acquisition

BCE INC. $55.33, is a buy. The telecom (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares o/s: 904.3 million; Market cap: $50.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 6.0%; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest traditional telephone service provider: it has 2.7 million residential customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces....

Our two top Canadian insurance recommendations will be slowed by the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly their Asian operations. Much of that drop stems from the global stock market downturn; it hurts their wealth management fees as their clients’ stock portfolios drop in value....

VANECK VECTORS VIETNAM ETF, $10.33, is a buy for aggressive investors. The emerging market ETF (New York symbol VNM) lets you tap Vietnamese companies and foreign firms that get a significant share of their revenue from the Southeast Asian nation.


Your top holdings through the ETF are Vingroup (conglomerate), 8.4%; Vietnam Dairy, 7.6%; Vinhomes (real estate), 7.3%; No Va Land Investment, 6.9%; Mani (Japanese medical instrument maker with a Vietnam factory), 6.8%; and the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 6.3%....

TC ENERGY INC., $57.86, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol TRP; Shares o/s: 939.8 million; Market cap: $54.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.6%; www.transcanada.com) generates steady cash flow for investors mainly through its 92,600-kilometre pipeline network; it pumps natural gas from Alberta to eastern Canada and the U.S....

All of the major Canadian and U.S. stock markets are down in the wake of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But we think the worst is over for many stocks, and one way to profit, while at the same time cutting risk, is to invest in ETFs.


The best of these offer a diversified group of stocks while charging you low management fees....

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $13.33, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets you tap all 19 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index.


Investors pay a reasonable MER of 0.61%, and the REIT fund gives you a high 7.1% yield.
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The market plunge in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis has lowered prices of most stocks and REITs. But with REITs, you also face the coronavirus’s very real impact on the ability of tenants to pay rent. Still, government transfers to individuals and businesses should help offset that....

Spurred by the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the Bank of Canada has now cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.25% from 1.25%. Whether it continues to hold that rate steady, or cut it further, depends on the country’s economic growth and unemployment levels.


Meanwhile, even for our conservative investors, we caution against investing in bonds....

This issue of Canadian Wealth Advisor highlights several high-quality stocks and some top Canadian and U.S. ETFs—all with the power to lift your returns.


But first, I’d like to say that I still think the bulk of the damage to the stock market may already be behind us.


As always, we feature safety-conscious stocks ready to add to your long-term returns. Metro is new to Canadain Wealth Advisor, but it’s at the forefront of an essential supply chain for Canadians during the COVID-19 outbreak....

This month, we’re adding a new stock for subscribers of Canadian Wealth Advisor. As a key supermarket chain in Canada, Metro Inc. is building on its strong market position to supply consumers with food and drugs during the COVID-19 outbreak. This should steady its sales and profits in the difficult times ahead for the economy....