etf
An ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) is an investment fund that holds a collection of underlying assets, such as stocks or bonds, in a single pooled vehicle. ETFs allow investors to purchase a variety of different securities at once, providing greater diversification compared to owning individual assets. They are traded on stock exchanges like regular stocks, allowing for intraday trading at market prices. ETFs typically have lower fees than mutual funds and often passively track an index or sector, making them a popular choice for investors seeking a cost-effective way to invest in a diversified portfolio.
Read More
Close
Canada’s inflation rate has dropped to 1.5%, below the Bank of Canada’s target of 2.0% and down from 2.4% in October 2014. This reflects falling oil prices and slowing growth, so the bank has cut its key interest rate to 0.75% from 1.0%. Even so, the long-term outlook is for higher interest rates. That’s because heavy deficit spending and the expansion of the money supply in the past few years make higher inflation more likely. We continue to advise against investing in bonds right now. That’s because today’s low interest rates make bonds unattractive, and rising rates would push down their future value....
ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $17.54 (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds the 15 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index. iShares CDN REIT’s expenses are 0.60% of its assets. The fund yields 4.7%. The ETF’s largest holding is RioCan REIT at 19.7%, followed by H&R REIT (14.6%), Canadian REIT (7.5%), Calloway REIT (7.1%), Canadian Apartment REIT (6.9%), Allied Properties REIT (6.4%), Dream Office REIT (6.4%), Cominar REIT (6.1%), Boardwalk REIT (4.9%), Chartwell REIT (4.8%), Artis REIT (4.6%), Granite REIT (4.6%), Crombie REIT (2.2%), Dream Global REIT (2.1%) and Northern REIT (1.7%)....
Vanguard Health Care ETF, $128.42, symbol VHT on New York (Units outstanding: 33.7 million; Market cap: $4.3 billion; www.vanguard.com), holds 48 U.S. health care stocks. Its top holdings are Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Merck & Co., Gilead Sciences, Amgen, AbbVie, UnitedHealth Group, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene and Biogen Idec. The fund has a low 0.12% MER and a 1.0% dividend yield....
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund, $70.81, symbol XLY on New York (Units outstanding: 131.9 million; Market cap: $9.3 billion; www.spdrs.com), aims to track the S&P Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index. The ETF’s top holdings are Walt Disney Co., Comcast, Home Depot, Amazon.com, McDonald’s, Time Warner, Twenty-First Century Fox, Nike, Lowes Companies and Starbucks. Many consumer stocks have risen in the last year, as an improving U.S. economy and employment numbers benefit firms that rely on purchases of non-essential goods. Consumer spending accounts for almost 70% of the U.S. economy....
MARKET VECTORS VIETNAM ETF $18.84 (New York symbol VNM; buy or sell through brokers) holds shares of Vietnamese companies or foreign firms that get a significant amount of their revenue from Vietnam.
The ETF’s top holdings are Masan Group (food, resources and banking conglomerate), 8.7%; Vincom Corp. (real estate), 7.9%; Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 7.6%; Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank, 6.8%; Gamuda Bhd (a Malaysia-based construction group), 5.3%; Minor International (a Thailand- based firm with hotels and fast-food restaurants in Vietnam), 5.2%; and PetroVietnam Technical Services (oil field services), 4.8%.
Market Vectors Vietnam ETF’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 37.6%; Energy, 16.1%; Consumer Staples, 13.3%; Industrials, 11.6%; Consumer Discretionary, 10.6%; Materials, 4.3%; and Utilities, 3.3%. Its expense ratio is 0.76%.
...
The ETF’s top holdings are Masan Group (food, resources and banking conglomerate), 8.7%; Vincom Corp. (real estate), 7.9%; Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 7.6%; Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank, 6.8%; Gamuda Bhd (a Malaysia-based construction group), 5.3%; Minor International (a Thailand- based firm with hotels and fast-food restaurants in Vietnam), 5.2%; and PetroVietnam Technical Services (oil field services), 4.8%.
Market Vectors Vietnam ETF’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 37.6%; Energy, 16.1%; Consumer Staples, 13.3%; Industrials, 11.6%; Consumer Discretionary, 10.6%; Materials, 4.3%; and Utilities, 3.3%. Its expense ratio is 0.76%.
...
ISHARES CHINA LARGE-CAP ETF $42.10 (New York symbol FXI; buy or sell through brokers) is an exchange traded fund that aims to track the FTSE China 50 Index, which is made up of the 50 largest, most liquid Chinese stocks. All of the companies in the index trade on the Hong Kong exchange. Some also trade as American depositary receipts (ADRs) on New York.
The fund’s top holdings are Tencent Holdings, 8.4%; China Construction Bank, 7.9%; China Mobile, 7.7%; Industrial & Commercial Bank, 7.2%; Bank of China, 6.1%; China Life, 4.8%; Ping An Insurance, 4.5%; PetroChina, 4.1%; CNOOC Ltd., 3.9%; China Petroleum and Chemical, 3.7%; Agricultural Bank of China, 2.5%; and China Pacific Insurance, 2.5%.
The fund’s holdings give it the following industry breakdown: Financials, 50.3%; Oil and Gas, 13.8%; Telecommunications, 11.1%; Technology, 9.9%; Consumer Goods, 6.3%; Industrials, 4.2%; and Basic Materials, 2.4%. Its expense ratio is 0.74%.
...
The fund’s top holdings are Tencent Holdings, 8.4%; China Construction Bank, 7.9%; China Mobile, 7.7%; Industrial & Commercial Bank, 7.2%; Bank of China, 6.1%; China Life, 4.8%; Ping An Insurance, 4.5%; PetroChina, 4.1%; CNOOC Ltd., 3.9%; China Petroleum and Chemical, 3.7%; Agricultural Bank of China, 2.5%; and China Pacific Insurance, 2.5%.
The fund’s holdings give it the following industry breakdown: Financials, 50.3%; Oil and Gas, 13.8%; Telecommunications, 11.1%; Technology, 9.9%; Consumer Goods, 6.3%; Industrials, 4.2%; and Basic Materials, 2.4%. Its expense ratio is 0.74%.
...
POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $101.36 (Nasdaq symbol QQQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www.invescopowershares- .com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds stocks that represent the Nasdaq 100 Index, which consists of the 100 largest shares on the Nasdaq exchange, based on 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 companies. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets.
The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Amgen, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast Corp. and Facebook.
...
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 companies. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets.
The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Amgen, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast Corp. and Facebook.
...
SPDR S&P 500 ETF $202.31 (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, Chevron, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, and Wells Fargo & Co. The fund’s expenses are just 0.10% of its assets.
If you want exposure to the S&P 500 Index, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF is a buy.
...
The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, Chevron, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, and Wells Fargo & Co. The fund’s expenses are just 0.10% of its assets.
If you want exposure to the S&P 500 Index, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF is a buy.
...
ISHARES CANADIAN SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $24.27 (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 3.9%.
The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 7.3%; TD Bank, 6.8%, National Bank, 6.7%; Bank of Montreal, 6.1%; Royal Bank, 5.5%; BCE, 4.8%; Ag Growth International, 4.6%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 4.5%; Bonterra Energy, 4.2%; and Laurentian Bank of Canada, 3.9%.
The ETF holds 55.2% of its assets in financial stocks. The top Canadian finance stocks have sound prospects. However, 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.
...
The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 7.3%; TD Bank, 6.8%, National Bank, 6.7%; Bank of Montreal, 6.1%; Royal Bank, 5.5%; BCE, 4.8%; Ag Growth International, 4.6%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 4.5%; Bonterra Energy, 4.2%; and Laurentian Bank of Canada, 3.9%.
The ETF holds 55.2% of its assets in financial stocks. The top Canadian finance stocks have sound prospects. However, 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.
...
VANGUARD FTSE EMERGING MARKETS ETF $41.09 (New York symbol VWO; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Transitions Index, which is made up of common stocks of companies in developing countries. The fund’s MER is just 0.15%.
The Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF’s top holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor (Taiwan: computer chips), China Mobile, Itau Unibanco Holding SA (Brazil: banking), China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Naspers Ltd. (South Africa: media); Banco Bradesco (Brazil: banking); and Hon Hai Precision Industry (Taiwan: electronics).
The $62.5-billion fund’s breakdown by country is as follows: China (24.4%), Taiwan (14.3%), India (11.7%), Brazil (10.7%), South Africa (9.5%), Mexico (5.6%), Malaysia (4.5%), Russia (3.6%), Indonesia (3.0%), Thailand (3.0%), Turkey (2.0%), Philippines (1.8%), Poland (1.8%) and others (4.1%).
...
The Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF’s top holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor (Taiwan: computer chips), China Mobile, Itau Unibanco Holding SA (Brazil: banking), China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Naspers Ltd. (South Africa: media); Banco Bradesco (Brazil: banking); and Hon Hai Precision Industry (Taiwan: electronics).
The $62.5-billion fund’s breakdown by country is as follows: China (24.4%), Taiwan (14.3%), India (11.7%), Brazil (10.7%), South Africa (9.5%), Mexico (5.6%), Malaysia (4.5%), Russia (3.6%), Indonesia (3.0%), Thailand (3.0%), Turkey (2.0%), Philippines (1.8%), Poland (1.8%) and others (4.1%).
...