ISHARES S&P INDIA NIFTY 50 INDEX FUND $22.40 (Nasdaq symbol INDY; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that aims to track the S&P CNX Nifty Index, which represents the 50 largest, most liquid Indian securities.
The fund’s top holdings are ITC Ltd. (conglomerate), 8.3%; Reliance Industries Ltd. (conglomerate), 7.8%; Infosys Technologies (software), 7.1%; Housing Development Finance, 6.2%; ICICI Bank, 6.2%; HDFC Bank, 6.1%; Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (conglomerate), 4.1%; Tata Consultancy Services (information technology), 3.8%; and State Bank of India, 3.5%.
The fund’s industry breakdown includes Banks, 19.0%; Computers, 13.0%; Refineries, 8.3%; Cigarettes, 8.3%; Automobiles, 6.6%; Housing, 6.3%; Pharmaceuticals, 4.4%; Engineering, 4.1%; Power, 3.9%; and Oil Exploration, 3.7%. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.89%.
India’s economy slowed to a 6.1% growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2011, but it should rebound to 6.9% this year.
iShares S&P India is a buy for safety-conscious investors who are willing to accept some risk.
