money market fund would be not as good
my strategy
put 1/3, around 50,000, put it in a ladder GIC 10,000 dollars each matures in 1-5 years in five 10,000 amount
put 1/3 into bonds, using a broad Cdn bond etf, something like XBB , XBD with lower risks; any suggestions of a mix Cdn high grade bond fund (no junk bonds) would be appreciated
and the remaining 1/3 continue to put it in the money market fund as the inflation could be hard to control and interest rates continue to peak;
I wonder what you think of my strategy?
any suggestions would be appreciated
thanks
Michael

Q: I have about 80,000. in cash that I would like to collect interest on for a while. Can you suggest some options for this.
Thank You
Peter

Q: hello 5i:
we're interested in starting a small position in HBND.
First, can you clarify something.
You said, in reply to a previous question: "But if rates stagnate or decline, and for an investor seeking income, the yield on this ETF may come under pressure, but its unit price can see capital appreciation. "
Are you saying here, that if (for example), the 10 year Treasury were to fall from 4.8ish to 2.4ish, that HBND would then yield around 5%? Along with a capital gain?

Second: would the decrease in HBNDs yield matter that much, as Treasuries and GICs, etc, would have a similar decrease in rates (a 1 year GIC paying around 2.5% vs a current rate of around 5%?

Third: isn't a stagnant yield almost ideal for a covered call bond, as nothing is changing, other than the seller continuing to collect the premiums from the sale of the covered calls?
thanks
Paul L

Q: With U.S. Treasury yields on the rise, is this a good time to buy this U.S Treasury focused ETF? Also, looking forward, and assuming a higher for longer scenario for interest rates, that are at a peak now, and will stay there for a couple of years, what would your outlook be for this ETF? Is the yield sustainable at a targeted 10%, or might it rise in the short term? Thanks. Will

Q: Thank you for the answer provided today to Guy R. re Structured Notes.
My question is similar but about Principal Protected Notes pushed by advisors as well.
Thank You!

Q: MY ERROR ! I asked the question ... "I have recently come across some US covered call ETF's offering +10% returns on ES Bonds. Sorry, don't have the ticker. They are on streaming platforms and flash by before I can write then down. Can you comment on the danger of such an investment, the stability of the dividend as interest rates are certain to shift. Thanks ! " BUT, I meant to type US (not ES). SORRY. Please deduct a few additional questions due to my typo.

Q: With the sell-off and resultant higher yields on bonds, what are a few bond ETFS that I might consider as a short term park for money in registered accounts. Maybe there are bonds I could buy? They are hard to get some times on my bank platform: CIBC Investors Edge.

I have not owned any bonds for a very long time. Prefer dividend growth stocks.

Q: What can you tell us about structured notes and any recommendations?

Q: Dear 5i,
Many experts are suggesting that Bonds are very attractive right now because of the high yields.
Can you please suggest some Canadian bond ETF's and Mutual Funds that one might want to do further research on. In your opinion what duration range represents a sweet spot that might offer attractive total return within 3 years.

Q: Good Morning ,

Could we have your opinion on this new listing from Harvest. Also do you see their risk evaluation as accurate (medium-low). Thank you.

Q: I recently noticed that I had been given Rights by Constellation software which ended on Sept 28. I have done nothing about these Rights, so will there be any consequences, tax or otherwise that I did not exercise them. I am confused what these Rights meant and I had not looked at my account for a while, so I must have missed the information. Can you explain what I should have done and if there are any tax consequences of having done nothing. Thank you

Q: Hi there, with all the buzz about fixed income, Gics, bonds etc. I feel like maybe I should be increasing my exposure in my RRSP. I am retired and definitely have a diversified portfolio more slanted toward div paying solid equity companies.

I know you can’t give personal advice but what might be a good way to tweak my portfolio to increase fixed income exposure for 5-10 years ie gic or bond ladder, ETFs, individual bonds or?

Or should I stay in dividends and forget about it?

Ok thank you!

Q: Hello Peter and company,

With XLB hitting a new 52 week low, should I continue to take a long term view that yields will eventually be lower? I took a position in January and not sure weather to add, sell or hold. I have a 4% position with the reminder in the balanced portfolio and cash.

Thanks for the great service,
Angelo

Q: Peter; I’ve read the replies on both- what is the difference between the two - XCB seems to have performed better over the year. Thanks.
Rod

Q: Are the Extendible Notes offered by TD Bank as safe as GICs . They offer a slightly better yield on CAD GICs and over 6% on USD . There must be a downside to cause this ... Please explain