Topic: How To Invest

Q: Greetings, Pat. Can you please give me your opinion of The Harvest Brand Leaders Plus Income ETF. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: The Harvest Brand Leaders Plus Income ETF, $8.62, symbol HBF on Toronto (Units outstanding: 12.3 million; Market cap: $106.0 million; www.harvestportfolios.com), invests in an equally weighted portfolio of 20 stocks—drawn from something it calls the “Brand Leaders Investable Universe.” These stocks have a minimum market capitalization of $10 billion U.S. at the time of investment and meet other specific investment criteria. The ETF started up in June 2014. The fund manager offers both Canadian-dollar-hedged HBF units and U.S.-dollar-unhedged HBF.U units. The stock selection criteria include industry dominance and operations across multiple continents. As well, the ETF looks for stocks that have strong balance sheets and global brands. Those companies are characterized by the following: Premium pricing power: built on trust & loyalty Survival strength: loyalty, endurance, long operating history Diversity: across geographic and cultural barriers Growth and stability: long-term growth and dividend generators The ETF’s top holdings include McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Intel, Kimberley-Clark, Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Caterpillar, J.P. Morgan Chase, Accenture…