etf

After a rough final quarter of 2018, most asset classes saw significant gains in the first month of 2019 as investors became less concerned about high stock valuations and the China-U.S. trade dispute. Fears about a rapid rise in U.S. interest rates for 2019 also eased.


The Vanguard Total Bond Index ETF (BND.O) gained 0.8% in January while the Vanguard Total World Stocks ETF (VT) gained 6.6%....

A major change in the Canadian ETF landscape took place in January, with BlackRock Inc. and RBC Global Asset Management joining forces. The #1 and #5 Canadian providers will jointly offer 150 Canadian-listed ETFs under the RBC iShares brand with a combined $60 billion in assets under management....

The Japanese economy ranks among the top 5 in the world and hosts some of the most profitable global corporations. The economy is, however, hamstrung by a declining and rapidly aging population. Still, an older population also present opportunities, and Japanese companies are already coming up with innovative and technology-driven aids.


Here is one ETF that provides exposure to the top Japanese public companies.


JP MORGAN BETABUILDERS JAPAN ETF $22.40 (New York symbol BBJP; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $3.9 billion) tracks the performance of the largest publicly listed Japanese companies.


Industrial companies account for 19.6% of the fund’s assets, while Consumer Cyclical (17.6%), Technology (13.9%), Financial Services (11.6%), Consumer Defensive (8.6%) and Health care (8.2%) are other key segments.


The ETF holds a large portfolio of 383 stocks; the top 10 make up only 18.0% of overall assets....

Canadian-listed exchange-traded funds continue to attract assets previously invested in mutual funds. By the end of 2018, Canadian ETFs had assets under management of $157 billion, or 6.6% more than a year earlier. The value of ETF assets has also doubled over the past 3 years.


By the end of 2018, the Canadian ETF universe had 660 listings....

The health-care industry continues to benefit from the aging populations of most developed markets. While the growing number of elderly continues to spur demand for health-care products and technology, the expanding middle class of developing nations also contributes....

ETF fees have continued to drop over the past several years as fund providers increase their efforts to attract ETF investors in an increasingly competitive marketplace.


Fund investors looking for an ETF focused on Canadian stocks can now buy units of a fund holding the country’s top 60 companies by market cap for an MER as low as 0.03%.


In the U.S., Fidelity recently cut its fees on selected index funds to zero....

BMO US PUT WRITE ETF $16.99 (Toronto symbol ZPW) sells put options on a range of U.S. large-cap stocks to generate income for the ETF. These options give the put buyers the right to sell specific stocks to the ETF at a pre-determined price....

By definition, value stocks trade lower than their fundamentals suggest. They are perceived as undervalued, and have the potential to rise. When you look for stocks that are undervalued—or the ETFs that hold them— it’s best to focus on shares of quality companies with a consistent history of sales and earnings, as well as a strong hold on a growing clientele.


Here are two ETFs that aim to provide exposure to value stocks....

A: iShares MSCI Ireland ETF, $40.52, symbol EIRL on New York (Units outstanding: 1.5 million; Market cap: $60.8 million; www.ishares.com/us), invests in a broad range of Irish stocks. All the companies within the ETF are domiciled or headquartered in the Republic of Ireland as opposed to Northern Ireland, which continues to be a part of the U.K.

The $58.3 million fund started up in May 2010....

ISHARES INDIA 50 ETF $34.35 (Nasdaq symbol INDY; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) tracks the Nifty 50 index—the 50 largest, most liquid Indian securities. It began trading in November 2009.


The fund’s top holdings are Reliance Industries (conglomerate), 9.9%; HDFC Bank, 8.2%; Housing Development Finance, 7.5%; Infosys (information technology), 6.4%; ITC (conglomerate), 5.5%; ICICI Bank, 5.3%; Tata Consultancy (information technology), 4.7%; and Kotak Mahindra Bank, 3.9%....