Topic: How To Invest

Q: What do you think of me holding the BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF to lower the overall volatility of my portfolio? Thanks for your advice!

Article Excerpt

A: The BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF, $41.48, symbol ZLB on Toronto (Units outstanding: 81.2 million; Market cap: $3.4 billion; www.etfs.bmo.com), provides exposure to a portfolio of Canadian stocks with an overall low beta weighting (more on beta below). The aim is to reduce your exposure to market volatility. The ETF selects 40 or so (currently 48) of the lowest beta stocks from the 100 largest and most-liquid stocks in Canada. The stocks in the portfolio are rebalanced in June and reconstituted in December. That’s when any stocks are dropped and new ones added. The BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF has an MER of 0.39%. It currently yields 2.7%. The fund’s current top holdings are Loblaw Cos., 4.0%; Metro Inc., 3.8%; Hydro One, 3.5%; Empire Company, 3.3%; Waste Connections, 3.2%; Thomson Reuters, 3.1%; Fortis Inc., 3.0%; Emera, 2.7%; Intact Financial, 2.7%; and TMX Group, 2.7%. This ETF relies on beta scoring, a commonly used but sometimes misleading measure of volatility. To…