Investment Q&A

Q: Good morning,

I was looking for somewhere to put my money for a short period of time and I heard about money market fund etfs and high intrest savings account etfs. I have a vague understanding of the two but would it be possible to get the pros and cons of each and when they preform differently and the worst case scenario (ie what a maximum loss would look like) for these two types of etfs?

Thank you very much,

Aidan

Q: Thoughts on this etf with regards to American interest rates which determine yield payments. Thanx.

Q: Bond ETF's like XLB have performed poorly in the face of peak interest rates and pending Fed rate cuts. Could you offer some insight as to why there has been recent weak demand for US treasuries, whether you see that trend continuing in the near term and at what point bonds may become a rewarding investment?

Q: I own ECN Senior Unsecured 6% Debentures maturing on Dec. 31, 2025. They are currently trading at 84 cents on the dollar, corresponding to an annualized Yield-to-Maturity of about 18%. I am concerned that this extremely high yield indicates serious doubts as to their ability to repay this debt (in cash). What is your opinion as to the viability of ECN?

Q: For earning short term interest, in the past I have bought BA's and CP issued by Canadian Banks. I am now considering PSA and CASH.......which show better yields with lower buy/sell commissions. So - it seems like a no-brainer to put short term cash investments into PSA which shows an indicative yield of 5.5% - versus BA's CP or CASH. Am I missing anything here - does an investment in BA's or CP have advantages over buying PSA?? Does CASH have advantages over PSA despite the lower yield??
Thanks

Q: GIC's that need to be cashed before their due date are penalized whereas individual bonds can be sold before their due date at market price. For Tax Purposes - Which fixed income investment is better for an holder person with limited time horizon?
Thank you for all you do!

Q: Is this bond good value for my bond portfolio .Thanks Phil
altagas can serv 3.84 jan15 25

Q: I hold XLB in my RRSP. What do you think of swapping the XLB for BEP.UN?

Can you address the answer in various interest rate directions please?

( Between BIP.UN in the RRSP and the BN and BAM outside, I already have 10% exposure to the group. Doing the trade would have me bumping 15%. )

Thank You

Q: Hi, Is there a site giving the actual yield of all the HISA ETF’s? The distributions are already decreasing. I guess they are pretty similar, but they change monthly. PS: I do not think the dividend/yield on 5iResearch MarketData are up-to-date. Thanks.

Q: Could you please provide your thoughts on this relatively new ETF and comment on it's ability to maintain the relatively high monthly distributions without eroding the net asset value. Do they have a solid strategy?

Q: TD launched a series of Target Maturity Bond ETFs that terminate in Nov of each given year (e.g. TBCF winds up in Nov 2026)
Normally, for Fixed Income, an investor could:
- own individual bonds with exact payment/maturity certainty but very laborious
- own traditional bond ETFs: very easy, but perpetually renewing maturities and mysterious trading prices---often downward, it seems
However these new ETFs seem to offer the best of both worlds.
MER is 0.20 vs XBB 0.10 which isn’t bad.
By TD’s offering chart (May 2), TBCF shows a Yield to Maturity (net of fees) of 4.87%.
Seems like a lot to like here for the individual investor, in Fixed Income.
As a Portfolio Analytics subscriber, the Asset Allocator is unhappy with my dearth of Fixed Income holdings!

Q: Feels like the right time to step into long term bonds. Do you agree and what would be your maximum allocation in an income portfolio? Thanks as always.

Q: Hi 5i
I am asking for advice on purchasing T-Bills from any of the big bank self-investing firms.
1) for a client with lots of investments with a bank, what kind of a spread can a retail investor expect to pay upfront on a 3 month, 6 month and 10 year US T-Bill?
2) how much will this spread change over time? Is there a market condition which advantages the retail investor?
3) is there one of the big banks that does a better job over the others in terms of managing the grey bond/t-bill market? i.e. offering clients a fair bond offering (both in terms of what is available and the percent the bank takes off the top)?
4) perhaps quest trade or interactive brokers show a better offering when it comes to fixed assets?
TIA

Q: Would you consider this ETF as an alternative to bond ETFs? The yield is attractive but I’m not familiar with this type of private credit investment and what the risks are or how sustainable the yield is.
Thanks.

Q: Can I get your opinion on mortgage backed securities (US) for one’s income portfolio? Do these increase in value as interest rates decrease similar to bonds? Thanks.

Q: What is your forecast for long term US Treasuries over the next 3 months and again for one year out.
I purchased an ETF which holds long term US treasuries expecting a flat to downwards move in interest rates. The exact opposite has happened which has resulted in downward pressure on the ETFs unit price basically wiping out the distribution.
Your crystal ball please.

Q: I own ecn.db.b in an RRSP account for income. Would you have concerns that ECN will be able to continue to provide semi-annual payments on this debenture?

Q: Hello 5i team,
I have HBND in my TFSA for US bond exposure (and the high monthly income). The ETF started in Sept of last year and was wondering what your thoughts are in general for this security?
Thank You,
Andrew

Q: Hi,

Just curious how these ETF providers are able to make money with these etfs with a very attractive rates.

Thanks,

Sunday

Q: On 9 Jan 2023, Horizons ETF issued a press release with the following comments on HSUV.U:
“suspension will help manage potential tax implications and ensure that HSUV.U can continue to reinvest its distributions”
“Horizons ETFs is strongly discouraging investors from purchasing shares of HSUV.U”
I was wondering what the risk was for: a) managing potential tax implications, and b) the inability to reinvest its distributions. The other point discouraging investors from purchasing shares was new to me and I’d be grateful for your views.

Also, in the not so remote possibility that the growing US Govt debt finally produced the anticipated “big bang” (ie. default, no new ceiling, … what else?), what would you expect to see just prior to the explosive event? If you were retired and had 65% of your nest egg presently in money market funds (100% safe), what number (% safe) would you apply to moving the funds to HSUV.U?

Your deep and practical insights into how the market reacts continue to surprise and impress me. I have learned so much since my first subscription to 5i and can simply offer a big thank you. And, of course, keep trying to do my own financing homework !