BMO ETFs: Views from the Desk

In this episode, Bipan Rai, Sohrab Movahedi, and your host, Skye Collyer, unpack Canada's ‘Big Six’ banks' Q1 2026 earnings — cutting through the noise on tariffs, growth drivers, and what resilience looks like in an uncertain macro environment.

Skye Collyer is a Director of ETF Distribution at BMO Global Asset Management (BMO GAM). She is joined by Bipan Rai, Head of ETF Strategy, Exchange Traded Funds at BMO GAM, and Sohrab Movahedi, Managing Director of Financials Research at BMO Capital Markets. This episode was recorded live on Tuesday, March 03, 2026.

ETFs mentioned:

· BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF (Ticker: ZEB)

· BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF (Ticker: ZWB)

· BMO Canadian Bank Income Index ETF (Ticker: ZBI)

Source: ETF Flows, according to the National Bank Report, December 2025

Big Six: The six largest banks in Canada: BMO, CIBC, National Bank, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD.

ROE: Return on Equity

NIM Margin: The Net Interest Margin is a measure of the value of a bank’s net interest revenue as a share of its average interest-bearing assets.

CUSMA: Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade

USMCA: United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement; the American name for the CUSMA

LRCNs: Limited Recourse Capital Notes

Institutional Prefs: Preferred shares issued or primarily held by institutions

Yield Curve: A line that plots the interest rates of bonds having equal credit quality but differing maturity dates. A normal or steep yield curve indicates that long-term interest rates are higher than short-term interest rates. A flat yield curve indicates that short-term rates are in line with long-term rates, whereas an inverted yield curve indicates that short-term rates are higher than long-term rates.

Disclaimers:

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This podcast is for information purposes. The viewpoints expressed by the speakers represent their assessment of the markets at the time of publication. Those views are subject to change without notice at any time. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance.

Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although such statements are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. Investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. In connection with any forward-looking statements, investors should carefully consider the areas of risk described in the most recent prospectus.

You cannot invest directly in an index. 

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in exchange-traded funds. Please read the ETF Facts or prospectus of the BMO ETFs before investing. Exchange-traded funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

For a summary of the risks of an investment in the BMO ETFs, please see the specific risks set out in the BMO ETF’s prospectus. BMO ETFs trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase the risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.

BMO ETFs are managed by BMO Asset Management Inc., an investment fund manager, a portfolio manager, and a separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal.

BMO Global Asset Management is a brand name under which BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Investments Inc. operate.

“BMO (M-bar roundel symbol)” is a registered trademark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence.