Investment Q&A

Q: I have a balanced portfolio across my TDSA and RRSPs. I recently put some money in my non-registered and wanted to use it as a separate portfolio – the idea being to buy things that should bounce back well from correction. In the past I've sold on correction and this time I want to take advantage of low prices. I would but 1.4 position per week for the next 4 weeks. These are the positions I would take. Do you think this is a good strategy? Its a small amount of cash which is why I picked only 7 stocks. Please note I added a US and Canadian ETF to add some stability. I’m hoping fort gains over the next year but could hold for 5 years if need be.

Efn 10%
Xtc 10%
Aya 10%
Gib 10%
Csu 10%
Ccl 10%
Crh 5%
Vrx 10%
Cdz 10%
VGG 15%

Q: Just would like to thank you for your RED "do not panic today"!!!!
Issaku

Q: I'd just like to thank you for your red letter notice trying to soften the panic among retail investors. It's odd but as I logged on I was thinking to myself it would be nice at times like this for an experienced adviser to try to calm people a little. People who sell in panic are foolish. The TSX was down 750 at the open, now down less than 100. As someone said earlier, for every panicky investor who screams "sell" there's a person at the other end of the trade thinking he's getting a great deal on that stock. Who's likely to make money?

Q: When the markets opened this morning, stocks appeared to be down sharply, and many slowly increasing. How do you time buying in a market like this, where there are opportunities. Is here a better time to buy during the day? And generally how do you buy in a market like this?

Q: Would you please elaborate on your answer to Joel as to which companies you would recommend to buy whose dividends have been increased and whose stock value has softened?
Thank you for your great service

Q: I was wondering if North West Company would be a company to buy at this time. It seems to be gaining momentum after years of trading in a range. What would you recommend? Thank you for your wise advice.

Q: You DO look after your members, (the "red" is a caring and reassuring touch.) How does this compare to the financial crisis?

Q: Hello Peter & team, You mentioned this today:

"One of our favourite moves in a bad market is to buy companies who have recently raised dividends yet whose stocks have weakened. In these cases, management has indicated all is well, yet markets have made the stocks cheaper for non-fundamental reasons." Which companies would you recommend based on the above?
Thank you!

Q: In this horrible environment, how would AYA and IT perform? Do you think it's an opportunity to buy/add at these prices?
Thank you!

Q: hello..Not selling anything but want to buy few...can you please advise 4-5 top buys. Thanks

Q: I am thinking about buying this company, but I want to see if I am missing something fundamental about them first. I see an ROE of 15%, year on year growth of 70%, a balance sheet not overloaded with debt, and the institution of a new roughly 6% dividend. Management claims they can double the lending book in the next three years. Is this not going to be an Alaris-like long term dividend grower off of a 6% base? Thanks

Q: In this market,your advice is to keep calm,& the best course is to do nothing if portfolio is set up properly.Please advise if there are any stock in my below portfolio that I should NOT own. CGX,CQE,CRR.UN,DRT,ET,INN.UN,KEL,PHM,SJ,CEF.A,MNW,RX,SYZ,XSR,SU,PFE(US),HSBC(US),AMD(us) Thanks a lot for your usual great services & views.

Q: Some general guidance please. In this stock market correction some of the 5i stocks have held up quite well. Examples include CSU, ESL, DSG, SJ, SYZ, FSZ. Some other stocks have been creamed. For allocating new funds at this time, do you think the best risk adjusted returns will come from adding to these strong positions or adding to the stocks that have been creamed? Or is is entirely a company specific decision? Thanks.

Q: Good Morning. I have built up a considerable amount of US cash over the past few years. Does it make sense to buy dual listed stocks in US? Do you have any favorite US names in large cap companies as well that I should consider trying to pick up at lower prices in the next weeks? Some names I'm considering are MG, TD, DIS, GILD, HD. I would like companies exposed to the US market such as health care and the US consumer. Thanks so much for your help!

Q: We are thinking of taking a 3% weighting in either CCL.B or AGU. Our US dollar weighting is currently around 20% which may be too low. We have cash and I would probably sell some ALA in which we are slightly overweight (6%). I suppose our bank stocks (BNS & TD) are inter listed on the NYSE so the shares could simply be transferred to increase the US dollar weighting and purchase CCL.B. I am aware AGU offers a better dividend than CCL.B. We don't own any agriculture stocks but have a number of industrials - MDA, NFI, WSP, ALC & LGT.B. I like all those companies and don't want to sell any of them. In fact I intend to buy more MDA & LGT.B. (I assume CCL.B is sort of an industrial stock). Do you have any random thoughts one way or the other?

Q: LGT.B dropped a bit last week. I own it and want to buy some more. It is a great company but a pretty thin trader. If something ever went wrong I know I would take a bit of a "haircut". We own about 27 different companies & ETF's - most of them large caps. I think ALC, LGT.B and SYZ are the smallest caps we own. ALC acts like a large cap even though it isn't. I'm waiting patiently on SYZ.
Is a 4% weighting too high for LGT.B?

Q: Can you give me your opinion on Pivot and their QR? Are they expensive? Is the outlook positive with the initiation of the dividend?

Q: Hello Peter
What is your recommendation with these market condition ?
I have almost all of the stocks in the 5i Balance and Growth model portfolios ,should i do nothing and ride the market and wait for the market to rebound ?
Please advise.

Kindest Regards

Claudio

Q: HI Peter
Buying a Canada/US Inter-listed stock in CAD your Canadian account, asking your broker to transfer it to your US account, then selling it in your US account to now receive the proceeds in USD, is called NORBERT'S GAMBIT, I believe. Justin Bender or Dan Bartolotti has written a detailed article about how to do this in TD, BMO, CIBC, Royal or Scotia accounts. This article can probably be accessed if one googles Norbert's Gambit, I believe. sarah

Q: Hi teanm. I have tried to find an answer in the Q and A's but can only find a bit. I have about 13% direct US holdings with US$. I have most of your 3 PFs (just a few of the Growth though). Can you list the holdings/stocks which have US exposure from all 3 PFs please. And do they count as some US exposure or do you suggest I have more direct? I prefer to try and not buy more US$ at this rate. I bought just before it dropped for Canada. I am semi retired with some fixed income. Thanks by the way for helping us keep calm....you're the BEST!

.....sorry..meant to ask for International as well within our PFS??