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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: there was an interesting fast money halftime on cnbc today which i watch daily, mike wilson chief equity strategist was on and he was the only analyst period of all of them out there he predicted this correction back in january and he said now is not the time to be selling, we are bottoming but this process could take 3-4 months not weeks because of the damage done,furthermore he likes energy and banks and then they had a segment with lee cooperman and a guy from the sec talking about quants algorithms and computors causing this extreme volatility, and some feel until the vix hits at least 30 maybe even 40 this is not over, and there is tons of value in the market now but you still have to pick your spots slowly.i think you agree with some of this, just wondering your opinion which i value because lets be honest we all missed the severity of this. i think this is as bad as 2008. and everyone was in complete agreement that jerome powell was and is an idiot who cannot communicate properly. and how much is etf selling which causes the underlying stocks to be sold sonething we never had to contend with in 2008 or not as much. dave
Read Answer Asked by david on December 21, 2018
Q: Continuation of my previous question.

After reading your response my understanding is that 5i portfolios will not build the cash position higher for any major downside risks that the market may have in next few years. What about any new money available for investing Do we hold on to buying any stocks in this kind of unpredictable volatile markets until a clear bottom or direction is indicated by the markets ? MLP are not a good option for canadians because of tax implications. What is your opinion about US CEF (closed end funds) and do they have similar tax impact like MLPs ?

Thanks
Ninad
Read Answer Asked by Ninad on December 20, 2018
Q: To confirm my numbers/thinking around tax loss selling could you please confirm if the following is accurate: If I have a capital loss of $5000 and my marginal tax rate is 40%, I can now or in the future use that to offset a capital gain of $5000. 50% of this capital gain is taxable, so I am in essence saving $1000 spendable cash for myself (40% of $2500). Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Andrew on December 20, 2018
Q: this is a market beatdown of epic proportions, furthermore the speed with which it happened was astonishing.
every stock you guys like gsy, tsgi, cov, lgo, doo,toy, dol, pho,mx,cjt,pho, have been decimated some as much as 50% from their highs and i could go on and on.
its true if the fed does not raise wed at 2pm or raises but gives a very dovish statement the market could rally 1500 points until year end,MAYBE.
my question were you a little too optimistic at the beginning at the end of september, yes or no—personally i think so,in your answers too questions the last 10 days you seem to be getting much more cautious, and really why enter any stock right now, just wait until a direction is established, better to pay a couple dollars more. dave
Read Answer Asked by david on December 18, 2018
Q: This is just a share. There is a short TED talk that 5 I members and staff might enjoy. It is titled "Psychopaths in the C-suite" by Fred Kiel.
I wonder if 5-I could rate some management of 5-I covered companies that fit the: Empathy, Others First and I Screwed Up habits of virtuoso CEO's . I'm sure they are a rare breed. Perhaps a new valuation metric may come of this.
Read Answer Asked by Clarence on December 17, 2018
Q: I've been trying to understand these markets and failing. Much of the wild swings of volatility seem to be associated with fears of China and trade woes. I understand why companies which do a lot of business with China, or source products from there would plunge on such fears. But I haven't been able to figure out why trade fears would cause grocers, REITs and utilities to plunge 2%-3%, as they did today. I mean, how is China or trade going to affect the profits of Chartwell Retirement Residences, or Loblaw, or Algonquin Power? The TSX is down around 1% but these are all down 2%-3%, as are most of the utilities and REITs. Are people just panicking and selling everything in sight?
Read Answer Asked by John on December 17, 2018
Q: Hi, I have some capital losses from sale of shares earlier on this year. Looking to book some gains, by selling partial position in certain holdings which have appreciated considerably from my cost, but presently trading 10-25% off their highs for the year. Q1:Should I liquidate at current prices (before year end) or wait until market sentiment improves and valuations are better ? Q2: Either way (2018 or later), in order of preference, which ones will you let go first ? These stocks and weightings as follows : CSU (12%), SYZ (6.5%), BYD.un(5.3%), SHOP (5.2%), CGI(4%), KXS (3.3%) and CCL.b (4.5%). Thanks
Read Answer Asked by rajeev on December 12, 2018
Q: Hi there, going into 2019 I'd like to re-balance my portfolio to start the new year. I'd like to use your BE Portfolio as the Canadian exposure of my portfolio and add ETFs to add diversity. I'm in my mid 30's and have a 15/20 year outlook with a private DB plan at work. In terms of risk and volatility tolerance, I am okay with the profile growthier names in the BE Port (ie: SIS, KXS, TOY, CSU, PBH etc) but usually stay away from the Growth Portfolio names, as the volatility is usually too much for me. At first glance I was thinking of the following but am not very experienced and am completely open to your advice and expertise:

50% BE Portfolio
40% HXS/VFV
10% HXQ

Could you suggest a 1) TSX ETF only listed portfolio make up and 2) TSX and/or US listed ETF make up? Please remove as many question credits as required.

Thanks for your advice and guidance!
Read Answer Asked by Michael on December 10, 2018