Veolia Environnement SA. (VEOEY-5)

People see this as a water stock but the universe of water companies is divided up. This is a water utility, along with waste management. The problem with being a water utility is that it offers stable cash flow. If interest rates rise, then the intrinsic value of the cash flow falls. He is concerned about the entire utility space. It has a strong dividend yield so it should trade as a bond proxy. He prefers to be outside of the regulated space for investments in water. He invests, for example, in Strauss Group (SGLJF-5), an Israeli company who has partnered with Haier in China, selling residential water treatment systems at a very attractive price point. They also sell home water treatments in the US and the UK.

A utility that does drinking water, waste management services, heating & A/C systems and operates rail. It is a big conglomerate. The investor is getting nothing more than the 4% dividend and no more, and no growth in the dividend. Nothing will offset inflation. He owns a 7% bond of theirs. He prefers STN-T and others globally.