Topic: How To Invest

Q: Dear Pat: Can I have your recommendation on the BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: The BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF, $29.04, symbol ZLB on Toronto (Units outstanding: 47.2 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; www.etfs.bmo.com), provides exposure to a low beta-weighted portfolio of Canadian stocks. The ETF selects the 40 or so lowest beta stocks from the 100 largest and most-liquid securities in Canada. The underlying portfolio is rebalanced in June and reconstituted in December. The BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF has an MER of 0.40%. It currently yields 2.3%. The ETF’s current top holdings are: Fairfax Financial, Canadian REIT, Intact Financial, Waste Connection. Smart REIT, Dollarama, BCE, H&R REIT, RioCan REIT, Emera, Rogers Communications and CCL Industries. This ETF relies on beta scoring, a commonly used but sometimes misleading measure of volatility. To calculate a stock’s beta, an index like the S&P/TSX Composite or the S&P 500 is assigned a beta of 1.0. The historical volatility of different stocks relative to the index are then measured using either a 36-month or 60-month regression analysis. If…