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Stockchase Opinions

Stockchase InsightsHorizons S&P 500HXS.TOBUYDec 13, 2023

Trevor Rose’s Insights - Trevor’s most-liked answers from 5i Research

We would suggest HXS, which is an S&P 500 'total return' ETF and thus does not pay distributions. They instead accumulate via derivatives in the ETF. Thus, only capital gains taxes apply (when sold). 
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$64.49

Stock price when the opinion was issued

$110.50

As of Jun 19, 2026. Market Open.

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TOP PICK

Believes markets will rise in 2023 - good product to get exposure. Owns shares in own portfolio. Sees more momentum in US stocks than in Canada with Magnificent 7 tech stocks. Good option for long term investors.  

BUY

Tax efficient option for S&P 500 (no distributions), total returns in capital gains. No tax bill. 

BUY
ETFs for RRSPs and TFSAs.

He and his team are not tax experts, and the answer is very individual-specific. Consult your tax advisor.

XSP or ZSP are good starting points. One is hedged, one is not. HXS is another option, though it doesn't pay distributions, just accumulates as capital.

BUY
ZSP gives classic exposure. Good thing is that you can buy this either in USD or hedge to CAD. HXS though offers a little more tax efficiency. Both are good and give you exposure. HXS charges a 0.1% MER and ZSP 0.09%.
BUY

Billy Kawasaki’s Insights - Billy’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. Converts dividends into capital gains such that no distributions are paid out. Based off the S&P500 index so has good diversification exposure to large cap US companies. $3.2B in assets. Fees are a bit higher than a standard ETF, but taxes are deferred and shift to capital gains taxes over dividend income. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free

COMMENT
With a 5 year time frame and the CAD at $0.82-$0.83, we are over-valued here. Over the next few months, $0.70-$0.85 is the trading range for the next few years. We are close to the top right now, so would want more USD exposure. However, in the short term, the CAD can further strengthen.
COMMENT
Currency exposure is a big factor when investing globally. You must factor in the currency impact. The currency accounts for 15% of the exposure. The CAD has gone a lot further than he has thought. There is a global sentiment that the USD will get weaker relative to other currencies.
BUY

Billy Kawasaki’s Insights - Billy’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. An ETF that holds derivatives and total return swaps instead of stocks directly. Most of the portfolio is cash which mitigates counterparty risk. It has met its goals. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free

COMMENT
Do the new swap ETFs have the same tax advantage? Go to the Horizons webpage to find out exactly. This was a total return swap, meaning it didn't hold the physical shares directly. Effectively, the distributions became capital gains. But Canada Revenue said no to that--can't do that anymore. So, Horizon has changed the structure of these swap ETFs into a corporate-class share structure (mutual funds do this). This is still an ETF and doesn't effect the fee. But will CRA allow this going forward? He doesn't know.
COMMENT
The S&P 500. He has never heard of a triple bottom. You can't hang your hat on it. It is based on statistics. A triple bottom has high odds of not holding. It is a fantastic way to gain exposure but no matter how they structure it, you are still buying the S&P 500.
HOLD

He likes the S&P500. He hasn’t sold anything. This is interesting because this is a total return swap. There are no distributions here. No income. No withholding taxes which is good for RRSPs.

BUY

HXS-T and HXT-T in a non-registered account. He likes this strategy based on a total return swap. You only pay capital gains tax. There is no distribution. If you believe the markets will go higher for a number of years these are great instruments. A buy and hold for many years.

COMMENT

HXS-T vs. XUS-T vs. VUN-T. HXF is the financial swap based ETF and the swap fee has a fee of zero. It is Canadian bank that is doing the swaps. When you sell it down the line you will have compounded the yield. There are reasons to buy into Canadian financials at this time. HXF is a good idea.

PAST TOP PICK

(Top Pick Aug 07/15, Up 5.11%) There are no distributions. All you get is the total return of capital gains. The ETF is based on a swap.