Investment Q&A

Q: Can you please describe how you approach "swaps" in a portfolio? By that I mean swapping out one company for a very similar company in the same industry. You did this somewhat recently in removing Sun Life from the BE portfolio for Intact. (In that case I recall it was due to a better growth profile.)

My general sense is you have liked CNQ better than SU for a while now, for example. And TD better than BNS. Feel free to correct if this is not how you see it.

Appreciate there is a benefit to a certain amount of stability in the portfolio, so you won't bouncing stocks out every time the wind changes. But I'd interested in your thoughts on how you think of this aspect of portfolio construction. For example, in what circumstances might precipitate a swap in these or other cases? When would you hold still even if you like an alternative stock slightly better?

Thanks very much.

Q: Hello,

I hold BNS:CA for dividends. It has been dropping in price recently and I am looking to add to my position. I seem to remember it is a long term favourite within the bank stocks. Given the current Canadian and global "uneasieness", would your opinion change or would shift to TD:CA or XXX:CA (a bank) be in order. I have read the recent Q/A re: BNS:CA in the database,

Q: I hold these large Canadian Companies.. I realize there will be continued volatility in the market but given that these companies have pulled back, some significantly, what order would you buy these names? Are there any you would not buy?

Please deduct appropriately…

Thank you
Tim

Q: With the recent sale of some of it’s South American assets, what percentage of it’s revenue/market cap would be coming from its non North American positions?

Q: Thoughts on the quarter please?

Thx

Q: Worst case scenerio how much downside do you think the banks have in the next four years. RY,BNS and TD are all oversized positions. Thinking of lightening up in non taxable accounts or should I just sit on my hands ? Crystal ball gazing I know !

Q: I have owned RY inside my RRIF for over 20 years and it has done very well. However it now seems to be trading at a premium to the other Canadian Banks. I hold it primarily to generate income, so I am wondering if I should sell it around the $180 level and invest the proceeds into another Canadian bank. I already hold TD, BMO and BNS and wonder which of NA and CM would you prefer? Or would you stick with RY despite its premium pricing and lower yield?

Q: These 9 stocks were approximately equally weighted in unregistered dividend account before NPI and BCE took a big dive. The overall yield of the account is around 4.8% which I have been happy with, but the loss of capital in the 2 mentioned is troubling.

Objective of the account is to generate retirement dividend income for the next 5 to 10 years.
Other accounts provide pretty decent diversification by sector / geography / growth etc.


Question 1. Should I take the loss on these two and redeploy into the other holdings?

Question 2. Any glaring omissions in this account which you think I should add in here?

Q: BNS has been trending down since the new year and more so recently since their announcement of divestitures of more Latin American holdings to Colombian bank Davivienda for a 20 percent equity position in the bank. They are also booking impairments of 1.7 billion on this deal. All that being said, would you consider this recent drop a buying opportunity? Also, BNS did not raise its dividend in 2024. Do you see the bank raising its dividend in 2025 and going forward on regular basis like all other Canadian banks. Thanks.

Q: Hi 5i

Please as many questions as needed.

I am heavily invested in stocks and want to raise cash, putting more money into bonds. I have about 10% in Canadian oil and gas, 5% gold stocks, and about 13% in uranium stocks. I am going to hold my gold and uranium.

What allocation would you suggest for a retiree in terms of portfolio holdings of gas and oil?

I am concerned about the possible coming tarriffs and the effect on the Canadian ecomomy. Most of my holdings are Canadian. A lot of these are in dividend stocks. I have held them through the past few years but I do need to increase the allocation to conservative investments. I plan to reduce most by about 20% or consider outright sells. I currently prefer to reduce downside risk than worry about the upside.

Can you help me decide from the viewpoint of possible tarriffs and effect on the Canadian economy which are at risk the most. Could you class these as hold, reduce or sell. I will hold all my U.S. stocks which are about 15% of my portfolio and haven't listed those here.

Thank you for your very helpful advice.

Q: I'm over allocated in Financials at 23%. Recognizing BN represents a diversified holding and Visa could be considered Consumer. What changes would you make if this was your account. Most of the 1% holdings are in my unregistered accounts with BN, Visa, JPM, BAM are split RRSP/TSFA. Long term investments +10 years with a tilt to risk/growth. Retirement in 2035.

BN 11%
BAM 2%
Visa 3.6%
JPM 2%
GSY 1.6%
PRL 1%
TD .8%
BNS .8%

Happy New Year and thanks for all the help in 2024!

Don

Q: Hi Peter and all at 5i. Wishing you the best of the season!

Peter, first of all, I really enjoyed your last article in the National Post. Your financial stories were highly entertaining.

I manage a RRSP for my daughter-in-law. She has approximately 24K in cash due to a GIC that recently matured. (She got 5.16% interest).

She has these commission-free ETFs: CEW, QQC.F, XHC, XIT, and XST. She would have to pay a $10 commission on the following stocks and ETFs: BCE, BNS, FTS, PBH, SLF, WSP, ZIN, and ZRE.

Question 1. In what order would you suggest she uses the cash to purchase more of the commission-free ETFs?

Question 2. If there are compelling reasons to do so, in what order would you suggest she uses the cash to purchase more of the stocks and ETFs where there is a $10 commission?

I’m hoping that this question can be answered before Christmas if possible. Please use as many question credits as you see fit to provide a comprehensive reply.

Thanks as always for your valuable insight.

Q: Comments on keeping existing holdings in Td versus other banks? Would you rate as a buy, hold or sell?

Q: I currently hold the above investments in my non-registered account and will invest some additional funds before the end of the year. My plan is to top up my investments in approximately 8 stocks and 1 ETF. The investments will be a 5 to 10 year hold. Please provide a ranking for the top 10 stocks in my non-registered account. Which ETF fund do you suggest topping up for a 5 to 10 year hold? Thank you 5i

Q: Could you please rank the banks after the latest earnings. CM and BMO looks to be the best over the last year.

Thx

Q: Hell 5i I am considering selling BMO shares holdings and RY holdings as they in their higher price range. Sell high buy low! My plan is to reap the profit to buy ZEB. I would appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you

Q: What are your current thoughts regarding plaza reit as an addition to the income side of my portfolio? If negative, do you have any suggestions for stable high-dividend Canadian stocks that I can investigate? thanks, J

Q: I have these stocks in my TFSA. How would you rate them for growth and dividend.

Q: I do have a sizeable chunk of TD and am just wondering if y'all think a different bank is better suited for upside over the next 4 years or so....

Q: Your thoughts please on the quarter?

Thx