etf

The Greek situation will remain highly volatile—and the economy and political system have deep structural deficiencies—so we don’t recommend investing in Greek stocks at this point.

However, if you do want to speculate on a Greek recovery, one way to do it is through the Global X FTSE Greece 20 ETF, $9.46, symbol GREK on New York (Units outstanding: 31.1 million; Market cap: $294.2 million; www.globalxfunds.com).

This fund holds 20 stocks and has a 0.61% MER....

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF, $41.91, symbol XLK on New York (Units outstanding: 316.2 million; Market cap: $13.3 billion; www.spdrs.com), aims to track the S&P Technology Select Sector Index, which consists of tech stocks in the S&P 500 Index. The fund’s MER is just 0.15%. The fund’s top 10 holdings are Apple, Google, Microsoft, Verizon, IBM, Cisco Systems, Facebook, AT&T, Visa and Oracle. The fund is broken down by segment as follows: technology, hardware, storage and peripherals, 21.6%; software, 17.2%; information technology services, 16.5%; Internet software and services, 16.4%; semiconductors and semiconductor equipment, 9.9%; diversified telecommunication services, 9.8%; communications equipment, 6.9%; and electronic equipment, instruments and components, 1.7%....

Our advice is keep it simple when you invest in ETFs. Three “plain vanilla” ETFs give you an efficient way of investing in U.S. stocks.

POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $106.09 (Nasdaq symbol QQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www.invescopowershares.com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds stocks representing the Nasdaq 100 Index, which consists of the 100 largest shares on the Nasdaq exchange by market cap.

The Nasdaq 100 Index contains shares of companies in a number of major industries, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. It does not contain financial firms. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets. It yields 1.0%.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Amgen, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel Corp., Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast and Facebook.

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SPDR S&P 500 ETF $204.53 (New York symbol SPY; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) holds the stocks in the S&P 500 Index, which consists of 500 major U.S. companies that are chosen based on their market cap, liquidity and industry group.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, Pfizer, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway and Wells Fargo & Co. The fund’s MER is just 0.10% and it yields 2.0%.

If you want exposure to the S&P 500 Index, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF is a buy.

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ISHARES CANADIAN SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $23.07 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds 30 of the highestyielding Canadian stocks. Its selections are based on dividend growth, yield and payout ratio. The weight of any one stock is limited to 10% of the ETF’s assets. The fund’s MER is 0.55%, and it yields 4.5%. The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 8.5%; Bank of Montreal, 6.3%; Royal Bank, 6.3%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.4%; BCE, 5.3%; Laurentian Bank of Canada, 4.4%; IGM Financial, 4.3%; TD Bank, 4.1%; National Bank, 4.1%; Rogers Communications, 4.1%; and TransCanada Corp., 4.0%.

The ETF holds 53.7% of its assets in financial stocks. The top Canadian finance stocks have sound prospects, but if you invest in this ETF, be sure to adjust the rest of your portfolio so it won’t be overly concentrated in the financial sector.

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ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX ETF $21.18 (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 0.18% of assets, and it yields 3.0%.

The index mostly consists of high-quality companies. However, it must ensure that all sectors are represented, so it holds a few we wouldn’t include. The index’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 7.9%; TD Bank, 7.1%; Valeant Pharmaceuticals, 6.6%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.6%; CN Railway, 4.2%; Suncor Energy, 3.6%; Enbridge, 3.6%; Bank of Montreal, 3.4%; BCE, 3.3%; Manulife Financial, 3.3%; Brookfield Asset Management, 2.8%; and Canadian Natural Resources, 2.6%.

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF is a buy.
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Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are set up to mirror the performance of a stock market index or sub-index. They hold a more or less fixed selection of securities that represent the holdings that go into the calculation of the index or sub-index. ETFs trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. That’s different from mutual funds, which you can only buy at the end of the day at a price that reflects the fund’s value at the close of trading. Prices of ETFs are quoted in newspaper stock tables and online. You pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell them, but their low management fees give them a cost advantage over most mutual funds....

A Canadian ETF with U.S. stocks promotes low volatility through beta ratings, but we recommend cost-effective ETFs matching a broad index.

ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $33.27 (New York symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that’s designed to track the Brazilian stock market.

Its top holdings are Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 9.6%; AmBev SA (beer and beverages), 8.8%; Petrobras (oil and gas), 8.7%; Banco Brandesco SA, 7.1%; Vale do Rio Doce (mining), 5.3%; BRF SA (food), 4.2%; and Cielo SA (payment processing), 3.8%.

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

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