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ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $47.04 (New York Exchange symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that is designed to track the Brazilian stock market.

Its top holdings are Petrobras (oil and gas), 10.3%; Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 8.7%; Vale do Rio Doce (mining), 8.1%; Cia de Bebidas das Americas (beer and beverages), 7.6%; Banco Brandesco, 6.4%; and BRF SA (food), 3.5%.

The ETF was launched on July 10, 2000. It has an expense ratio of 0.62%.

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ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $46.03 (New York Exchange symbol ECH; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index, which consists of stocks that mainly trade on the Santiago Stock Exchange.

The fund’s top holdings are S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 9.0%; Enersis SA (electricity), 8.8%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 8.5%; LATAM Airlines, 6.9%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 6.7%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 5.2%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 4.7%; Quimica y Minera de Chile (mining), 4.5%; Banco de Chile, 4.4%; and Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 4.0%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is: Utilities, 25.0%; Financials, 17.3%; Materials, 13.7%; Consumer Discretionary, 10.6%; Industrials, 9.9%; Consumer Staples, 9.9%; Energy, 8.5%; Telecommunications, 2.4%; and Information Technology, 2.0%.

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ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $31.68 (New York Exchange symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) tracks the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index.

This index aims to replicate 85% of the total market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership.

The ETF’s top holdings are Bayer (diversified chemicals), 8.8%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 8.5%; BASF (chemicals), 8.3%; Daimler (autos), 7.1%; Allianz (insurance), 6.2%; SAP (software), 5.8%; Deutsche Telekom, 3.7%; Deutsche Bank, 3.6%; and BMW, 3.3%.

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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%.

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ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $41.33 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

Its geographic breakdown includes China, 17.6%; South Korea, 16.0%; Taiwan, 11.9%; Brazil, 11.3%; South Africa, 7.8%; India, 6.7%; Russia, 4.7%; Mexico, 4.7%; Malaysia, 3.9%; and Indonesia, 2.7%.

The fund’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.9%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 2.5%; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 1.8%; China Mobile, 1.4%; China Construction Bank, 1.3%; Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.2%; Itau Unibanco Holding (Brazil: banking), 1.1%; and Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), 1.1%.

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ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.08 (New York Exchange symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan index.

The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 5.8%; Softbank Corp., 2.8%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 2.7%; Honda Motor, 2.2%; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 1.9%; Mizuho Financial Group, 1.7%; Japan Tobacco, 1.4%; Hitachi, 1.4%; Takeda Pharmaceutical, 1.4%; and Canon, 1.4%.

The fund’s industry breakdown includes: Consumer Discretionary, 20.8%; Industrials, 19.6%; Financials, 19.5%; Information Technology, 10.9%; Consumer Staples, 6.6%; Health Care, 6.4%; Telecommunication Services, 5.7%; Materials, 5.6%; Utilities, 2.5%; and Energy, 1.2%.

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LOBLAW COS. $47.65 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 412.5 million; Market cap: $18.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 2.0%; www.loblaw.ca) has closed its purchase of Shoppers Drug Mart, which has 1,253 drugstores across Canada.

Loblaw paid $12.4 billion, consisting of $6.6 billion in cash and $5.8 billion in shares. Shoppers shareholders now own 29% of the combined company.

In all, the firm will have $43 billion of annual revenue and $3 billion of gross earnings. Combining marketing and distribution should save $100 million in the first year and $300 million annually by the end of the third year.

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ENERPLUS CORP. $24.31 (Toronto symbol ERF; Shares outstanding: 202.8 million; Market cap: $5.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.5%) produces an average of 94,167 barrels of oil equivalent a day (54% gas and 46% oil).

The company’s properties are mainly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., North Dakota and Montana, as well as the Marcellus shale, which passes through Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

In the three months ended December 31, 2013, Enerplus’s production increased 10.1% from a year earlier. However, cash flow per share fell 11.9%, to $0.89 from $1.01, as a short-term lack of pipeline capacity made it harder for the company to sell its oil at market prices.

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ARC RESOURCES $32.52 (Toronto symbol ARX; Shares outstanding: 314.9 million; Market cap: $10.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Dividend yield: 3.7%; www.arcresources.com) produces oil and natural gas in Western Canada. Its average daily output of 100,883 barrels of oil equivalent is weighted 59% to gas and 41% to oil.

In the three months ended December 31, 2013, ARC’s cash flow per share rose 11.8%, to $0.76 from $0.68 a year earlier. Production gained 5.4%, and the company’s realized gas price rose 8.7%. Oil prices increased 2.9%.

ARC’s long-term debt is $859.2 million, or a low 8.3% of its market cap. It trades at 9.7 times its forecast 2014 cash flow of $3.34 a share.

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CRESCENT POINT ENERGY $44.59 (Toronto symbol CPG; Shares outstanding: 395.7 million; Market cap: $17.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Div. yield: 6.2%; www.crescentpointenergy.com) continues to add to its production in southeastern Saskatchewan’s Bakken light-oil area.

The Bakken, which covers parts of Montana, North Dakota and Saskatchewan, could contain more than 500 billion barrels of oil.

Oil was first discovered in the Bakken region in 1951, but it has always been hard to extract from the shale rock. However, modern techniques, such as horizontal (or slant) drilling, have made it easier for companies like Crescent Point to access the oil.

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CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $171.14 (Toronto symbol CP; Shares outstanding: 175.7 million; Market cap: $29.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 0.8%; www.cpr.ca), transports freight between Montreal and Vancouver, and connects with hubs in the U.S. Midwest and northeast.

In the quarter ended March 31, 2014, CP’s earnings per share rose 16.1%, to $1.44 from $1.24 a year earlier. Revenue increased 0.9%, to $1.51 billion from $1.50 billion.

CP’s operating ratio improved to 72.0% from 75.8% a year ago. (Operating ratio is calculated by dividing regular operating costs by revenue. The lower the ratio, the better.) It continues to benefit from its efficiency improvements, mainly replacing locomotives, improving tracks and adding software that optimizes train loads and speeds.

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Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice about investing in stocks as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle. This week an Inner Circle member asked us about a drug company that specializes in combatting viruses. Hepatitis C is the primary target of treatments developed by Gilead Sciences, but it also plays a significant role in treatments for HIV/AIDS. Pat examines the status of the company’s leading drugs and analyzes its ability to maintain a position of leadership in a fiercely competitive field. ...

METRO INC. (Toronto symbol MRU; www.metro.ca) operates about 600 supermarkets in Quebec and Ontario. It also has over 250 drugstores that operate under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners. Metro continues to cut costs in response to competition from larger Canadian chains, like Loblaw and Sobeys, and big box stores like Wal-Mart and Costco. It is also converting some of its underperforming Metro outlets in Ontario to the faster-growing Food Basics discount banner....

Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a beginning or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific investment advice. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental piece of investing strategy, and shows you how you can put it into practice right away. Today’s tip: “When you see performance numbers issued by brokers, money managers and newsletter publishers, ask yourself just how hypothetical those figures might be.”...

PASON SYSTEMS (Toronto symbol PSI; www.pason.com) is trading near all-time highs as it continues to gain from the boom in U.S. shale oil and gas drilling. Pason rents equipment for monitoring and managing oil and gas rigs. It also sells communication technology, such as its satellite system, which companies use to remotely collect data from their drilling operations. Pason serves oil and gas producers and drilling contractors throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Australia....

Too much investor attention tends to be focused on economic forecasts. The fact is, forecasts provide little, if any, advantage when it comes to helpful stock market advice. Most experienced, successful investors feel skeptical, if not downright cynical, about economic forecasts, for three reasons....

Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice on stock tips as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle. This week we had a question from an Inner Circle member concerning a proprietor of retirement homes in Canada. Amica Mature Lifestyles aims its appeal to members of the baby boom generation who are looking for luxury residences. Pat analyzes the company’s business and looks at its prospects as a premium brand competing in a growing retirement home market....

MONSANTO CO. (New York symbol MON; www.monsanto.com) sells technology-based agricultural products, such as genetically modified seeds, to farmers, grain processors and food producers. The company’s seeds make crops more resistant to pests, diseases and bad weather. Monsanto gets about 70% of its revenue from genetically modified seeds for corn, soybeans and other crops. The remaining 30% comes from selling herbicides, mainly under the Roundup brand....

PFIZER INC. $30 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 6.4 billion; Market cap: $192.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.9; Dividend yield: 3.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) is the world’s largest maker of prescription drugs. Its main brands include Lyrica (epilepsy), Celebrex (arthritis), Viagra (erectile dysfunction) and Prevnar (a pneumonia vaccine).

Pfizer also makes popular over the-counter drugs, including Advil (pain relief), Centrum (vitamins) and Robitussin (cough syrup).

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SONY CORP. ADRs $16 (New York symbol SNE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $16.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.sony.com) has brought in a new restructuring plan that involves selling its money-losing Vaio personal computer business and cutting 3% of its workforce. The company also plans to set up its struggling TV operations as a separate firm, which would make it easier to sell a minority stake in this business.

However, slow sales have forced Sony to write down its remaining computer inventories. Weaker DVD demand has also prompted it to write down the value of its disc-manufacturing operations.

As a result, Sony lost $1.25 billion, or $1.21 per ADR, in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 (each American Depositary Receipt represents one common share). In 2013, it earned $458 million, or $0.43 per ADR. Revenue rose 4.2%, to $75.4 billion from $72.3 billion, on stronger smartphone sales and the launch of its PlayStation 4 video game console. However, without the benefit of currency exchange rates, revenue in Japanese yen fell 2%.

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THE BOEING CO. $134 (New York symbol BA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 729.2 million; Market cap: $97.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.boeing.com) announced that it now has 5,100 commercial planes on back order. In all, these deals are worth $374 billion. In addition, the order backlog at its military operations is $67 billion.

The total order backlog of $441 billion is equal to 5.0 times Boeing’s likely 2014 revenue of $89.0 billion. The company expects to earn between $7.15 and $7.35 a share this year. The stock trades at a still-reasonable 18.5 times the midpoint of that range.

Boeing is a buy.

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C.R. BARD INC. $147 (New York symbol BCR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 76.3 million; Market cap: $11.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.8; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.crbard.com) earned $152.6 million in the three months ended March 31, 2014, up 12.8% from $135.3 million a year earlier....

CEDAR FAIR L.P. $52 (New York symbol FUN; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Units outstanding: 55.8 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 5.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cedarfair.com) lost $1.51 a share in the first quarter of 2014, compared to a loss of $1.95 a year earlier. Cedar Fair typically loses money in the first quarter, as most of its 11 amusement parks and four water parks close during the winter.

Revenue fell 3.2%, to $40.5 million from $41.8 million, as Easter and spring break fell in the second quarter of 2014. However, revenue rose at its Knott’s Berry Farm year-round park in southern California.

Cedar Fair is a hold.

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NORDSTROM INC. $67 (New York symbol JWN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 189.7 million; Market cap: $12.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nordstrom.com) aims to sell part of its credit card business, which has $2 billion in outstanding loans, to a bank. The sale would free up cash that Nordstrom can use to build new department stores and expand its e-commerce business. It would also shift the burden of collecting these loans to its partner.

Meanwhile, Nordstrom expects its same-store sales to rise 2% to 4% for the current fiscal year. The stock also trades at a reasonable 17.4 times its projected earnings of $3.85 a share.

Nordstrom is a buy.

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WINDSTREAM HOLDINGS INC. $9.69 (Nasdaq symbol WIN; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 602.7 million; Market cap: $5.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 10.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.windstream.com) provides telephone and other communication services to 3.7 million consumers and businesses, mainly in rural parts of the U.S.

Following its November 2011 purchase of PAETEC Holding Corp., which sells telecommunication services to businesses, Windstream now gets two-thirds of its revenue from corporate customers.

However, the company continues to face strong competition, which is luring away consumer and business clients. That’s why Windstream’s revenue fell 2.1% in the first quarter of 2014, to $1.46 billion from $1.50 billion a year earlier.

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