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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: The payouts on preferreds have become astronomical, and I'm a retired person needing income. Is this the bargain of the century?

John
Read Answer Asked by John on March 17, 2020
Q: These are min reset prefs good til Feb 23 paying 5.2% min
Now at the time Kinder credit rating was 1 notch higher at 3H than Pembinas
and now they are trading at $10. The ppl.pr a which are somewhat similar in payment are at $14. Buyers/sellers are concerned about what, Pembina will cut common div and then the pref div making them no bid.
Comments welcomed,, oh yeah, they are yielding 11%
Read Answer Asked by Pat on March 17, 2020
Q: P/P $15, 1.5% position. Dropped sharply last 2 trading days($11.75 to current $9.05).Any reasons? Current yield 9.98% mainly due to drop in stock price.Reportedly rate is based on 5yr GOC plus 2.89% & resets on Mar 31/21.I think the 5yr GOC is currently 0.62% which indicates a much lower rate then.Please may I have your opinion.If it is advisable to sell,please give 2 to 3 replacemrents dividend stocks( not preferred) Txs for u usual great services & advices
Read Answer Asked by Peter on March 17, 2020
Q: I have provided a sampling of the Preferred Shares I have in my holdings where most of them have rate renewals out into 2023/24. With prospect of a recession and lower interest rates I have locked in returns for the short-term, would you be able to provide some insight into why their market valuation has dropped 25-30% in most cases? Are investors doubting Royal Bank, Bell, Algonquin Power, etc of being able to meet their debt obligations?
Read Answer Asked by Ted on March 16, 2020
Q: It seems like Groundhog Day regarding the Rate Reset Preferred Shares,
and my laddered holdings of Minimum Rate Reset Preferreds are getting thrown away with all the rest. I hold them with an annuity-like mentality, meaning I don't really care anymore how the market values them, and plan on holding them until the stones are bouncing off the casket lid. While interest rates are widely viewed as being "lower for longer" (at present), why shouldn't I be happy to collect (at least) the minimum dividends (commonly 4% - 5%) which are much better than most fixed-income alternatives) from issues of blue chip credits? The outside risk of dividend suspensions is recognized, but aren't redemptions (if and when they occur) limited to a return of the issue price? What am I missing?
Read Answer Asked by Howard on March 13, 2020
Q: In my RRSP accounts I have built up a laddered GIC portfolio in addition to a variety of stocks and equity etfs, taking the income generated by the portfolio and adding to the ladder. Given the low rates for 5 yr GIC, under 2%, I’m thinking of taking this years income and purchasing CVD, which has a lower payout but more stability than the above mentioned Preferred share ETFs.
I may split my purchase between CVD and one of the above Preferred Share ETFs and am leaning towards ZPR as performance and MER of the 3 is similar but ZPR has a higher dividend payout.
In addition to better income, interest rates should be close to bottoming and if I stage my purchases over the next 3 months I will benefit from unit price appreciation when rates start going up and will have locked in a 5-6% return.
Your thoughts please.
Read Answer Asked by Bruce on March 13, 2020
Q: I'm looking for ways to hedge exposure to the perpetual preferred market?
I own a large portfolio of Canadian bank, insurance and utility perpetual prefs. All of which I have profits on. This weeks carnage bled into the pref market. I don't try selling because the spread between the bid and the ask is too wide. Not to mention triggering capitoI gains tax.
I was able to place shorts on CPD, ZPR and HPR the day they went ex dividend and that has worked somewhat but to little to late. I don't like using shorts simply because short gains are considered income to the CRA. Plus the duration of the short trade is small as to not payout someone elses dividend!!
There must be a better way to solve this issue? I'm unable to find an ETF that is the polar opposite of CPD. I'm open to all suggestions....options, inverse ETF suggestions, TLT maybe??
Help...
Read Answer Asked by nicholas on March 03, 2020
Q: Hi,
Prediction : PWF preferred series I and G will be redeemed. POW put aside 350MM to redeem preferred shares in the latest reorg. These 2 perpetual issues are down significantly since mid-Dec, have the highest coupons and total about 350MM …POW has also perpetuals with high rates but they seem pretty stable. Your guess? Could they be redeemed as soon as this quarter? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Denise on February 19, 2020
Q: perpetual preferred shares - I am trying to understand the risks in purchasing perpetual preferreds as part of my fixed income allocation. i am going into retirement so steady income is more important to me than the day to day fluctuations in the face value of these. I understand the risks with rate reset but wondering what i am missing with Perpetuals. I hold a number of them in my US investment account and they have generally been significantly less volatile than the market in general and continue to pay me a nice steady stream of income. Am i missing something here!
Read Answer Asked by kelly on February 14, 2020