Investment Q&A

Q: Are preferred shares suitable for the retail investor?
I admit to not fully understand them but it seems to me that:
- value is primarily impacted by interest rates, so constitutes an interest rate speculation
- the positive or negative effect of an interest rate change will vary depending upon the particular issue
- even on a reset date, an issue will not necessarily trade at par
- the characteristics of individual issues varies a lot, complicating comparisons
- thinner market for individual issues, making for bigger spreads
- trading prices are not transparent
- a pref share ETF may be a better choice
Comments?

Q: I would like to understand better why preferred shares, as represented by CPD, plummeted in 2007-2008 and again in 2013-2016. They dropped about 35% in the first (recession) episode and about 36% in the second one. Most recently, between September 1, 2018 and now, they have dropped about 13%. How vulnerable would CPD be to another huge drop if the economy continues to weaken through 2019?

Q: Good afternoon 5I.

When I bought CPD I thought it would hold its value better then it has. I did feel better when I looked at your income portfolio I see its down 20% and you still hold it.
What will it take to make CPD change direction?
Do you still feel like its a good position to have in a income account?

Thanks

Q: Good morning,
I am looking for a monthly pay. Do CPD, XHY, or CVD fit the bill ?
Thanks
Rick

Q: My 14 month total return for this preferred share etf is - 7.53%. It should provide better downside protection than HAZ , so maybe having a ten year time horizon would be better, and just look at it as part of a diversified income portfolio. Would you step into HAZ at this time if you needed Dividend income?
Thanks Gord

Q: Hi Guys
Thinking about swapping CPD for HAZ or CYH.
what would be your pick
thanks Gord

Q: Preferred Shares

Upon reviewing the holdings of the four (4) largest preferred share etf, I have noticed the majority of preferred shares are issued by the banks, insurance companies, electrical utilities and pipeline companies. I am a holder of the common shares of the same companies (as they are stable long term dividend payers).
The first question I have is am I increasing my "company" risk by holding both common and preferred shares of the same companies? Should I continue to buy the common shares, which are paying very close to the available preferred share yield and gain long term from dividend increases.
The second question is of the four etf listed, which is your preferred etf. Are there other Canadian Dividend eft I should look at?

Thanks in advance for your excellent service.

Stephen

Q: Hello,
I'd like to know your opinion on this newly launched ETF. It seems a better alternative to a bond ETF if held in a non-registered account. I couldn't find what the implied yield is likely to be. Do you have any idea? What are the main drawbacks to such an ETF?

Thanks

Q: I hold about 3% in XHY and CPD in a registered account. I'm wondering if selling those and moving to XTR would be a prudent move? XTR adds diversification beyond the two I currently hold.

Thanks....

Q: I bought for the first time preferred shares last year as part of a defensive strategy overall. These shares performed as expected and fell in unison with the market in October and December. The rest of my portfolio has nearly recovered and is back to where it was in early fall.
Why are these preferred stocks not recovering? Does the market now believe that interest rates are unlikely to rise so the re-sets now have less value?

Thanks for all your help,

Q: Hello 5i...The preferred share space took a real hit from which it has not recovered. I am thinking of adding one of the above as part of my fixed income allocation but to my non registered account. All of my fixed income and GIC's are in my RSP. I am conservative age 68 and need 4-5% long term. The recent volatility however does concern me. I value your opinion ..thank you Gary

Q: I have a substantial USD investing and as I age am beginning to think that I should invest some of it in fixed income ie bonds, gic type or preferreds. Do you have any suggestions for me as everyone I listen to focusses on Capital gains strategies only.

Q: I hold the above. Is it true that institutional investors are not very active In the preferred market? If this is true then why should retail investors hold these investments, especially given the expeience .of the last few years with the reset disaster?

Q: In this time of low returns for bonds and GICs, preferred shares are an option. Currently they have been under some pressure, like the rest of the market, but I would welcome your suggestions for a few Canadian preferred shares that are rate BB or above, with a decent quarterly dividend.
Thank You.

Q: Thinking of selling CPD and averaging down on ECN.PR.A My reasoning indicates that the reset return on CPD portfolio will continue to fall as the yield flattens or inverts.
In the case of ECN.PR..A if 5 year yield is at 1.06 or lower the yield is still 6.25%. Basically I’m saying there is a floor under ECN.PR.A but not CPD. What is your opinion ?

Q: Hi 5i, Greetings . I am holding CPD etf and some BIP.Pr.D and BEP.Pr.K as part of fixed income allocation. I always considered these to be held forever, but times seem to be changing and interest rate outlook is uncertain., Should these be held and wait it out or bail now and assess later? Thanks for the service. Ted

Q: I am a little curious about your answer to George regarding preferreds. Don't they move inversely to interest rates? So all else equal would you not expect a preferred share etf to fall in value as interest rates rise (just like bonds)? Not only that, would they not generally fall even further than bonds as preferreds never mature (preferreds therefor have a longer duration than bonds making them even more sensitive to interest rate changes). Thanks.

Q: What to do with cpd and Ecn.pr.a .
I’ve held reset prefs before, saw it through through the downturn in interest rates and the upturn again, did well, because I had a long term objective.
I now no longer have this luxury. However I feel some comfort with the minimum rate reset preferred. Should I. I appreciate your unbiased recommendation on both securities.
Thank you.
P.s. will be asking for a complete portfolio evaluation in the new year. Paid of course.

Q: Hi 5i, Seasons Greetings. I generally am a buy and hold type but could use some tax losses against earlier gains this year. The above mentioned stocks could be sold and repurchased in early January. Would that be prudent? Is there anything I should not repurchase? Thanks, Ted

Q: Good morning, I have recently shifted from a third party manager and am reviewing the pref share positions I currently own. All are individual share positions. Am I better off going with CPD versus individual ownership to share risk and also to simplify my management overall. Thanks