Investment Q&A

Q: I have the time and interest to invest in individual stocks and have benefited greatly from your advice, My 28 year old son is looking to me for investment advice and I was hoping that you could help me. He is young with a long investment horizon so he is not interested in any bond or fixed income components and is comfortable with a portfolio holding a diversified mix of 100% stocks in various geographies. He wants to control his own portfolio but does not have the time to research and stay on top of individual stocks and is leaning towards an ETF portfolio. I am not well versed in this area and was hoping you could provide some guidance.

He is looking at XEQT and VEQT as possible one stop solutions. There are some minor differences between the two, but overall they appear very similar. XEQT has a MER of 0.2% and VEQT has a MER of 0.25%, VEQT holds more stocks than XEQT and XEQT is weighted a bit more towards US stocks and a bit less towards CAD stocks compared to VEQT. Would you recommend one over the other, or hold both?

Instead of buying one of these he is also considering holding a two (or more) ETF portfolio using VCN and XAW ETFs. VCN tracks the Canadian market, XAW tracks the global market excluding Canada. A portfolio of 25% VCN and 75% XAW would replicate XEQT/VEQT very closely, but would have a weighted average MER of about .18%. The trade off is that this one would need to be rebalanced, whereas with XEQT/VEQT all rebalancing is done automatically. Would a 25%VCN/75% XAW be preferable to XEQT/VEQT?

If it was you at 28, would you do either of the above or would you prefer a portfolio of other ETFs and if so, what would those be?

Many thanks

Scott

Q: Hello Peter,
With recent announcements of US companies launching Bitcoin ETFs, there is a concern that Canadian Companies may experience outflows. If so, i would think if one was invested in a bitcoin eft such as the one from purpose or evolve, the stock price (representing etf of bitcoin) would still go up if bitcoin went up? Hence, i don't see concern from putting monies in the canadian ETFs. Any comments please? Also, what is your opinion on whether the etfs are hedged? Does it mean the hedging works both ways whether the canadian dollar goes up or down? I was expecting Nuvei to do much better after the US listing but the stock has not moved. Are you still comfortable with new monies in Nuvei? Lastly, i was thinking of increasing my position to 3 percent for ATS automation. From your responses, you seem to like the stock. Thanks very much.

Q: Hi
I am reviewing my portfolio trying to decide i i should sell some of my stocks

WEE , TVK and SXP have been very profitable , do you suggest holding these stocks for the long term, a partial sell off , or to sell off the full position at this time .
I have lost money on ETI, LEAF, and GSQ do you suggest holding for the long term or selling off at this time

Thank you
Howard

Q: Seems to be a lot of analysts recommending this company. Can I get your views please?

Q: What would your suggestions be for small to mid cap companies that are in the farm fertilizer space that have growth potential? Thanks

Q: Hi 5i,
A problem I have is selling winning stocks when I think they've reached their zenith, only to watch them continue to rise. Right now the "SELL ATZ" voice in my ear is pretty insistent and I need some counselling.
Given ATZ pays no dividend, the only reason to continue holding is more capital gain - do you think that's in the offing or do the underlying numbers and market circumstances suggest it's at or close to its zenith now, at 50 bucks?
Thanks for your thoughts,
Peter

Q: Can you do a quick compare/contrast for these 3?
Do you place more emphasis on royalty or stream approach?
I was leaning towards SSL, on a 5+ year chart it is below the others, could it "catch up"?

Thanks,
TJ

Q: You commented upon this company in 2019. I am interested in it as a royalty play and would appreciate your current assessment.

Q: Could you please outline how to evaluate the value of a segregated fund, and also what ramifications there are to selling it, as compared to other equities or funds?

Thanks

Peted

Q: My grandson has been financially responsible and soon to be mortgage free. He has made some investments with with a financial advisor who has him in high MER mutual funds. He doesn't feel competent to have a self-directed stock account but he would like to invest using ETFs. Can you recommend where I might start in searching for an advisor who would be willing to invest in ETFs for a relatively small ($40,000) account to start. My grandson lives in Greater Vancouver.
With appreciation,
Ed

Q: Hi Peter, Ryan, and Team,

The most recent question about XMD was on Feb. 23.

For a combined portfolio that is skewed somewhat more heavily to larger-cap stocks, could XMD make a good addition? From the iShares website: "Targeted exposure to mid-cap and small-cap Canadian equities". (I can trade this ETF commission-free.) XMD holds 175 stocks, many of which are favoured by 5i, but of course it also holds some that have fallen out of favour. Please suggest alternative Canadian and US ETFs that you may consider "better" but have the same overall goals of XMD.

As always, your advice is important.

Q: Hi 5i Team,
Do you have a preference for long term growth in US banks? I was considering JP Morgan or Bank of America. Any preference here or other suggestion? Looking for long term growth.
Secondly, could you suggest 5 US stocks with good positive momentum that you would invest in now? Sector is not important for these suggestions.
Thanks,
Linda Nemis

Q: What US companies will benefit most from an infrastructure development boom in the US?

Q: People seem to have varied views concerning the causes of the supply chain disruptions including covid, lack of longshoremen, lack of truck drivers, etc. Do you see any companies benefiting from this; perhaps on the transportation side such as CNR, TFII, or CJT ? Or any other industries?
Thanks for your insights.
Ian

Q: For international exposure to Basic Materials I’ve been looking at these two large caps….can I get your analysis of these, especially comments on the high dividend?

Q: Dec 2019 you noted consider "NVST on its own at a later date, once it has reported a few quarters on its own".
Based on results to date can you expand on your previous note.
Would you consider it a buy? Why or why not?

Thanks,
TJ

Q: I have held NPI in both registered and non-registered accounts for years. The stock price has more than tripled, so obviously I am happy with that, but I am now retired and invest mainly for dividends. NPI currently yields less than 3%, a bit low compared to some other power producers like EMA or CU (I already hold some CU but not EMA). NPI also seems to be struggling to get back to its past highs, and if it did then the yield percentage would be that much less. I am considering selling NPI in the registered account and replacing it with either EMA or CU (recognizing these 2 are not currently as strong in the renewable space).
Could you compare the dividend growth, dividend sustainability, debt levels and future stock growth potential of these 3 stocks, and comment on my plan.
Thank-you

Q: I am scratching my head on this one! I bought some very cheaply in the recent market sell off. I am looking at the NAV of $18.10 (Sept. pricing). That seems an extraordinarily steep discount to what it presently sells for. Am I reading it correctly? Further, I noticed it passed up a termination date some time back but has another at 2023 year end. What would convince them to shut it down? Shareholders like me or something else? If something else what could that look like?

TIA

Q: May I please ask what's the reason for stock price rising on past 5 days? Is this company investable in your opinion?

Thanks,

Q: Dear 5i team.

May I please have your take on EGLX next earnings due in Nov? what are the estimates, and when do you think they will finally turn a profit?


Thanks for your help.