ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX FUND $17.71 - Toronto symbol XIU

ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX FUND $17.71 (Toronto symbol XIU; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) is a good, low-fee way to buy the top stocks on the TSX. The units are made up of stocks that represent the S&P/TSX 60 Index, which consists of the 60 largest, most heavily traded stocks on the exchange. Expenses are just 0.17% of assets.

The index mostly consists of high-quality companies. However, as the fund must ensure that all sectors are represented, it holds a few stocks we wouldn’t include.

The index’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 7.4%; TD Bank, 6.8%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.8%; Suncor Energy, 4.5%; Barrick Gold, 3.7%; CN Railway, 3.5%; Bank of Montreal, 3.4%; Potash Corp., 3.3%; Goldcorp, 3.3%; BCE Inc., 3.1%; Canadian Natural Resources, 3.0%; TransCanada Corp., 2.9%; CIBC, 2.8%; Enbridge, 2.8%; Cenovus Energy, 2.4%; and Telus Corp., 1.8%.

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund is a buy.

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.