Q: Hello Pat and team. I heard some people recommending these funds: Trimark Europlus Fund, Capital Group Global Equity Fund, Brandes Emerging Markets Value Fund and the Invesco Global Real Estate Fund. I know you don’t necessarily recommend mutual funds over stocks. But, please, may I have the benefit of your thinking on these ones, in particular? Thanks!

A: We think that mutual funds are okay to hold if you own them, but we have moved away from recommending mutual funds in favour of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). They charge much lower fees. We feel that most fund investors should shift into ETFs wherever… Read More

These funds aim for an ethical profit

The ETF world is diverse, with a fund for every kind of investment strategy. That includes ETFs for those Canadians who want to invest in companies committed to protecting the environment and helping social causes. Here are two such funds:

ISHARES MSCI KLD 400 SOCIAL… Read More

Rising food demand spurs these two funds

With yearly revenue of $4 trillion, the global agriculture industry offers enormous opportunities for firms ready to satisfy growing food demand. (For more on agriculture, see supplement, page 10.)

VANECK VECTORS AGRICULTURE AGRIBUSINESS ETF $59 (New York symbol MOO; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $831.4… Read More

Pat: What is your view on buying the Canadian Vector Equity Fund? I believe it’s tilted towards value stocks and small cap stocks. Its MER is higher than an ETF, but maybe the value and small-company approach over long periods of time will add value. What are your thoughts on going with this mutual fund or a small-cap ETF such as the iShares S&P/TSX SmallCap Index ETF?

A: On a broad level, funds that specialize in small-cap stocks are always more volatile. However, some small caps do offer above-average potential—like those we recommend in Stock Pickers Digest.
Incidentally, we think it’s a mistake to generalize about small cap stocks. Some small caps are… Read More

Hi, Pat: Could I have your opinion on the ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF? If one were considering a “Dogs of the Dow” approach, would this be an alternative? Thanks.

The ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF, $38.79, symbol SDOG on New York (Units outstanding: 24.3 million; Market cap: $942.6 million; www.alpssectordividenddogs.com), is an ETF that applies the “Dogs of the Dow” theory on a sector-by-sector basis using the stocks in the S&P 500. The fund’s… Read More

Our latest advice on four small cap stocks

Small cap stocks are companies with market caps (or the value of all their outstanding shares) below $2 billion, or some other arbitrary figure. Many investors avoid small caps like the four we analyze below, because they’re generally more volatile than large cap stocks. These… Read More