Investment Q&A

Q: I am interested in a Canadian Utility ETF with a slant towards renewables. Can you advise your best recommendation?

Ken

Q: Hi Team,

I'm considering reducing my fixed income portfolio allocation in favour of adding some Preferred shares/ ETFs And some Utility stocks. What investments would you make to accomplish this portfolio change?

Q: Hello why is ZWU still down nearly 20% from peak, but XUT is only down about 5%? Does it have something to do with the large yield on ZWU?

Q: I wish to buy a defensive utility in a non-reg acct that will qualify for DTC (not sure if ETFs above qualify for DTC). I am aware of different div yields. Is there any significant difference in risks that stand out to you? Plse rank in your order of pref for purchase (already own EMA but would purchase more).

Q: What would be a non-covered call version of ZWU?

Thx

Q: Hi 5i team,
I want to buy ETFs for my RRSP to capture the eventual market recovery. I'm thinking of the utilities and banks sectors. I understand that 'covered call' ETFs are not ideal to capture market gain in an upswing. Which ETF would you recommend for Canadian utilities industry? And which one for Canadian banks? Thanks.

Q: For safety of income and income, what would be your preference between XUT and a bond ETF? Thanks, Bill

Q: In your portfolio analysis you have recommended for the utilities sector that I purchase either ZUT or XUT.
I own Fortis now.Do you recommend that I sell this now and purchase 100% ETFs for the suggested Utilities sector?
Since I also need additional US investments.which of the following US ETFs would you recommend RYU or XLU?
Thanks again for your guidance.

Q: Hello 5i,
Which ETF for exposure to Canadian utilities is preferred? Is there a preferred US or global utility ETF available that could be held 5+ years.

Cheers,
Debbie and Jerry

Q: ATCO is down 14% from my avg cost in my non-registered account. I am thinking do a tax loss selling and buy FTS or AQN or both. Do you think it’s a good idea?

Thanks.

Q: Hi,
Would you please rate: ZWU XUT ZWC (best first), for a 5 Years hold!
Thanks

Q: Hi 5i, In a previous Q/A you said "covered call ETFs can underperform in a bull market" can you please elaborate on this?.
Would you please rate: ZWU XUT ZWC (best first)
I own ZWU, but down 10%.
Thanks

Q: Hi Peter & 5i Staff,
Is there a Canadian growth ETF that would cover the Utilities and Energy sectors. If not, what is the alternative ie.
covering the US
Thanks
Ivan

Q: Would you be able to offer any insight to the sudden drop in utility company valuations?

Q: Hi Peter: Most utilities trade at a very high P/E because of the dividends. So what is the best valuation metric to look at for utilities? Is P/B, P/CF or P/S

Q: Can you give me your opinion on RIT, XUT AND HWF. I am looking primarily for yield but also some growth potential.
Thank you

Q: I have just discovered a valuation metric NCAV -Current Assets minus Total Debt...which to me is a significant moat for a Company...if positive. Surprisingly when I look at the Companies I follow, most have a positive NCAV. I assume a high growth Company with positive NCAV would be a good investment...a negative NCAV bad. Can you comment on the pros & cons of this metric.

Thank you and all the best to to i5 team in 2007.
Brian

Q: Hi Peter and Team,

I find that we need to buy some more in the Utilities sector, to keep to a 10% weighting. We presently have about a three-quarter position in each of AQN, BEP.UN, and FTS. Do you think that INE would be a good addition to this mix or is it too similar to AQN and BEP.UN? We can buy and sell XUT commission-free, but I notice that ZUT (not commission-free) has a better chart. Should I increase our positions in each of the three we already have, buy a new one, or top up with XUT/ZUT? Or is there a US ETF in this sector that looks compelling? Or perhaps in the present "climate", could the utilities sector weighting be reduced below 10%? What sector should take up the slack?

Thanks for all your great advice which has been and continues to be very valuable. A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you at 5i and the members as well.

Q: Please let me know if the following thesis is correct.
1. Interest Rate increases affect Utilities ( and they are likely to rise in the US )
2. Share prices of Cdn Utilities will likely be hit as US interest rates increase especially Enbridge and TRP which rely on massive loans for operations and expansion .
3. With this prospect , Enbridge sits in the model balanced portfolio because you feel it is one of the top utility companies, yet it ( and other pipelines ) will likely be taking a hit when these events occur .
4. I have a full position in this . Should I be be selling or keeping it through December .

Thanks

Q: I've read and heard a lot of pundits caution about the stretched valuations of Utilities, Consumer Staples and dividend payers as the market looks for yield. What I'm having a hard time understanding is that if that were true, then I would expect yields on those assets to be pushed down as price increases, but these assets still seem to be yielding higher than historical averages. Am I missing something?