Investment Q&A

Q: this company looks to good to be true
what do you think
sam

Q: If PRE is at such a high risk because of high debt, why would ALFA (& consortium)not wait for default to buy the company? If PRE is at such high default risk, why would O'Hara try to scuttle the $6.50/share buy out for a "worthless" company? Why did PRE not make a good faith effort to seek further buy out bidders? Presumably ALFA values PRE as an entity that will provide future profits, so why does the consortium not offer existing shareholders a stake in the ALFA consortium as part of the take over? I understand there is a "market", but the convolution around this affair is perplexing for someone without experience in such high stakes deals. I know these are tough questions, that someone who remembers Shakespeare, might venture to vaguely answer themselves [incorrectly(?)], but would you kindly share your financial expertise? Thank you...

Q: 5i's tone seems sanguine on the North American economy, and generally constructive on stocks, but could you provide 5 short recommendations, perhaps with the caveat that these are likely to come into play if markets are weaker than 5i's expectations?

Q: I have been struggling with a fifteen percent loss on Direct Cash and just heard Jason Donville say the payout ratio has increased to 85%, which is contrary to the 60% I thought it was. Their operating margins could be improved and, in my hometown, I pay $1.75 at their ATM's and $3.00 from bank machines outside my home bank so I hope they raise their rates soon.
Finally, why is tap hurting cash withdrawals? If someone uses tap then they would have probably used their debit before tap and just completed the steps. If they need cash, then they would withdraw from their bank or an ATM somewhere.
Should I "tap out"?

Q: What is your opinion of using a UVXY covered call strategy as an income-producing hedge against market downturns? One recent two week at-the-money call was worth 3%. (i.e. recent = last week, before yesterday's volatilty)

Q: This stock has good upside potential with downside protection. A recent article in Globe Investor Magazine about Hanif Mamdani talks about "asymmetric payoff" where potential upside is greater than potential downside. In the high risk growth category without regard to sector what would be your top 5 stocks that meet this criteria?

Q: FYI BNS was punished because of their exposure to Puerto Rico's financial crisis, huge debt load. Is that bankruptcy - for Puerto Rico, not BNS?

Q: Hi
Would appreciate your thoughts on Elements buy of GE's fleet business.

Q: An article in today's Globe highlighted that a few of the top analysts and execs seem to have done quite well for themselves in 2014, with their top investment banker making more money than just a couple of bank CEO's. Unfortunately for me, and I am sure many others, the stock price has not been as rewarding to me.

I understand that that industry can pay well and aside from my initial knee-jerk negative reaction, are these types of bonuses in-line with industry norms? Or is this a reflection on management paying themselves first and not giving a lot or thought about shareholders (which maybe is the industry norm)?

Thanks for the insight.

Paul F.

Q: In a question earlier this month on Open Text it sounded like CGI and Open Text are in the same range of quality while CSU was the superior. I hold enough CSU and I would like to add another name in the tech area. I like the above two companies, could you recommend to me one over the other and/or a third option if I am missing something.
Thank you
Jeremy

Q: Intertain is in your growth portfolio, peter was on bnn at beginning of june and had it as a top pick, it has gone straight down since, which to me is a warning sign, i get it that it is cheap but amaya has hung in extremely well but intertain has not, could you comment. Daves

Q: What are your current thoughts on ZCL? Is it being unfairly punished for oil and gas exposure?

Q: Could I have your view on SNC please for growth and income.. Is this a good time to buy? Thanks

Q: The final pricing of the CHC common share offering hasn't yet been fixed, but is supposed to be between $8.50 and $10.00. I recently purchased some at around $8.30, and expected to see the price rice at least a bit. However, tday the share price has fallen by almost 13%, on very high volume for this stock.

Any idea what is going on?
Thanks!

Q: Hi Peter, I bought YGR and RMP 2 months back and now down on average 30% on those. Do you think should I sell them and deploy the capital somewhere else or should I just hang on? I can wait 3-5 years.

Also can you please suggest 3 best stocks combining both of your portfolio considering their current price on a basis of a 5 year overall return(FYI, I have a full position of your growth portfolio)? Thanks a lot.

Q: Good Afternoon
Would you now consider a purchase of either of the two above issues. They would be
held to maturity in a RRIF.

Thanks Guys

Q: Bonjour, which company has the best growth potential? Which one woud you pick?
Merci
Ronald

Q: Hi 5i:

Can you give me your thoughts on TNC's results, released this morning? Revenue up marginally, but some decent margin expansion. Any red flags (or even yellow flags), in your view?

Thanks,
Tom

Q: Hi Peter and 5i Team, I'm 49 yrs old, retired with a defined benefit pension (Fed Gov) which meets our basic needs (food, shelter & utilities). Do you think it's ok for me to think of my pension as the fixed income portion of my portfolio? Right now all of my investments are diversified in about 50-60 individual stocks with 0 in bonds or other fixed income. Your thoughts on this approach would be appreciated. Also looking for a brief update on the possibility of creating an ETF with your portfolios. This was mentioned a while back. Thanks.

Q: What is your opinion in buying Canadian bank preferred shares in the income
allocation portion of your portfolio as opposed to bond ETF's?
Best regards,
Oleh