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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: Pricing in SJ's railway tie category is under pressure, negatively impacting operating margins (granted, margins are forecast to improve in H2 2018). My understanding is that alternatives, like concrete ties, are much more expensive. Given SJ produces an essential product for the railway sector, why does the company not have more pricing power? Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Edward on April 20, 2018
Q: Just received report and the board would like to list on Nasdaq exchange.They want to reduce share holdings for a price to stay listed on exchange.Good or bad and should I buy more or wait for more results.I could buy 1000 shares and wait also.Very small % of portfolio
Read Answer Asked by Guy on April 20, 2018
Q: Do you think this current oil rally is sustainable,I believe seasonally we are coming into a weak time of the year.Do you think because of all the projects around the world that have either been deferred,cancelled or scaled back,do you know of any numbers that would support the fact that the surplus could become a possible shortage due to lack of new barrels coming online and what we be your top oil pick be for growth and dividend regardless of cap size thanks for your great professional service
Read Answer Asked by Greg on April 20, 2018
Q: I have reviewed prior question responses on PMIF and PMO005. I understand that both should behave similarly (PMIF should have higher return longterm due to lower MER). My question is on the distribution. The distribution yield on PMO005 is about 3-3.5% it appears; the distribution yield on PMIF appears to be smaller and with variations in the distribution from month to month. Do you think this is temporary, as PMIF is relatively new? Do you think overtime, the distributions of PMIF will stabilize and approximate those of PMO005 with a similar yield? If not, why not, if the portfolio composition is the same in each case?

My feeling is that PMIF is 'safer' than high yield bonds such as XHY and preferred shares such as CPD/ZPR, do you agree? I hope to pair this with some VSB as my fixed income allocation. Do you think PMIF is worth the MER of 0.87%? This is for longterm, all-weather hold (irrespective of where interest rates go in the near-term/longterm) for consistent income.

Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Walter on April 20, 2018
Q: Hi 5i
Sorry if you receive an unfinished question from me as my computer is doing some strange things. I have been looking at MX graph for last year and comparing to share buy backs. The latest increase in share price is coincident with March buybacks as occurred in September as well. Then the price seems to drop off in a bit of a decline. I see that institution selling seems to be in line with this as well. So I guess my question is, should I wait to buy until the share buyback declines.
Regards
Kathy
Read Answer Asked by Kathy on April 20, 2018
Q: Hi Group thanks for your advise on the following - Currently own 15% Canadian + US banks+ Pay Pal / Score . Have done well in the past 2 yrs however the profits are slowly but surely eroding (add the Canadian dollar recent strength and the us banks are getting hit pretty hard) My question is due to market + consumer spending+Real estate concerns should I sell off and lock in the profits or do you see another option Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Terence on April 20, 2018
Q: Hello, thinking of adding ZUB, or ZBK, as just made decent windfall short term gains on energy stocks in days , for the trade. Redeploy cash , Against social media’s commentary worked out many times perfectly so far. Before last Friday banks earnings, the media were full of ” earnings will be huge” then the very next day we’re like “reversals because fully priced in “...” growth concerns “ . . “ yield curve.....” and so on...
so what’s your take? Is it noise or seasonality trading or real concerns , so called smart money moves?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by LEI on April 20, 2018
Q: Follow up to Maurice. ELF is a portfolio of global public equities with a market value equal to $926/shr net of debt (300 mm of prefs). The other part is Empire Life with a BV of $380 per ELF share and ROEs of 11 - 12% over the past 3 years so probably worth 1.3 times book or $494/ELF share for a total value of $1420 per share. The question is what holdco discount is reasonable because control is not in the market
Read Answer Asked by Robert on April 20, 2018