RE: Re: Trust unit newsletter..."I am curious how you would rate this diversified trust. Do you feel it is better than other diversifieds?"
I don't know enough about the others to compare between diversified trusts. In terms of value, I believe that NCD is trading at a larger discount than the others, so you are in essence buying assets at less than their market value. I don't know how long this will last, there is a good junp in price today, and the advertising is sure to increase share price.
"Do you feel this one is equivalent to holding individual real estate and energy trusts with about the same distributions as a result?"
No. If you have enough cash to diversify yourself, do it. You can cut out their management fee and reap the rewards yourself. If you like what they have done, you can mimick their portfolio by looking at the top 10 holdings. If there is some trust that you like that they are not fond of, for example PWI.UN, you can put that in and get rid of another trust. The only thing here is that, like with a mutual fund, you are getting a manager, one that you can assume if a professional in the industry to manage your funds. Also, you have to have enough money to make it worth it with transaction costs. Buying 100 shares of each trust doesn't qualify.
" Also, I'm curious how a trust justifies simply cutting off distributions like Luscar did and yet can still remain listed (and actually do well today in their case)."
Distributions are not mandatory. Typically the trust will put in their corporate policy that they intend to distribute 80% of distributable cash flow. Under tax laws I believe that 80% is the threshold to remain a trust, otherwise the money is taxed at the company level. Luscar stopped distributing cash flow because they were/still are losing money and whatever money they did get was used to save the company from bankruptcy. -- in their case it was in everyones best interest that distributions stopped. For those who were brave enough to hold onto the shares, the rewards are starting too come, the market value has shot up, new coal contracts are being done for higher prices. I still wouldn't buy in, but that has more to do with being burned by the stock rather than because it's outlook is bad.
Feel free to address me as Tom. yu174605@yorku.ca is my email address, hence it's use as my id here. Questions and comments are welcomed, both on the forum or via inbox. Thanks.