Investment Q&A

Q: Market Call - David Driscoll - He said that at the top of the market (S&P 500) people were ready to pay 26 times earnings. $26.00 for every dollar of earnings - it is now 20 times earnings. He said that in the last big market correction, earnings went to 16 times earnings. That is what he is waiting for before he puts his money to work. Your take on this?
Thanks,

Q: So all of a sudden all the stocks which have seen nothing but strong momentum for days, weeks, months, are a big buy. Stocks down 30-40% just this month, down 20% this week, are shooting up. I assume this is not everyone getting together and deciding to buy the stocks which have been pummeled, even though they'll probably all drop again tomorrow. It's programmed trading kicking in on some sort of signal we mere mortals don't get. What would that signal be?

Q: When I look at upcoming earnings announcements on Yahoo Finance, most companies have pre-market or after-market as a timeline but some show TAS instead. Could you explain the meaning of TAS , and sometimes TNS. Also do these terms carry any particular significance. Thanks.

Q: My daughter has a Family RESP Account for our 2 grandaughters.
They are soon to be 16 and 13 years young.
Both, at this stage of the education game, appear to be headed to college or university.. I contribute monthly into the RESP plan for my grandchildren.
The original funds were invested in a Target 2025 mutual fund RBF1048, recently rename to RBF5731. This is showing an inception return of 4.4%. Since 2016 I have been investing this thru my Direct Investing Account. My present portfolio mix is about 98% equity Stock and is showing a return of 28%, since inception.
Finally to my question. Since the oldest Granddaughter will be attending post secondary education in the next 2 years and little.
What is your suggestion on how to split the total amount? Should I start investing more in fixed income?
Any other suggestions you have for a situation like this?
Thanks team,,,, your are my number 1 in finance.

Q: Can you please recommend a couple of BRIC ETFs?
Preferably Canadian, but perhaps a good US also.
Looking at a 3-5 year timeline.

thanks,

Paul

Q: Hello Peter,
Thank you for your response to my question. I am sorry if part of the question was not clear.
I was not looking for a choice between SHOP and TOI, or NVDA/QCOM over others. What would perform better between now and the end of seasonal strength end Feb 2023? Tech (SHOP and TOI) ) or Energy and commodities? Growth ( NVDA and CRWD) or Value (QCOM and MSFT)?
In your mind, is there a clear winner that would justify a switch from one to the other and is it too late to sell and make the switch?
Nothing is for sure. Just your opinion.
Regards
Rajiv

Q: Hello 5i Team
Do you endorse shorting that Nasada index as a trade . Would the
SQQQ be one that can be used, I have never shorted a stock or a ETF .What is your advise doing so with today’s market?
Thanks

Q: Hi! I am wondering where you feel opportunities in the market exist. When oil was negative very few advisors were pounding the table to buy. It seems now looking back it was a no brainer and seems so foolish that I wasn't loading up on these bargains. Will we look back and say why didn't we buy high growth tech? Or, is it beaten up renewables/bond funds you favour if adding new money? Where do the opportunities lie based on current geopolitical risks and risk of recession/stagflation?

Q: Hello Peter,
I have been meaning to get your opinion even before the two-day wild ride and this question is not based on today’s aftermath. And I will speak from both sides of the fence. As usual, I want your perspective.
You typically respond to reader’s questions with a 5-year outlook. However, I think that the 5 yr business plan is outdated except maybe for utilities and commodity producers. And even then, with instantaneous data enabling policy definition, the peak to trough and back for business cycles are short.
High growth companies typically do not have a moat as they rely on transformative technology as the enabler. Today Amazon finds its digital commerce saturating and looks to cloud services for growth. Shopify is looking at vertical integration with logistics and financial services while the world moves towards open-source digital commerce. Game, set, match.
Now I step to the other side of the fence. Probability of a soft landing -very small? The fed cannot control supply but can control demand. Housing, lumber, commodities consumption diminishes just as supply ramps up in an inflationary environment hoping to absorb costs. Discretionary, industrials slow down and drag commodities.
Where am I going? If my thinking is correct, my investment decision should be based on a 2yr or shorter period return. So, between now April 5 and the end of seasonal strength next Feb; is it tech- SHOP and TOI, or Energy and Commodities? What about Gold and Silver? Is it NVDA and CRWD or QCOM and MSFT? And I am not looking to hedge but make portfolio changes, swinging for the fences. Or is it too late for sell in May?
I look forward to your opinion.
Regards

Q: With a 3 year time horizon what would be your Top 3 non technology Canadian and US Stocks to buy today?

Q: Hi Everyone at 5i!! I had the pleasure of reading Peter’s article, ‘’ 5 things Investors Rarely Think about Before Buying a Stock but should “ and it gave me good food for thought. I was wondering if 5i would put on a webinar about reading a stock’s financial reports, which help determine if a it is a good investment. I am aware of some things, but could really do with a comprehensive over view. For all I know you could have already provided such an over view and I missed it. If so, could you please provide me with a reference to the information . Cheers, Tamara

Q: Hello 5i Team
As interest rates are expected to increase to bring inflation down, at what interest level will some investors start switching in buying GIC as risk free asset?If that would happen could stock be negatively affect?
Thanks

Q: re your reply to a question today:
The issue in the current environment, however, is whether raising rates actually impacts the specific inflationary items we are seeing today (such as those caused by supply chain issues and the war).

Great point. You don't heard much discussion on that. If raising rates will not dampen inflation, then the Fed may just stop raising the rates. Don't these rate hikes add to the interest costs to government borrowing? Gov't debt is much more of as concern than private debt. The US has committed to to huge infrastructure spending. And that was before the war in Ukraine. Military spending has to increase. At the least, all those weapons have to be replaced.

Q: The great team, how is an increase in interest rate can lower inflation?

Q: Like many 5i customers my bond ETF's have been whacked over the last 6 months or so. I bailed on a couple of them in January (good move as it turns out) but am still exposed in my RRSP. Bonds still seem to be dropping but yields in general are up to the 3.5% range. My question is "with inflation running at around 6% at what point will the numbers (yield/market value bottom) make sense to start buying bonds again"?

Q: I've been looking at the regional and sector allocations of my investments at the total portfolio level (TFSA + RRSP + non-reg), generally buying growth stocks in the TFSA and safer stocks in the RRSP. Does it make sense to continue to look at the allocations and diversify at a portfolio level? Or should I also be looking at it for the 3 individual types of accounts separately?

Q: Will I get a dividend if the Ex-Div date is Apr. 27 and I buy a stock today? How the Settlement date of Apr. 29 will affect this transaction for the purpose of receiving the dividend?

Q: I noticed the question about "phantom" distributions. I was very surprised to see that the capital gains distributions at the end of the year which are rolled back into NAV show up as taxable but without the Return of Capital adjustment that is needed. So a RoC distribution that requires the ACB to be decreased is shown on T3s but when a phantom RoC distribution that requires the ACB to be increased to the benefit of unit holders is not shown on the T3. How many people are going to pay twice the amount of tax as they should on these distributions?

Q: Hello, I saw your answer to Stanley: “Bonds may look better next year, and may look better if the market weakens further.” We are expecting rates to climb, which will affect the bonds value. Normally, rates would already be higher at this stage of the economic cycle, and I would understand. I just don’t see the benefits of keeping bonds in ETFs with the current situation. We might as well hold cash or at least ST bond (held to maturity) for market protection. Could you help me understand? I am thinking about changing a portion of my portfolio (VBAL, XBAL MAW104) for a stock ETF / individual bond strategy.

Q: With interest rates on the rise how will this affect dividend paying stocks, dividend funds and ETFs. If not positive for this sector, what sector do you feel in your wisdom will benefit most?