etf
ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $54.18 (New York symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that aims to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan Index.
The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 4.3%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 1.9%; Sony Corp., 1.9%; Softbank, 1.9%; Takeda Pharmaceutical, 1.9%; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 1.5%; Keyence Corp....
We think foreign stocks can safely make up 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio. One way is through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus.
The best of those ETFs continue to offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks.
Here’s a look at four international ETFs we see as suitable for new buying and two others we feel you should continue to hold....
Dear safe-money investor:
We’ve selected our top picks for 2019—one stock, one real estate investment trust (REIT) and one exchange-traded fund (ETF). Each offers an attractive combination of growth prospects and a reasonable price.
We feel that investors profit the most by holding a well-balanced portfolio of high-quality stocks and REITs—like our first two recommendations....
Low management fees, broad diversification, and lower-risk holdings are all aspects of the best Vanguard funds for retirement portfolio building that investors should look for
A: Real-return bonds pay you a rate of return that’s adjusted for inflation.
Here’s how they work:
When a real-return bond is issued, the level of the consumer price index (CPI) on that date is applied to the bond. After that, both the principal and interest payments are adjusted every six months, upwards or downwards from that base level, to compensate for a rise or fall in the CPI.
Government of Canada real-return bonds pay interest semi-annually, on June 1 and December 1.
Here’s an example:
The Bank of Canada issues $400 million of 30-year bonds maturing on December 1, 2048....
Here’s how they work:
When a real-return bond is issued, the level of the consumer price index (CPI) on that date is applied to the bond. After that, both the principal and interest payments are adjusted every six months, upwards or downwards from that base level, to compensate for a rise or fall in the CPI.
Government of Canada real-return bonds pay interest semi-annually, on June 1 and December 1.
Here’s an example:
The Bank of Canada issues $400 million of 30-year bonds maturing on December 1, 2048....
A: Switzerland has a strong economic system where the country’s revenue exceeds its expenses, so there is no deficit. That improves its self-reliance and the stability of its currency.
The country also has flexible labour markets, high productivity and an emphasis on high-value exports that are not particularly sensitive to price competition....
The country also has flexible labour markets, high productivity and an emphasis on high-value exports that are not particularly sensitive to price competition....
A: Preferred shares behave more like long-term fixed-income instruments rather than short-term instruments. So while short-term interest rates are still relatively low, the outlook for long-term interest rates is less certain.
The underlying credit quality of preferred share issuers can be a negative factor in some cases; for example, when the issuer’s share price is falling.
So unlike GICs, which don’t fall in value, the prices of preferreds can decline along with stock markets.
If you want to own a preferred share as part of the fixed-income segment of your portfolio, and you can accept some risk, then preferreds are okay to hold....
The underlying credit quality of preferred share issuers can be a negative factor in some cases; for example, when the issuer’s share price is falling.
So unlike GICs, which don’t fall in value, the prices of preferreds can decline along with stock markets.
If you want to own a preferred share as part of the fixed-income segment of your portfolio, and you can accept some risk, then preferreds are okay to hold....
A: iShares Canadian Financial Monthly Income ETF, $6.82, symbol FIE on Toronto (Units outstanding: 90.1 million; Market cap: $614.5 million; www.blackrock.com/ca), invests primarily in common shares, preferred shares, corporate bonds and income trusts of firms in the Canadian finance industry.
The fund has an MER of 0.93%, which is high by ETF standards....
The fund has an MER of 0.93%, which is high by ETF standards....
A: The Harvest Brand Leaders Plus Income ETF, $8.62, symbol HBF on Toronto (Units outstanding: 12.3 million; Market cap: $106.0 million; www.harvestportfolios.com), invests in an equally weighted portfolio of 20 stocks—drawn from something it calls the “Brand Leaders Investable Universe.” These stocks have a minimum market capitalization of $10 billion U.S....
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