ISHARES MSCI SOUTH KOREA INDEX FUND $62.55 (New York Exchange symbol EWY; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Korea Index.
The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 22.1%; Hyundai Motor Co., 5.8%; SK Hynix Semiconductor, 3.5%; Naver (Internet content), 3.4%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 3.3%; Posco (steel), 3.1%; Shinhan Financial, 3.0%; Kia Motors, 2.4%; LG Chemical, 2.0%; and KB Financial, 2.0%.
The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Information Technology, 32.9%; Consumer Discretionary, 19.1%; Financials, 14.2%; Industrials, 12.8%; Materials, 9.2%; Consumer Staples, 5.3%; Energy, 2.1%; Utilities, 1.8%; Telecommunication Services, 1.0%; and Health Care, 0.7%.
iShares MSCI South Korea was launched on May 9, 2000. It has an expense ratio of 0.62%.
South Korea has Asia’s fourth-largest economy after China, Japan and India. The country is heavily reliant on exports, and China is now its biggest market. South Korea’s exports to China have begun to rebound, as have its sales to the U.S. and Europe.
The steady rise of South Korea’s currency, the won, hurt its economy in 2012 and early 2013 by making its goods more expensive for foreign buyers. However, with inflation remaining low, at 2.1%, South Korea now has the flexibility to keep interest rates low and slow the won’s rise.
The country’s economy likely grew 2.8% in 2013 and is forecast to expand as much as 4.0% in 2014.
In December 2012, South Korea elected a new president, Guen-hye, the daughter of Park Chunghee, the country’s dictator from 1961 to 1979.
South Korea’s communist neighbour, North Korea, remains a serious threat. However, China wants peace in the region, and North Korea needs China’s continued goodwill for food and military aid.
iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund is a buy for aggressive investors.
