Investment Q&A

Q: Hi, as many canadians I suppose, I am really overweight $CDA in my investments. I try to buy canadian cmies with lots of international exposure to mitigate this risk. Can you please provide your comments on the validity of this argument. For the average canadian investor who plans to stay in Canada, what % of your portfolio would you allocate to US / international stocks? (General rule of thumb). Thank you.

Q: When we are facing the specter of the federal government spending without regard to the future and the Governor of the Bank of Canada saying negative interest rates are back on the table, how could investors reposition their portfolios to mitigate the negative aspects of these events? Can you provide a few examples across the various sectors where one could start to reposition a portfolio?
Thank you...

Q: When the bond market reverses which sectors of the market would benefit.
Please list your top 5 names on the TSX under such a scenario.
Thanks Richard

Q: When Trump won the White House in the last election stock market rebounded sharply. If he is successful next month I would think we would see the same, however if Biden wins his election platform is quite different and wonder what your opinion would be if this is the case.
As an investor should we be locking in gains now.
Thanks and look forward to response
Rick

Q: I recently read that in 2009, the US accounted for 30% of world market cap. Today, that figure is about 55%.

In terms of portfolio allocations, I am trying to decide how best to do my geographic allocations for the next 10 years. My guess is that the main geographic regions (Canada, US, Developed International, Emerging Markets) trend over longer timeframes towards a norm, and the US is now overweight based on long-term historicals. However, I do not know where to find the data to test this hypothesis.

Do you have any data, starting after WWII, which show the relative geographic market cap weightings? Do the relative weights of the geographic regions revert to a norm over time? Which geographic regions are currently under and overweight based on historicals?

Thank you for your valued insights.

Q: I was wondering if you would be able to give me a few stock buy and sells based on the upcoming US election.

1. If Trump wins, what stocks could do well and what stock will not do well.
2. If Biden wins, what stocks could do well and what stocks will not do well.

Can you give me a few of your Growth Portfolio stocks that you might considering lightening up on and a few stocks that you might consider purchasing more. (Feel free to add in any other CAN stocks and a few US stock as well).

Q: Hello Folks:
I have about 20% of my portfolio currently in cash and am usually close to 100% invested. In your humble opinion is this as good a time as any to buy or do you feel we have enough significant risk to hold off?
I certainly understand no one has a perfect crystal ball, however do value your insight!
Thanks again!
brian

Q: Hi

Based on the current events show going on in the US.
I am thinking of selling all my US holdings and buying them back when the dust settles.
Capture the gains and buy them back at a steep discount.
Your comments Please

Thanks
Mike

Q: I was reviewing Vanguard's VFMO ETF and comparing it to iShares MTUM ETF. These two momentum ETFs use very different approaches. Which approach do you feel is best for a long-term investor? Is there any other US momentum ETF which you prefer to these two?

Thank you for your excellent advice.

Q: Thanks for the recent update, I look forward to your monthly emails.

With respect to point two about locking in some profits, I've often wondered how this works for institutions. Would they actually sell their portfolio and go to cash for the remainder of the year? Do most mutual funds not have to be mostly in the market thus having only a small cash position? I suppose you're referencing other major institutions like pension funds, hedge funds, etc.? Are they more flexible in how much cash they can hold?

Personally I'm tempted to sell to lock in my 2020 gains which have been my best ever (lots of great 5i picks, thanks) but then the question of when to get back in always confounds me. I'm all registered accounts to so no loss to write off and no gains to worry about at tax season.

Say one did want to lock in some gains what would you suggest? Selling high fliers, only to potentially miss some more gains? Sell the lagards? Sell the high risk? Balanced?

Cam

Q: In one of your recent updates there was a bar graph which compared the performance of all sectors of the economy. Technology outperformed all.
Going forward over the next year. is there a sector or sectors that you think will perform better than others?

Q: I've encountered, in less than a week, no less than four articles in various media, predicting that the US dollar is going to 'crash' in 2021 with suggestions it could drop 35%-50% in the coming year. This one on CNBC is an example. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/23/us-faces-dollar-crash-high-double-dip-recession-odds-stephen-roach.html

Obviously this would be disastrous to anyone with US dollar holdings or stocks in US accounts. What do you think of this? I know you're generally against hedged ETFs but do you think that might be a decent idea now for those wanting to hold US stocks?

Q: Hi crew, what are 5-10 stocks that would be considered disrupters?

Thank you,
Kevin

Q: The Fed has basically said that it will keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future, and allow inflation to run a bit higher, to average 2% longer-term.

It looks as if we will be heading into a new investment environment where interest rates could be lower than inflation for an extended period of time. In this type of environment, what factors, sectors and geographic regions do you see doing well? Given the high current valuations for high tech and FAANG stocks, do you continue to recommend overweighting this sector for the next few years?

Thank you for your valuable insights.

Q: If we found a Covid-19 vaccine tomorrow, what are the most depressed companies now that would benefit the most?

Q: What would you conjecture would be the market's response if the following were to occur: 1. Biden wins so decisively that Trump leaves with very little resistance 2. The Republicans win the Senate and 3. Shortly thereafter, we come up with a successful vaccine ? Thanks.

Q: Hi Peter and Team,

Now that the second wave of Covid is deemed to be officially here (at least in Canada), do you have a sense that another steep market drop is inevitable? I was reading an article by Rob Carrick in the Globe today, and his advice (verbatim) is, "Anyone who has money that they cannot afford to lose in stocks should get it out, right now. This includes seniors who don’t have their cash cushion set up, home buyers who got tired of earning nothing by keeping their down payment money in a savings account and, more broadly, anyone who will need their money within five to 10 years."

Sounds like Rob is pretty convinced that a significant drop is likely, but my inner gambler voice is telling me that most people expect another quick market rebound (like from April-August), which may negate having a steep sell-off in the first place. Any thoughts from your vantage point? Thanks. Brad

Q: Hi, I own NFI, which is down almost 50%. Would you recommend selling it for AC if dividend and sector are not my primary concerns? Thanks.

Q: I just retired with no pension and living off my portfolio. I’m sitting on a lot of cash right now with very little US investments. I would like to start buying slowly. What would you suggest. Preferably ETF’s listed on the TSX with the odd US stock. Thanks

Q: Hi,

1)What 2 sectors of the economy (not technology) would u be most confident of appreciating in the next five years? Consumer discretionary? Healthcare? Utilities? Banks?
2) I'm a medium risk investor looking a for a US etf with reasonable beta and sustainable growth. Can u suggest 2 or 3? It can have some tech but not be mainly tech as I already own AMZN, Apple, Netflix, Zoom, Shop.
3) Are there any CDN version etf's that cover the same sectors of the US? Can you suggest 2 or 3?