BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF (ZWU.TO) Buy,…

BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF (ZWU.TO)

11.00

-0.01 (0.09%)

as of Oct 15, 2026, 2:10:48 pm Market Open.

403 watching

BUY

He likes it because there are many US utilities there. He sold many in December because he wanted the pure play when the market dropped.

COMMENT

In a defensive sector which is the right one to be one during market duress. But you're selling calls to create extra income. This is merely okay. Total returns have been flat lately, though ZWU has done better than the overall markets. Hold this outside the RRSP, given tax considerations. Just remember: if the market drops 30%, ZWU will fall 24%.

COMMENT

Utilities include telephones, pipelines and power. He owns this for clients who want the dividend, not long-term performance. If interest rates rise, this will likely fall. But he foresees minimal increases coming (2 from the U.S. this year, he thinks), so ZWU will perform flatly.

COMMENT

ZUT-T vs. ZWU-T. As we go into a recession, bond rates are dropping. ZUT-T is an equal weight exposure to traditional Canadian utilities. ZWU-T includes telcos and pipelines. He is always more in favour of diversification.

BUY

Or buy ZWD instead? He likes it because it has both Canadian and American utilities, and it has a covered call. The only problem with utilities is that they can't raise revenues (pass them onto the consumer) when interest rates rise.

TOP PICK

Provides safe, regular cash flow. A package of diversified utilities, with dividends that you can depend on, and the covered call provides additional income. The cost of the ETF is quite low.

COMMENT

Investors are hiding out in utilities. ZWU's covered call mitigates some volatility. (FIE-T is another one he'd look at.) If this ETF performs too well, it means the rest of the market is in trouble. Be careful you don't get suckered into defensive names.

COMMENT

ZPR-T vs. ZWC-T vs. ZWU-T. He likes ZWU-T and ZWC-T for the covered calls. ZPR-T is reset preferreds. They reset. There is an expectation that BOC will be less aggressive with interest rates so we are seeing pressure on these. The lower it gets the more he likes it. He feels it will appreciate next year.`

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BUY

ZWU-T vs. ZWB-T. Rising interest rates are positive for revenues for banks, not profits necessarily. The yield curve is flattening and this is not good for banks. He prefers ZWU-t to ZWB-T.

HOLD

Good idea to add? Getting monthly dividend income plus income off the option premium. Buying this for the cash flow. This particular product will suffer in a higher interest rate environment. Don’t add now. Instead, buy ZWB, add it to ZWU, and together that’s your portfolio.

BUY

[Caller asked about BCE-T.] He prefers ZWU-T instead of just paying individual stocks. No one knows which one is going to do best. You get diversification. He would step into it because it is defensive.

COMMENT

ZWE-T vs. ZWU-T vs. ZWB-T. A 100% stake in anything is generally a bad idea. These three give you 2/3rds of your portfolio seeking dividends in Canada. He would add ZPW-T for US put writes. ZWH-T would give you a broader exposure. He would underweight Canada.

BUY

High dividend covered call telcos and utilities, 70% Canadian, 30% US. He really likes it. These tend to underperform during rising interest rates. Banks do a bit better (ZWB-T (covered Call Banks)/ZWE-T) in this environment. He likes them paired with ZWU-T. He owns no Canadian banks right now.

BUY

ZWB-T vs. ZWU-T. ZWU-T is high dividend covered call, 70% US. It is very interest rate sensitive. ZWB-T is banks and so when interest rates are rising they tend to do better. They are counter balanced so putting money into both is a good pairing, generally. He owns no Canadian banks because he thinks they are expensive right now, however.

DON'T BUY

Do you like the covered call? Not a huge fan, but it’s difficult for the individual to write covered calls because the ETF providers are in the way. Expensive at 0.71% MER, but pretty good. If interest rates rise accelerates you are probably not going to get a lot of performance. Be careful. For income, you could go to a lot of other areas. Timing better when there’s a sell-off in the market. Timing on this isn’t perfect, if you hold it there is nothing wrong with it.

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BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF (ZWU.TO)