Investment Q&A

Q: Everyone, if your portfolio was only ETFs how many would you have and what would they be? Clayton

Q: I am all equities in my RSP and RIF portfolio. Although a solid blue chip list of Cdn, US, some international, I would like to mitigate risk by adding one or two bond etf's (cdn dollar). These can be Canadian bonds or a combination NA and global. Please offer one or two...and are we looking at shorter duration or longer in light of current interest rate environment/future outlook. Ideally 4%+ yield

Q: Greetings 5i, I am concerned about the current outlook for preferred shares, say 1 - 3 year horizon. What is your opinion on a switch from preferreds to short - mid term bond etfs over this time period? Thank you.

Q: Generally speaking, within one's bond portfolio what percentages of the portfolio would you allocate to the three ETF's mentioned.

Q: Hello....I am looking for ideally 1 or could be in combination with a second ETF. I would like to achieve a balanced mix with say 60% with a small or 0% of US stock market and about 10% private assets and 30% fixed income. Could you suggest 1/2 ETFs that would achieve something close to this percentage breakdown. Thank you.

Q: I am presently fully invested and want to raise 30% cash by selling some of my holdings…..My question is, where to invest the cash?? I used to invest in Short term bonds/tbills to preserve cash which roll over monthly but think that this is not the time for that as everything is pointing to lower interest rates! In your opinion would it be wiser to invest in longer term government bond etfs and if so which ones do you prefer? Thank you?

Q: Good morning - With the market rising so nicely, it's timely for me to do some re-balancing. For fixed income, I have positions I xlb, xbb and XHY. What fixed income investments do you suggest these days. I could add to the above and/or to corporate bonds, if that makes sense. But, I am nervous about the prospects for Canadian companies as the Trump tariffs take their toll. What does your crystal ball reveal? Many thanks.

Q: I do not have bonds in my portfolio but would like to add some balance to my well diversified stocks only portfolio. Interested in Canadian and possibly US bonds. What would you recommend to start considering..

Q: Hello team
with the Fed govt going into more debt , interest rate pending cut by Bank of Canada
what is going to happen to the bond funds in gneral? I do have XBB, XLB all losing some grounds
If indeed there is inflation due to the tariffs hitting the basic goods and little growth, how does it affect the bond funds?
thank you
Michael

Q: Hello,

For bond (in CAD) exposure and relatively safe income exposure: is owning both BMO Money Market Fund (ZMMK) and Purpose Global Bond EFT a way to go? Or do you prefer one over the other? Or other alternatives?

Thanks

Dave

Q: Dear 5i team.
The following was your response to a bond question I asked in '24.

"Nothing is guaranteed, but bonds' leverage is highly correlated to their maturity. CLF has a relatively low duration of 2.8 years, whereas XLB is 15 years. As a general rule, for every 1% increase or decrease in interest rates, a bond's price will change approximately 1% in the opposite direction for every year of duration. With a bond ETF in theory the move should be similar, and thus XLB in theory should see a much larger move than CLF when rates move (either way). In reality it is not so concrete, and depends on variables in the yield curve and other factors (supply/demand). But we would be very confident in saying that if rates move lower XLB's bond portfolio should do significantly better than CLF. Owning XLB is essentially a 'bet' that rates will drop. As such, we would be fine owning both XBB and XLB for a bit more diversification of bonds. XBB's duration is 7.5 years so a good middle ground between CLF and XLB."

Been watching XLB/XBB for some time now, and both appear to be in downward trends in terms of share price, and close on yields. Rates have been steady, or in decline, so I'm completely confused.
Please take a look and try to make sense of this for me?

Many thanks for your help.

Q: Seeking 5i advice regarding investing approx. $600,000 into Canadian ETFS for income and balanced approach. Considering TD Canadian Equity Index, for perhaps $100,000..
Could I please have your recommendation for the remaining amount.
Thanks in advance for your help
Rick

Q: Hello, which fixed income: ETF/Bond/GIC investments would work best under current economic conditions of lower rates coming from the US FEDS and Canada.? And, do you suggest staying short or long? .. Of course the lowest possible risk.
Thanks
Carlo

Q: What will be the impact of the Bank of Canada's likely rate cut from 2.75% to 2% on the ZAG or XBB ETFs?
Is it better to simply buy bonds directly rather than ETFs?

Q: In an effort to balance my portfolio, I’ve invested in both short-term (XBB, currently +0.9%) and long-term (XLB, currently -2.74%) bond ETFs, all held within a registered account. Despite these being commonly recommended by industry analysts for portfolio diversification and stable returns, I’m seeing losses across both and finding it difficult to understand how to generate positive returns from bonds in the current market environment.

Given this, I’d appreciate your guidance. Should I consider:
• Selling XBB and XLB and moving the funds to a high-interest savings account?
• Adding to my bond holdings by including alternatives like XSB or VAB?
• Holding my current positions and staying the course?

I’m open to adjusting my strategy but would value your insight on how best to approach bond investments right now.

Q: I'm wondering if you have any recommendations for ETF's with international exposure for income and growth, and also a good way to invest in the bond market for income.

Q: Thank you and your team for all the helpful information and advice. What might be a good place to park cash for about 90 days?

Q: Do you have a preference between XBB and VAB?

Thanks as always

Q: Hi. I recently transferred $20,000 into my RRSP Direct Investing account. I would like to invest the money into some quality ETFs, perhaps three or four. I know you are not clairvoyants, however based on geo-politics and recent tariff threats, which ETFs (either Canadian, American or other parts of the world) would you invest in at this particular time. It would be for a 2/3 year hold. Thanks for the advice in advance.

Q: With inflation in Canada edging up, and concerns that tarriffs are inflationary, is it a good time to move to shorter duration bonds? The counter is that if a recession hits interst rates may decrease. What is your take on the timing of all this, and how best to position a bond portfolio?