Earlier this month, Google released its Year in Search report. The most popular Google search in Canada in 2020 was ‘U.S. Election’, followed by ‘Coronavirus’, ‘Kobe Bryant’ and ‘Zoom’. The Raptors, who were Number One in 2019 (IN EVERY WAY! GO RAPTORS!) were the fifth most searched in 2020.
This year, just like we did last year, we decided to show you the most popular content on Morningstar.ca. We looked at the most frequently viewed securities--stocks, funds, and exchange-traded funds--on the site for the year. Here’s what we found.
10 Most Popular Stocks
Not surprisingly, banks and energy dominated the list of most-often-viewed stock reports. Interestingly, either of the 10 most popular stocks among our viewers are the same as 2019, with two additions – Apple Inc and Air Canada Class B. The two stocks that gave up their space on the list to make way for these are Manulife and Canadian National Railway.
All the companies on the list are high-quality large companies (meaning most of them have carved out economic moats). They also pay our healthy dividends, a hot favourite among our readers:
Name | Ticker | Star Rating | Economic Moat |
The Toronto-Dominion Bank | TD | 3 | Wide |
Enbridge Inc | ENB | 4 | Wide |
Royal Bank of Canada | RY | 3 | Wide |
Bank of Montreal | BMO | 3 | Narrow |
Bank of Nova Scotia | BNS | 3 | Narrow |
Apple Inc | AAPL | 2 | Narrow |
Suncor Energy Inc | SU | 3 | None |
BCE Inc | BCE | 4 | Narrow |
Air Canada Class B | AC | 3 | None |
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | CM | 3 | Narrow |
Source: Morningstar Direct Data as of December 15, 2020
10 Most Popular ETFs
ETFs saw record inflows in 2020, and interest among our readers in these mostly passive products rose as well. The popular ETFs are dominated by BMO, Vanguard and iShares. All except one have either a Morningstar Analyst Rating, or a Morningstar Quantitative Rating. Surprisingly, the one ETF that has a “Neutral” rating – the BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF – is the most expensive on the list, with an MER of 0.39%. The list for 2020 is almost the same as 2019, with one addition – the Vanguard Growth ETF Portfolio. Here’s the list of the 10 most popular ETFs on Morningstar Canada.
Name | Morningstar Rating | Category | Management Expense Ratio |
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Gold (Analyst Rating) | U.S. Equity | 0.09% |
BMO S&P 500 ETF (CAD) | Gold (Analyst Rating) | U.S. Equity | 0.09% |
iShares S&P/TSX 60 ETF | Silver (Analyst Rating) | Canadian Equity | 0.18% |
BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF | Neutral (Quantitative Rating) | Canadian Equity | 0.39% |
iShares Core S&P/TSX Capped Composite ETF | Silver (Analyst Rating) | Canadian Equity | 0.06% |
BMO Aggregate Bond ETF | Silver (Analyst Rating) | Canadian Fixed Income | 0.08% |
iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond ETF | Silver (Analyst Rating) | Canadian Fixed Income | 0.10% |
Vanguard Balanced ETF Portfolio | Silver (Quantitative Rating) | Global Neutral Balanced | 0.25% |
Vanguard Growth ETF Portfolio | Silver (Quantitative Rating) | Global Equity Balanced | 0.25% |
Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap ETF | Gold (Analyst Rating) | Canadian Equity | 0.06% |
Source: Morningstar Direct Data as of December 15, 2020
10 Most Popular Mutual Funds
Finally, let’s look at the most popular mutual funds. Again, unsurprising, balanced funds, and dividend funds topped the list of most popular funds. Most of the funds on the list have a Morningstar Quantitative Medalist Rating, but only one of them gets the coveted Gold-medal – the Mawer Balanced A. Here’s the list:
Name | Morningstar Rating | Category | Management Expense Ratio |
Mawer Balanced A | Gold | Global Neutral Balanced | 0.91% |
Scotia Canadian Dividend A | Silver | Canadian Dividend & Income Equity | 1.73% |
BMO Dividend A | Neutral | Canadian Dividend & Income Equity | 1.80% |
Fidelity Global Innovators Class A | Bronze | Global Equity | 2.49% |
RBC Select Balanced Portfolio A | Neutral | Global Neutral Balanced | 1.95% |
CIBC Nasdaq Index | Bronze | U.S. Equity | 1.26% |
TD Monthly Income - I | Bronze | Canadian Neutral Balanced | 1.47% |
TD U.S. Blue Chip Equity - I | Neutral | U.S. Equity | 2.38% |
TD Science & Technology - I | Neutral | Senior Equity | 2.82% |
Dynamic Power American Growth | Neutral | U.S. Equity | 4.56% |
Source: Morningstar Direct Data as of December 15, 2020
Keep in mind when looking at these funds, most of them have very high fees. The management expense ratio (MER) for the Dynamic Power American Growth fund, for example, is an eye-watering 4.56%. However, it is important to remember that the fund has performance fee structure. Its baseline MER is 2.45% - still on the higher side - and the additional performance fee has been triggered because of its outperformance.
As Morningstar Canada’s director of investment research Ian Tam says, having access to investment funds with low fees if vitally important to the long-term success of the Canadian investor. “In essence, the fees paid take away from what the investor gets in her pocket which can be substantial when compounded over the investment time horizon. It would serve investors well to pay close attention to not only management fees (paid to the portfolio manager) but also any trailer fees or other one-time commissions (paid to advisors), especially if the investor doesn't feel like she's getting good value for the advice that is received. Advice is valuable, but only if you receive it,” Tam warns.
Happy Holidays!
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