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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: Growth investor, high risk tolerance, who enjoys dividends as well. Im currently sitting close to 21% in Financial Services, a combination of long held holdings with big gains; GSY, SLF, newer purchases down slightly; ZEB, HCAl, and the newest and worst performer ECN. Stock positions are close to 5% each, I add or trim accordingly, ETF's are smaller. I wrestle with knowing holding good companies long term is the way to outperform, against opportunity costs of holding underperformers and or overweighting the wrong sectors for the year. If you managed your own $, what % would you hold here, if trimming, what order ? Emotionally it's much easier to trim GSY with big gains than ECN at a loss, but then there is the trimming the winner and holding the looser thing?
Read Answer Asked by Charles on January 17, 2023
Q: Is there some way to score-board enhanced-yield Canadian bank ETFs/funds that assigns more weight to the factors that make more of a difference? Yes, fees add up, but even over the long term it's hard to see how basis-point fee differences could outweigh percentage-point yield differences. And won't either of these factors be outweighed by distribution tax treatment and, especially, by central bank rate-pivoting?

Further, in side-by-side comparisons, 5i often prefers larger ETFs (recently, for example, when comparing CBNK vs BANK.) But given large-cap banks' similar value-propositions and tendency toward mean-reversion, why should higher AUM matter (other than w/rt second-order effects like trading liquidity)? Put another way: what, if anything, could a new entrant to this sector do to make themselves attractive to 5i?

Please add to the supplied symbol list if other names provide more instructive comparisons.
Read Answer Asked by John on January 12, 2023
Q: Do you think these ETF's are worthwhile investments in the Cdn. Bank area?
They both have high yields - are they sustainable
What is difference between the two? Which one is the preferred investment?
If neither are preferred - can you suggest an alternative?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Reg on December 05, 2022
Q: I have the above ETF,s in my TFSA in roughly equal weights along with a number of stocks. Is there sugnifcat any over lap here? Where would add first or all equaly? I know your not a fan of covered call ETSs. Any suggested changes or additions?
Read Answer Asked by Henry on November 23, 2022
Q: The financials segment of my RRIF consists of BMO, BNS, RY with a 25 % total portfolio weighting.
I am looking at selling the 3 and replacing them with HCAL. Believing in the long term growth and security of the Canadian banks , I see this move as providing both higher stock price movement with its 1.25 leverage and higher dividend yield. I see the disadvantages being a nearly 1.00 % MER and greater lose potential in a falling market.
Am I missing any other advantages/ disadvantages ? Would you recommend replacing bank stocks with this ETF and why ?
Thanks
Derek
Read Answer Asked by Derek on November 14, 2022
Q: I am looking at one of these three to add to my TFSA for better than average returns for when the market returns to better times over the next two years.
Please discuss the strengths/ weaknesses of each and list in order your preference. Thanks.
Derek
Read Answer Asked by Derek on October 16, 2022
Q: Let's assume that I am convinced that canadian banks will remain an oligopoly over the next 20 years and provide me with 10% CAGR.

Should I buy a basket of canadian bank stocks, or should I place my bet on HCAL or CBNK to obtain leverage ?

Thank you !
Read Answer Asked by laurent on September 15, 2022
Q: Structurally what is the difference between CBNK and HCAL ? One yields 6.95% and the other 8.84% ..... If they are more or less the same product I can't see any reason not to opt for the higher yield .....
Read Answer Asked by Garth on September 14, 2022
Q: I am wondering about the Hamilton ETF offerings and if they may offer a benefit when markets ever "turn the corner". I know it is impossible to time the markets. Could you comment on these few points:
- Will these slightly leveraged products provide extra torque over the base holdings, dollar for dollar, when markets are rising?
- Is slow buying a reasonable option or with leveraged products do we need to look for a clear bottom and changing market sentiment so the leverage doesn't also leverage any ongoing declines?
- Do covered call products provide any downside protection when markets are well off of a growth phase and could slide further?

Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Marilou on July 12, 2022
Q: I have the above in my TFSA along with 5 individual stocks currently.
Any gapes or duplication in the ETFs, Should I just add to each equally with any new contributions to an approx 10-12 % weighting for all and thereafter considerate on individual stocks for more growth torque.
Read Answer Asked by Henry on June 17, 2022
Q: Given the never ending downwards trend of the market, I want to invest $10000 in US market and $10000 in Canadian market in dividend stocks, with at least 5% dividend.

Can you recommend 3 US stocks and 3 Canadian stocks. ETFs are also acceptable.

Thanks
Read Answer Asked by V on June 13, 2022
Q: Can you recommend etfs to setup a smith maneuver account with target dividend of around 4-5%?
If you think I can get diversification from individual stocks then please go ahead to recommend that list.
Thank you for your service.
Read Answer Asked by Gurdeep on May 27, 2022
Q: Hello. Trying to understand 2021 distributions from HCAL. According to the website the 2021 T3 distributions, per unit, was comprised of 0.07729 of eligible dividends and 3.50973 of capital gains for a total per unit distribution of 3.58702.

As it holds solely CAD banks, shouldn’t the eligible dividend portions be higher?

I’m confused!
Read Answer Asked by Robert on April 01, 2022
Q: A while ago I asked 5I to run the numbers on HCAL as an example of one of Hamilton's new leveraged ETF's comparing both a covered call and similar market ETF and speculate on the return of their other ones ...... Below in quotations is the answer I got .....

" HCAL 1 month 1.7%, three months 0.85%, YTD 34.9%

ZWB 0.9%, 1.65%, 23.7%

ZEB 1.05%, 1.72%, 29.9%

The difference is likely very closely related to the leverage impact. We would not expect HDIV to be different. " .....

Clearly the Hamilton product out performed both the covered call and regular banking market ETF's

Please clarify the following answer given to Craig this morning ? .....

" For a long-term hold, we would side with either VUN or ZWH, as HYLD would cap long-term capital gains due ot the coverd call strategy. We would be fine with the prospects of both ZWH and VUN but side with VUN for a broader exposure to higher growth areas. "
Read Answer Asked by Garth on March 16, 2022
Q: I have been looking into HCAL lately as an alternative to buying Canadian bank stocks directly. I'm aware that it uses a little bit of leverage and possibly some covered call writing to increase returns and am comfortable with the increased risk. I noticed that it appears to rebalance its holdings quarterly moving 80% of the funds into the 3 most oversold banks. I'm assuming that this would create a fair amount of capital gains each year within the fund. Would this create a capital gains for the holders of the ETF at year end or would the holders only claim the capitals gains once the ETF is sold? If so would this be better held in a registered account? Additionally a portion of the distributions would be due to dividends from the banks. Would this portion of the distributions count as eligible dividends for the holders of the ETF?
Read Answer Asked by Wendyl on January 26, 2022