Investment Q&A

Q: What is the best way to reduce the max drawdown in a long term growth investment portfolio that has increased a lot in value over the years? What are some strategies or things for investors to be cognizant of or do over time?

My investment strategy is to buy high quality compounders and hold them a long time. My top sectors by weight are tech, financials, industrials and cons. cyclical. My bottom ones are utilities, materials and communications with energy and staples in the middle.

It always seems like my portfolio takes the stairs up and the elevator down. I'm happy with the returns so far and hold high quality growth names. Are there strategies to reduce the downside while enjoying the max upside? : ) Such as raising cash or hedging (PSQ, SH) at certain times, although this is market timing which I tend to try to avoid. Your thoughts? Thank you!

Q: So, with all the uncertainty of just a few weeks to the US election and all the Canadian election uncertainty, why not sell, sit with cash and wait for.a couple of months to see what happens. The dive that the stock market took a few weeks ago is a reminder of how fast things can change. Before the dive a few weeks ago I was up about 35 percent for the year and was kicking myself for not selling and putting my feet up for a while. Now my stocks have recovered, I am in almost the same situation again and wondering if I may make the same mistake twice.

Q: In response to a recent question, you had suggested an appropriate portfolio weighting for the tech sector would be 20-30%. Strictly speaking, I hold about 19% tech ( LMN 4.5%, MSFT 5.55%, NVDA 6.5% and UBER 2%). That said, I also hold an additional 17.6% of what I would consider 'tech-like' stocks: GOOG 5%, AMZN 6.75%, and VRT 5.85%. Would you suggest I am overweight, underweight or nicely balanced in terms of my tech holdings? By way of context, I would describe my investment style as risk-managed growth. Thank you.

Q: Hello Peter,
Given your last reply on well at 16 times forward earnings, is this stock mis priced by the market? I would think for growth company, investors would pile into the stock given the current decrease in rates which help small caps.. Any comments? Also, do you think xsu can go much higher or has it rallied already in expectation of rates going down? Lastly, i know you don't believe in market timing but when some stocks surge due to recent announcements on lower rates, is it worth selling and buying it back when markets settle.. much appreciated.

Q: On July 19/24, you indicated buying IWM before the election would be risky. So, does one wait until the elections are completely over, or gradually start buying now. I appreciate your insight on this matter. Is their website for seasonality that you would recommend. Thank very much appreciate your good service.

Q: In your reply to Steve this morning, you said "We think it is important to watch, but there are other indicators that we are watching more closely such as credit spreads or commodity prices." Could you please expand on this? Thanks in advance.

Q: By my own count the TSX is up 12.45% as of last Friday 9/13. My own portfolio is lagging far behind at about upping 1.5%.

Just wonder which sectors are the key drivers that push the TSX up to that about 12.5% level? Also, what are the key mover names in those sectors?

Thanks.

Q: some financial advisors worry about the yield curve predicting difficult economic times to come sometime in the next year or two. Does this play a factor in your market models? Does it suggest caution? I would assume actual company results, earnings growth etc remain primary, but how does one incorporate this type of info without drowning in endless market noise?

Q: US Debt. How long before it sets off a crisis in the stock and bond markets. Is there declining interest in buying American treasuries today? And do you think there is a real risk to the dollar being replaced as the world standard. US politics and media are oblivious to this looming issue, or do you believe this is just paranoia.

Q: Hi group what's you top pick in each of the 6 main sectors regardless of US.Canada also what's a good entry point after the latest market turbulence / most potential for recovery and value appreciation with low to moderate risk. going fwd ...Thanks

Q: Where do you see the price of Bitcoin going in the next year? I am looking to sell within that time frame as I need the money to pay off debts.

Q: Hello, 5i - Can you please give your opinion on the effect graphene will have on steel companies. Thank you.

Q: Sold 1/2 my portfolio (except CSU, TOI, LMN) at the end of August. First week into Sept and I'm looking smart. While I think it's still too early, when and how do I get back into market? Holdings (some sold out in August) include AMZN, META, NVDA, AMD, VRT, BN, SHOP, AXON, SNPS, NOVT, GOOG, NU, ELF.

Q: Hi again,

I just want to confirm that my investment strategy aligns with our prior discussions (Questions on this forum) and see if you have any recommendations for improvement. Here’s the plan I’m considering:

1. FHSA: I’ll be investing in the VFV ETF over the next 8-10 years, aiming for solid growth with moderate volatility, to support my goal of purchasing a home within that time frame.
2. TFSA: I plan to fractionally invest in your growth portfolio over the next 45 years. I’ll be contributing bi-weekly to both my FHSA and TFSA until they are both maxed out, reviewing and adjusting the portfolio as necessary every month based on the portfolio reports.
3. Bitcoin: I intend to allocate 15-20% of my overall portfolio to Bitcoin (in self-custody). Currently, Bitcoin makes up 8%, and I’ll continue to average into it alongside my other investments until I reach my target allocation.

At this stage, my portfolio would consist of approximately 66% in VFV, 25% in the growth portfolio, and 8% in Bitcoin. Moving forward, I plan to:
- Max out my FHSA (VFV) contributions each year.
- Match or exceed those contributions in my TFSA (growth portfolio). Ideally, over time, the growth portfolio would come to make up the majority of my overall portfolio.
- Gradually increase my Bitcoin allocation to reach my target of 15%, then maintain that percentage.

Does this strategy look solid to you, and would you suggest any adjustments before I move forward?

Thank you for all of your help!

Q: Hi Peter, I am 60 years old. What is your opinion on the 100 year minus my age rule to determine the percentage that should be in equities? In other words should I invest 40% in an equity portfolio and put the rest into a ladder GIC or similar. I have a good risk tolerance. Thanks for your time.

Q: Hi. I watch various Youtube videos on investing, usually hosted by different people. I often notice that these individuals present various graphs showing change in EPS over many years or change in cash flow or change in revenue or change in <etc>… Do you know of different graphing tools that may be providing this data? Most graphing tools I see usually show change in stock price, dividends, volume, … The ability to see all the different fundamental data over time looks enticing. Thanks.

Q: What is your view on this article especially of the author's suggestion to reduce exposure to growth stocks in favour of value stocks and high quality bonds? https://epaper.calgaryherald.com/article/281947433202611

Q: Today, I heard Mike Philbrick on Market Call, and one of his top picks was a USA managed futures etf: DBMF (I couldn't see it in your co drop down above). Also, recently I heard on Animal Spirits a podcast on managed futures as well, etf: KMLM, by Krane Shares. I’m interested in knowing what 5i thinks about Managed Futures? It seems it might be a good diversifier for one’s portfolio. Do these etf’s have decays when their futures contracts get rolled over? What are the negatives of these etf’s? Which one would you prefer and why? Or is there another one you like better? Or is it simply better to raise some cash when we think markets get over valued?

Q: I am planning to sell a portion of my portfolio either now or in mid-September. I know September often tends to be a down month for the market. But this September, there will almost certainly be rate cuts in the US...and possibly in Canada, as well. If you were me, would you wait until September to sell...or would you be more inclined to sell now?

Q: You've stated that "We do not think conditions are in place for giant problems, and would be fine staying mostly fully invested."

Historically, every time we have an inverted yield curve paired with a flattening fed funds rate, the market has suffered steep declines when the fed cuts and the yield curve normalizes.

Given that these conditions are currently in place, why do you think a more cautious approach is not warranted?