BMO ETFs Tax Efficient Model – Strategy Report (Q2 2026)
All prices, returns and portfolio weights are as of market close on March 31, 2026, unless otherwise indicated.
Apr 1, 2026- We are now in the third quarter of our ‘Tax‑Efficient’ portfolio. This portfolio follows the same core framework as our Macro Regime Balanced Portfolio – but utilizes tax‑efficient instruments tailored for Canadian investors.
- In the fixed income sleeve, we are adding ZTIP (BMO Short-Term US TIPS Index ETF) as a tactical position, as we expect inflation to remain a concern for bond investors in the months to come. We are also increasing our allocation to ZCDB (BMO Corporate Discount Bond ETF) slightly to enhance the after‑tax income potential and improve the overall quality of cash flows.
- Consistent with our view of U.S. dollar (USD) outperformance in the months ahead, we are exiting out of our position in ZUAG.F (BMO US Aggregate Bond Index ETF – Hedged Units).
- These changes bring the fixed income sleeve closer in structure to the balanced portfolio, which is more fundamentally driven. While we remain underweight fixed income overall, we are modestly increasing our weight to improve portfolio balance in a more volatile macro backdrop.
- In the equity sleeve, we are adjusting our weights in ZUQ (BMO MSCI USA High Quality Index ETF) and ZCN (BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF) to 25% each (from 27% each). This reflects a desire to maintain broad, diversified exposure across U.S. and Canadian equities while acknowledging late‑cycle dynamics.
- Correspondingly, we have reduced our allocation to ZWT (BMO Covered Call Technology ETF) to 4%. We have also reintroduced ZWU (BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF) to add a more defensive layer. At the same time, we are maintaining our allocation to ZWB (BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF) as we remain constructive on Canadian banks into 2026.
- The most notable change this quarter is that we are paring our gold exposure and adding ZCOM (BMO Broad Commodity ETF) to the Alts/Non‑Traditional Hybrid sleeve to broaden the portfolio’s diversification and resilience to inflation pressure. The goal is to keep diversification benefits, but with more balanced exposure to inflation and real‑economy linkages.
Table 1 – Holdings for Our Updated Tax Efficient Portfolio (Q2 2026)
Ticker |
Name |
Weight |
Country |
Fixed Income |
|||
10.00% |
Canada |
||
6.00% |
Canada |
||
5.00% |
U.S. |
||
Equities |
|||
25.00% |
U.S. |
||
25.00% |
Canada |
||
4.00% |
U.S. |
||
5.00% |
Canada |
||
5.00% |
Canada |
||
Alts/Non-Traditional Hybrids |
|||
7.50% |
U.S. |
||
7.50% |
Canada |
||
Total |
100.00% |
||
Source: BMO Global Asset Management, as of March 31, 2026. The portfolio holdings are subject to change without notice and only represent a percentage of portfolio holdings. They are not recommendations to buy or sell any particular security.
Table 2 – Tax Efficient Portfolio for Q2 2026
| Ticker | ETF Name | Sector Positioning | Management Fee | Weight (%) | 90-Day Volatility | Volatility Contribution | Annualized Distribution Yield* | |
| Fixed Income | ||||||||
| ZDB | BMO Discount Bond Index ETF | Fixed Income | Core | 0.09% | 10.00% | 4.54% | 3.23% | 1.76% |
| ZCDB | BMO Corporate Discount Bond ETF | Fixed Income | Tactical | 0.15% | 6.00% | 3.94% | 1.68% | 1.90% |
| ZTIP | BMO Short-Term US TIPS Index | Fixed Income | Tactical | 0.15% | 5.00% | 5.18% | 1.84% | 3.66% |
| Total Fixed Income | 21.00% | 6.76% | ||||||
| Equities | ||||||||
| ZUQ | BMO MSCI USA High Quality Index ETF | Equity | Core | 0.30% | 25.00% | 12.63% | 22.47% | 0.47% |
| ZCN | BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF | Equity | Core | 0.05% | 25.00% | 15.76% | 28.03% | 2.24% |
| ZWT | BMO Covered Call Technology ETF | Equity | Tactical | 0.65% | 4.00% | 20.36% | 5.79% | 5.48% |
| ZWB | BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF | Equity | Tactical | 0.65% | 5.00% | 13.68% | 4.87% | 5.79% |
| ZWU | BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF | Equity | Tactical | 0.65% | 5.00% | 7.90% | 2.81% | 6.90% |
| Total Equity | 64.00% | 63.97% | ||||||
| Non-Traditional Hybrids | ||||||||
| ZCOM | BMO Broad Commodity Index ETF | Hybrid | Tactical | 0.26% | 7.50% | 22.68% | 12.10% | |
| ZWGD | BMO Covered Call Spread Gold Bullion ETF | Hybrid | Tactical | 0.65% | 7.50% | 32.15% | 17.16% | 5.00% |
| Total Alternatives | 15.00% | 29.27% | ||||||
| Total Cash | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||
| Portfolio | 0.27% | 100.00% | 14.05% | 100.00% | 2.38% | |||
Source: BMO Global Asset Management, as of March 31, 2026. Model portfolio for illustrative purposes only. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any particular security. Particular investments and/or trading strategies should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance.
Table 3 – Changes to Portfolio from Q1 2026
Sell/Trim |
Ticker |
Old Weight |
(%) |
New weight |
5.00% |
-5.00% |
0.00% |
||
27.00% |
-2.00% |
25.00% |
||
27.00% |
-2.00% |
25.00% |
||
5.00% |
-1.00% |
4.00% |
||
6.00% |
-6.00% |
0.00% |
||
10.00% |
-2.50% |
7.50% |
| Buy/Add | Ticker | Old Weight | % | New Weight |
| BMO Short-Term US TIPS Index ETF | ZTIP | 0.00% | 5.00% | 5.00% |
| BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF | ZWU | 0.00% | 5.00% | 5.00% |
| BMO Broad Commodity Index ETF | ZCOM | 0.00% | 7.50% | 7.50% |
| BMO Corporate Discount Bond ETF | ZCDB | 5.00% | 1.00% | 6.00% |
Source: BMO Global Asset Management, as of March 31, 2026. The portfolio holdings are subject to change without notice and only represent a percentage of portfolio holdings. They are not recommendations to buy or sell any particular security.
Chart 1 – Sector Exposure

Table 4 – Fixed Income Exposure Breakdown
|
Q2 2026 |
Q1 2026 |
|
|
Weighted Average Term |
5.95 |
7.57 |
|
Weighted Average Duration |
4.85 |
5.85 |
|
Weighted Average Coupon (%) |
1.78 |
2.17 |
|
Annualized Dist. Yield (%) |
2.25 |
2.15 |
|
Weighted Average Yield to Maturity (%) |
3.69 |
3.54 |
Source: BMO Global Asset Management, as of March 31, 2026.
Table 5 - Performance of Holdings
|
Fund name |
Ticker |
Year-to-Date |
1-month |
3-month |
6-month |
1-Year |
3-Year |
5-Year |
10-Year |
Since Inception |
Inception Date |
|
8.62% |
7.71% |
10.03% |
21.59% |
38.66% |
22.79% |
17.02% |
13.64% |
10.06% |
2009-05-29 |
||
|
5.14% |
5.61% |
9.93% |
22.56% |
41.21% |
19.07% |
14.43% |
12.54% |
10.42% |
2011-01-28 |
||
|
10.94% |
6.96% |
8.35% |
11.51% |
19.22% |
11.33% |
8.76% |
7.01% |
5.70% |
2011-10-20 |
||
|
2.14% |
1.61% |
0.75% |
3.52% |
2.10% |
4.72% |
0.61% |
1.89% |
2.42% |
2014-02-10 |
||
|
2.21% |
1.26% |
0.59% |
9.80% |
8.94% |
24.36% |
15.88% |
16.29% |
16.36% |
2014-11-05 |
||
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2025-10-21 |
||
|
-5.36% |
-4.90% |
-7.41% |
3.52% |
13.11% |
34.92% |
18.58% |
— |
18.33% |
2021-01-20 |
||
|
1.47% |
0.81% |
1.08% |
2.70% |
4.72% |
6.41% |
— |
— |
3.56% |
2022-01-24 |
||
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2025-05-22 |
||
|
0.29% |
0.56% |
-1.48% |
0.47% |
-1.30% |
5.22% |
4.96% |
— |
5.01% |
2021-01-20 |
Source: BMO Global Asset Management, as of March 31, 2026.
Notes on tax characteristics:
ZDB, ZCDB, and ZUAG.F
- The BMO Discount Bond ETF suite (ZDB, ZCDB, ZSDB) is designed to minimize interest income by buying bonds with lower coupons that are trading at a discount to par value, such that a portion of future returns will come from price appreciation and will be treated as a capital gain instead of interest income. Please see here for a breakdown of how the suite can help investors reduce taxable interest income relative to traditional bond funds with similar exposures.
- ZUAG/F: Average coupon is far below Yield-To-Maturity, or YTM (2.82% average coupon, which is lower than the yield to maturity of 4.32% as of Dec 29, 2025, indicating pull-to-par opportunity and minimization of interest income versus other bond ETFs).
ZUQ
- Dividends from U.S. companies are subject to U.S. withholding tax. Not only do we like the MSCI USA High Quality basket from an investment outlook standpoint, but, because of its screens, it has a lower dividend payout rate, and therefore a lower rate of U.S. withholding tax exposure versus U.S. equity exposures that pay out a higher dividend distribution rate.
ZCN
- As a basket of Canadian companies, the ETF’s distribution is taxed as Canadian eligible dividends and is entitled to the advantageous Canadian dividend gross up and tax credit system.
ZWT
- The basket is composed of U.S. large cap technology names, which pay minimal dividends (foreign income exposed to U.S. withholding tax). The ETF’s covered call strategy sells call options in order to collect monthly cash flow; this portion is taxed as capital gains, which are exposed to tax at a lower rate than interest income or foreign income.
ZWB
- The basket is composed of large cap Canadian banks, which pay dividends. The ETF’s covered call strategy sells call options in order to collect monthly cash flow; this portion is taxed as capital gains, which are exposed to tax at a lower rate than interest income.
ZWU, ZWGD:
- These covered call strategies sell call options in order to collect monthly cash flow; this portion of the yield is taxed as capital gains and/or return of capital, which are exposed to tax at a lower rate versus interest income or foreign income.
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