etf

Despite their strategic importance, major components of the transport industry, particularly shipping, trucking, and airlines, remain cyclical. For some companies, this means considerable swings in their profitability. Still, the best stocks in this area—and the ETFs that hold them—adapt well to the ever-changing industry landscape and are sound investments.


Below we take a look at 3 ETFs that provide investors with exposure to the expanding transportation industry....

Momentum ETFs invest in a range of asset classes, including stocks, fixed income, commodities, and currencies.






There are now about 48 momentum ETFs trading on U.S. markets. Together, they claim $15.7 billion in assets under management....

Momentum-based investing generally involves buying growth stocks with rising earnings and stock prices. It’s largely unconcerned with the absence of value markers like moderate p/e ratios or high dividend yields.


Top stock selections are oftentime momentum favourites—but they’re really only good buys if their profit growth is sustainable over long periods....

A: There’s little doubt that the developing world’s aging population will continue to spend more on medical services for years to come. Medical device makers are well positioned to capture a share of that increased spending. In turn, investors in the industry’s leading companies stand to benefit from growing demand.

Medical-device ETFs aim to provide a diversified and low-fee way for investors to participate in this expanding industry beyond one or two leading stocks.

Here’s one of the top ETFs in this area:

iShares U.S....

Putting lower-risk blue chip stocks and the top ETFs that hold those stocks into your portfolio will let you tap into the best conservative investments for long-term gains

While many Canadians continue to ignore the tax free savings account, specific advice on how to make the most of this growing savings plan.

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $54.35 (New York 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, 4.5%; Softbank, 2.6%; Sony Corp., 2.1%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 1.8%; Keyence (sensors), 1.6%; Takeda Pharma, 1.5%; and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 1.4%....

ISHARES CHINA LARGE-CAP ETF $41.10 (New York symbol FXI; buy or sell through brokers) tracks the 50 largest, most-liquid Chinese stocks. The ETF started up October 4, 2004, and has a high MER of 0.74%. It yields 2.1%.


Top holdings for the $5.3 billion fund are Tencent (Internet services), 9.0%; China Construction Bank, 9.0%; Industrial & Commercial Bank, 7.3%; China Mobile, 6.6%; Ping An Insurance, 6.3%; Bank of China, 4.6%; CNOOC (oil), 4.0%; and China Petroleum, 3.5%.


China still has strong growth potential....

POWER CORP. $27.98 (Toronto symbol POW; Shares o/s: 414.4 million; Market cap: $11.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.8%; www.powercorporation.com) owns 65.6% of Power Financial. In turn, Power Financial’s holdings include 61.5% of IGM Financial, a leading mutual-fund provider.


IGM has two main businesses: Mackenzie Financial sells funds and ETFs through independent brokers; and IG Wealth Management (formerly Investors Group) offers mutual funds and other services, such as portfolio management, through 3,642 affiliated advisors.


Mutual fund sales continue to suffer as investors switch to ETFs....

GLOBAL X COPPER MINERS ETF $19.02 (New York symbol COPX; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) aims to track the Solactive Global Copper Miners Index, which includes 30 global mining and exploration firms. The ETF started up in April 2010.


Canadian firms make up 31.6% of the fund’s holdings....