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.

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We haven’t been able to find any water utilities we would recommend for investment. The water business in developed countries is subject to a lot of regulatory hurdles and has limited growth prospects. There may be opportunities in developing nations, many of which desperately need clean water. But investing in these markets can expose you to political risk. We think you should stick with the utility stocks we recommend in our newsletters....
GLOBAL X COPPER MINERS ETF $8.80 (New York symbol COPX; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) tracks the Solactive Global Copper Miners Index, which includes 20 to 40 international companies that mine, refine or explore for copper. Germany-based Structured Solutions AG created this index.

Canadian firms make up 41.9% of the fund’s holdings. It also includes companies based in Australia (14.2%), Poland (4.7%), Peru (4.9%) and Mexico (5.0%). Global X Copper Miners ETF’s MER is 0.65%.

Its top holdings are Imperial Metals at 6.5%; Turquoise Hill Resources, 5.7%; Grupo Mexico, 5.1%; Lundin Mining, 5.1%; Glencore International, 5.1%; First Quantum Minerals, 5.1%; Hudbay Minerals, 5.0%; Capstone Mining, 5.0%; Antofagasta plc, 5.0%; and Southern Copper, 5.0%.
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GLOBAL X SILVER MINERS ETF $12.20 (New York symbol SIL; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) tracks the Solactive Global Silver Miners Index.

This index includes 30 international companies that mine, refine or explore for silver. Germany-based Structured Solutions AG developed the Global X Silver Miners Index.

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VANGUARD FTSE EMERGING MARKETS ETF $37.39 (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 has an MER of just 0.18%.

Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF’s top holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor (Taiwan: computer chips), China Mobile (China: wireless), Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Brazil: oil and gas), Vale SA (Brazil: mining), Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), China Construction Bank, Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Naspers Ltd. (South Africa: media) and MTN Group (South Africa: wireless telecommunications)

The $62.4-billion fund’s breakdown by country is as follows: China (22.1%), Taiwan (13.6%), Brazil (13.2%), South Africa (9.5%), India (9.3%), Russia (7.1%), Mexico (5.8%), Malaysia (4.9%), Indonesia (2.5%), Thailand (2.5%), Chile (1.9%), Poland (1.7%), Turkey (1.7%) and others (4.2%).
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VANGUARD GROWTH ETF $88.97 (New York symbol VUG; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) U.S. Large Cap Growth Index, a broadly diversified index that mainly consists of stocks of large U.S. companies. The fund’s MER is just 0.10%.

The $37.5-billion Vanguard Growth ETF’s top holdings are Apple, IBM, Google, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris International, Oracle, Amazon.com, Comcast, Qualcomm and Walt Disney Co.

The fund’s breakdown by industry is as follows: Technology (25.6%), Consumer Services (20.3%), Industrials (12.1%), Financials (11.9%), Consumer Goods (10.6%), Health Care (10.0%), Oil and Gas (7.1%), Materials (1.6%), Telecommunication Services (0.4%) and Utilities (0.4%).
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ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $15.52 (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. The weight of each REIT is limited to 25% of the ETF’s value.zxc iShares CDN REIT’s expenses are 0.60% of its assets....
Two precious metals ETFs and the outlook for gold and silver
The price of gold hit a low of around $1,200 in July 2013. It then moved up to $1,400 in two months. The price subsequently moved back down and is now close to $1,320....
Royal Canadian Mint Gold Reserves Exchange Traded Receipts (ETRs), $13.61, symbol MNT on Toronto (Receipts outstanding: 35.8 million; Market cap: $540.4 million; www.reserves.mint.ca), are receipts issued by the Royal Canadian Mint (the Crown corporation responsible for minting and distributing Canada’s circulation coins) that let investors own gold bullion stored in the Mint’s vaults. The value of these ETRs varies with the price of gold. Investors can trade their ETRs on the stock exchange, or once a month they can redeem them for gold coins or bullion with a minimum purity of 99.99%. This requires at least 10,000 ETRs plus redemption and fabrication fees for the gold coins or bars. Instead of physical gold, investors can choose to redeem their units for cash equal to 95% of the lesser of: a) the ETR price on the redemption date; or b) the volume-weighted average price of the ETRs for five trading days prior to and including the redemption date....
ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $15.52 (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. The weight of each REIT is limited to 25% of the ETF’s value.zxc iShares CDN REIT’s expenses are 0.60% of its assets....
Pennsylvania-based Vanguard Group is one of the world’s largest investment management companies. The group administers over $2 trillion U.S. in 170 mutual funds.

Vanguard, which went into business in 1975, offers low-fee index mutual funds. Generally speaking, Canadians can’t buy units of mutual funds that are registered in the U.S., because they aren’t registered with provincial securities commissions....