E104 – Omicron Uncertainty and a Black-Friday Boost for Discretionaries

With news of the Omicron variant sparking a wild ride in markets, Mark Raes, Chris Heakes and Alfred Lee discuss prudent defensive approaches to navigate the ongoing pandemic uncertainty, including opportunities in the healthcare sector, the forecast for consumer discretionaries, expectations for Canadian banks earnings, and the launch of ZMMK – a new ETF offering a short-term home for tax loss cash. Read the episode summary. Read the Canadian Dividends Trade Idea. Mark Raes is the Head of Product at BMO Global Asset Management. He is joined on the podcast by Chris Heakes and Alfred Lee, Portfolio Managers and ETF Specialists at BMO Global Asset Management. The episode was recorded live on December 1, 2021.   ETFs mentioned in the podcast: BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF (Ticker: ZEB) BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF (Ticker: ZWB) BMO Canadian Dividend ETF (Ticker: ZDV) BMO Canadian High Dividend Covered Call ETF (Ticker: ZWC) BMO Equal Weight US Health Care Hedged to CAD Index ETF (Ticker: ZUH) BMO Equal Weight US Health Care Index ETF (Ticker: ZHU) BMO MSCI Genomic Innovation Index ETF (Ticker: ZGEN) BMO Global Consumer Discretionary Hedged to CAD Index ETF (Ticker: DISC) BMO Money Market Fund ETF Series (Ticker: ZMMK)     Disclosures: The viewpoints expressed by the Portfolio Manager represent their assessment of the markets at the time of publication. Those views are subject to change without notice at any time without any kind of notice. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance. Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. The BMO ETFs or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”), and MSCI bears no liability with respect to any such BMO ETFs or securities or any index on which such BMO ETFs or securities are based. The prospectus of the BMO ETFs contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI has with BMO Asset Management Inc. and any related BMO ETFs. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in exchange traded funds. Please read the ETF Facts or prospectus before investing. Exchange traded funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. For a summary of the risks of an investment in the BMO ETFs, please see the specific risks set out in the prospectus. BMO ETFs trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase the risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination. BMO ETFs are managed by BMO Asset Management Inc., which is an investment fund manager and a portfolio manager, and a separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal. BMO Global Asset Management is a brand name that comprises BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Investments Inc.  ®/™Registered trade-marks/trade-mark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence.