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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: Hello Peter,
My daughter holds ECN at a 2% weight. I’m considering buying preferred share ECN.PR.A to provide additional dividend income but in this market believe I need additional company info.
From their AIF, ECN appears to manage financial assets for other entities. To what extent do they carry financial risk of losses of those assets? And if they carry little loan risk, what is the prime risk of the company not surviving a prolonged downturn in the economy?

Final question; ECN is in the growth portfolio. If it was not, would you put it in at this time?

Many Thanks!
Robert
Read Answer Asked by Robert on April 22, 2020
Q: Hi 5i,

You mentioned in your last question that Veolia Environment has a 5% dividend. Was the dividend cut recently? What is the forward yield. Also, how high is their debt and how manageable is it? I know utilities normally have high debt, so is it in line with others?

TIA!
Read Answer Asked by Wayne on April 21, 2020
Q: Looking to buy into companies that are currently considered "bargains" due to the pandemic. I have a five year time-frame. Any objection to these five? (CAE, AC, PLC, GSY, BCI) Any suggestions toward other companies?

thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Jacob on April 21, 2020
Q: I take note that in the reply to Maureen’s query on gold companies that MMX was omitted. Is there any reason for that other than size and risk. What is your view on MMX potential if gold rises during the massive QE effort going on. Do royalty companies have any extra leverage to the price of gold when it rises
Thank You
Clarence
Read Answer Asked by Clarence on April 21, 2020
Q: I have 5% in KL. Less than 1% in phys.
I think owning a total of 10% in my portfolio could be appropriate sooner than later,
I would like your opinion of the top five small gold and five silver cos. As well 5 of the top larger larger gold and silver companies.

If bto is not in your list please advise your reasoning. Thank you very much.

Read Answer Asked by Maureen on April 21, 2020
Q: I would like your help putting together a yield portfolio of between 15 and 20 names.
This would be the entire investments for my wife and I. We are both retired and now live full-time in the U.S. And at some point I expect my Canadian newspaper pension to disappear, so I am looking to replace that money.
I would like your opinion of the above names with regard to safety of the income and overall diversification.
I would also appreciate some additional ideas and would like to know if I`m off base on any or all of these names.
I am currently only invested in CM, BNS and BMO and DIR.UN.
Please take 20 credits (or more).
Thank you in advance for your invaluable assistance.
Read Answer Asked by Kyle on April 21, 2020
Q: hi folks:

understanding that byd is well run, i wonder why it has held up so well

logically it seems that they will likely be a year (possibly more) till they return to full capacity; given the volume of people that will not be driving

do they have the balance sheet to take advantage of the fire sale that surely will be coming in 'mom and pop' panel beater co's; allowing them to buy more assets at fire sale prices?

is byd just getting a bid from the safety trade as it 'appears' (ok, to me) that there is no solid reason for it to have recovered so well?

thanks
Read Answer Asked by Robert on April 21, 2020
Q: Given the absolute collapse of the oil I expected that the companies at least directly related to this would be hammered today. But that is not the case. What am I missing? Thank you
Read Answer Asked by David on April 21, 2020
Q: Hi 5i team
What are your top picks for Global/US health care sector ETFs that are listed on TSX , for non hedged and for hedged? Are these better to be in non registered account?
Many thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Willie on April 21, 2020
Q: Hi
El-ann asked about PUTS on April 21, 2020.
The Montreal Exchange offers free seminars and they partnered with OptionsPlay, a software that provides feasiblity scenarios. FREE if signed up via Montreal Exchange, OptionsPlay offers weekly lessons. You can ask questions. etc. So save the $1300 and put it in the market instead!
Read Answer Asked by Carlo on April 21, 2020
Q: In a recent question asked by Andrew concerning the setting up of a dividend stream of safe and stable Canadian stocks, I was more surprised by some of the stocks you didn't name rather by the stocks you did include - namely bank stocks. The three major banks, for the most part, are paying higher dividends than the ones you included and you have stated in the past you consider them as secure as any. Was the reason for their omission a concern that these dividends are likely to stagnate for a while or is there some other reason(s)?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on April 21, 2020
Q: In my Margin Account I had FRU and IPL which I sold as the dividend had dropped form the 7% range to~2%. The G & M referred the other day to some Preferred shares paying over 6.5% and up. For example BMO PrC - 6.49%; BCE PrC 7.94% and CM PrP at 7.24%.
As a preferred share gets its dividend before the common I would think they are even more secure than the Common.
Your comments please.
Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Brian on April 21, 2020
Q: About investing in oil directly, here is some information members should know. Please correct me if I am wrong: Although Horizon ETF "HUC.TO" is less liquid than "USO", it has a an advantage over it in this environment: It holds the December contract, not the next 2 months contracts. In other words, USO bets on oil in the short term, and HUC.TO bets on oil in 7 months.

From Horizon: "HUC’s unique methodology is designed to provide the best possible exposure to the commodity. This is done by gaining exposure to the winter months (December) contract of each year, which is often the most liquid, to eliminate the monthly futures contract roll which often creates negative roll yield. Because the oil market is most typically in a state of contango (upward sloping curve), the process of providing investors exposure to the near- month contract 12 times per year creates a constantly changing underlying investment which can prevent the ETF from accurately tracking the commodity. HUC invests only in the December contract and executes its underlying exposure roll once per year, each June."
Read Answer Asked by Matt on April 21, 2020
Q: I have held IVE for many years and to sell I would have capital gains taxes to consider though not what they would have been a couple of months ago. Are there 3 - 5 dividend stocks that you think are solid bets to out perform the index coming out of the downturn over the medium term? (2-3 years)
Thanks Hugh
Read Answer Asked by Hugh on April 21, 2020
Q: Hi There,
Just curious if I could get your opinion on the following funds MAW130, XSP, XMS and XQQ. I am looking to invest some money outside of Canada with some decent balanced/growth potential.
Could you please list in order of preference with the first being the most favorable.
Thank You,
Read Answer Asked by Kevin on April 21, 2020
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