Investment Q&A

Q: First of all, I want to thank the entire team for their services. I think you are all doing a great job and I appreciate the advice 5i provides.
My question is related to when to sell an investment. I've watched the YouTube video that indicates investors should sell an investment when there is:
1) Negative changes to company of industry
2) Over-promising & under-delivering by management
3) Declining revenues
4) Changes in competition
5) High debt

I know people shouldn't sell when a stock has gone up, but how do we know when a stock is overextended / expensive? Is there a metric you use to determine a good exit point, or do you just stick with your 5 reasons? Thanks!

Q: Hi 5i Team,

You have stated in the past that in your ideal world, stocks would be classified with 15 sectors (itemized below). Over the past year, you have suggested target sector weights that a model portfolio should aim for. I am doing some mid year rebalancing / new capital deployment with my portfolio and hoping you can fill in your updated target sector weights for the next 6-12 months based on what you see in the economy.

Capital Goods / Industrials =
Consumer Cyclical =
Consumer Staples =
Energy =
Financials =
Health Care (CDN) =
Health Care (US) =
Information Technology =
Internet / Software =
Materials (Gold / Silver) =
Materials (Metals) =
Real Estate =
Retail =
Telecommunication Services =
Transportation =
Utilities =
TOTAL = 100%

(Risk Profile = 8 out of 10 with long time horizon, current portfolio consists of 45% small cap, 25% mid cap & 30% large cap)

Thank You.

Q: Peter, given the seasonal "sell in May" scenario, even though it seems irrelevant this year, combined with the extremely high TSX near record levels, would it not be prudent to wait till the summer to rebalance or increase current holdings, even in growth names like DHX, SJ, ACQ, AVO, AYA, BAD, SGY and WCP. Or are today's prices ok for a 3 year hold. Thanks as usual
Dave

Q: When asked to recommend 4 growth stocks on June 9th you suggested AVO,ACQ,BAD,and AYA. When asked a similar question today you suggest DHX,SJ,and WSP. Please explain why you would recommend completely different 'growth stocks' to the same query within a two day period? Otherwise when scanning the Q/A column for my own guidance I find this inconsistency confusing rather than helpful.
Thanks

Q: I have a $100,000 GIC coming due and do not plan to renew it. I plan to put $90,000 of it into the market. I like stocks with some growth combined with a decent dividend. I already have a well diversified portfolio. Would you please suggest some stocks that you would currently recommend.
Thanks for your great service.

Q: Should the internals of the market start deteriorating (preferably before then), what could DIY investors do, to protect their portfolios, aside from correct/smart asset allocation? Would buying inverse ETFS help and if so, could you recommend any for the TSX and S&P? Or if there is a better way, hope you share with us. (I am a survivor of the 2008-2009 crisis before being a DIY, thus the apprehension)

Because of this market experience, the quality of your unparalleled service is really appreciated. I have never seen such a deal. I marvel about what you do on a daily basis. I hope you company is there for the long haul.

Q: As an avid market follower I value your comments on the market. Knowing that market timing is virtually impossible, what would your favorite indicator(s) be that we have reached the "euphoric" apex? Thanks for the great service! Ron

Q: With markets at all time highs Is this a good time to look at taking some profits and moving to bonds such as ishares 1-5 laddered Bond ETF or a DEX ST Corp Universe ETF?

Q: What is your opinion about about VIX( volatility index ?). Is it worth investing money on this stock for future gain. ? It has been very low for a while and something is going happen sooner or later.Thanks. Ebrahimk

Q: Hi Peter,

My condo is for sale; Any thoughts on where/how to invest the proceeds in the most tax efficient way? Right now I have a decent income. Should I still be in dividend paying stocks/etfs? Are growth stocks too risky at this point? Thanks for any ideas!

Q: Greetings: I have read countless articles and books on asset allocation, most of which have a different twist on AA. What is your expert opinion on AA? What % equity,fixed income, and cash and also what do you consider fixed income? Some consider REITs and prefs fixed and some consider only bonds,GICs fixed. Considering the current environment which way would you "tilt" the portfolio and by how much? Thanks Ron

Q: Peter, thank you for all the sound advice you offer to us. we keep hearing that what goes up must go down. I remember back in 2004 people saying bank stocks were a no brainer as they kept going up although we were starting to see some segments of the economy ie car indusdry showing signs of weakness. However the stock market continued in a positive trend for another few years. Should we be concerned at this junture or continue to have faieth in the capital markets? Would you consider this to be a hold period and buy on weakness or sell on strength so you have cash for a future downturn. I realize you do not have a crystal ball and no one can time the market but there are trends I am sure you have seen.thank you again for the service you offer.
m

Q: What are your thoughts about the Canadian dollar vs the US dollar?

Q: Hi Peter: My husband and I who are both in our mid 70's have sold our house and so have a lump sum to invest. We are retired so looking at fairly conservative investing. We are considering investing in ETF's and would appreciate your guidance as to the percentage diversification between Equity ETF's, Bond ETF's and cash equivalents. Thanks Judy

Q: Hello Peter and Co,
In my opinion, stock prices have gone up in the last few years because economic prospects were improving; by bringing more liquidity in the system, quantitative easing has greatly contributed to the rise in stock values.
QE will fade away soon (in the fall? early next year? don't know for sure; when that happens,it would stand to reason that stock values would correct. How does one prepare for such an eventuality? I could raise some cash, say 20-30%. For your info:
my long term objective was to get a growth rate of 7% pa; however, my portfolio has gone up by 14.6% pa in the last 3½ years whereas the benchmark has gone up by only 5.4% pa in that same period.
I value your opinion.
Thanks
Tony

Q: Hi Team : a general question on takeovers using PFE as an example. Is it fair to assume the buyer's stock price will weaken while the buyout rises? Assuming the buyer (PFE) has to raise equity/debt and the price of the target keeps rising,PFE share price will likely stagnate/fall during this process?

Q: It's my understanding that the yields on Greek, Spanish and Irish debt are currently trading at very thin spreads to US teasuries. My instinct is that this represents an overall high level of risk complanency in the markets in general and that we are likely due for some weakness ahead as things normalize. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Q: Hi Peter, Can you explain the difference averaging down vs. averaging in? For explain I bought 500 shares of AVO at $27 a few weeks ago and I bought 250 more shares at $21 on the initial dip. Was this a bad strategy?

Averaging down didn't work out too well for investors in Nortel or Blackberry.

Q: Hi:
In iffy markets like this , I usually grab some profit and duck for cover ... even when I react OK I never get back in the market soon enough ...
This time I am taking the daily blows and am staying put ...
Are there stocks I should be looking at as best buying opportunities or sectors to which I should focus ???
Your site has helped me immensely . Thankyou .

Q: Hi,
I currently only have cash and Canadian stocks in my portfolio, the cash accounts for roughly 40% of my portfolio, but I am looking to invest into some EFT's, mutual funds and US stocks as well. can you please advise me roughly what weightings i should be giving to EFT's, mutual funds and US stocks under the assumption that my Canadian stocks are relatively diversified. And also which EFTs, mutual funds and US stocks would you recommend as of today? I am in my mid 20's and have a relatively long term horizon. Thanks in advance.