etf

ISHARES DOW JONES CANADA SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX FUND $23.86 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds 30 of the highest-yielding Canadian stocks. Its selections are based on dividend growth, yield and payout ratio. The weight of any one stock is limited to 10% of its assets. The fund’s MER is 0.55%. It yields 4.1%.

The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 6.8%; National Bank, 6.4%; Bonterra Energy, 6.4%; TD Bank, 5.9%; Bank of Montreal, 5.7%; Telus, 4.7%; Royal Bank, 4.6%; IGM Financial, 4.5%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 4.3%; and BCE, 4.0%.

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GUGGENHEIM CHINA SMALL CAP ETF $27.17 (New York Exchange symbol HAO; buy or sell through brokers; www.guggenheimfunds.com) aims to track the AlphaShares China Small Cap Index, which is made up of all Chinese stocks that are legal for foreign investors and have market caps between $200 million and $1.5 billion.

The $264.2-millon fund’s top holdings are Youku Tudou, 2.0%; Tsingtao Brewery, 1.4%; BYD Co., 1.4%; China Everbright International, 1.4%; China Resources Gas Group, 1.3%; GCL Poly Energy International, 1.3%; Haier Electronics, 1.3%; Wuxi Pharmatech, 1.3%; Sino Biopharmaceutical, 1.2%; and Xinyi Glass Holdings, 1.3%.

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SPDR S&P CHINA ETF $79.24 (New York Exchange symbol GXC; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) aims to track the S&P China BMI Index, which is made up of all publicly traded Chinese stocks available to foreign investors. Right now, SPDR S&P China ETF holds 239 stocks.

The $888.0-million fund’s top holdings are China Construction Bank, 6.8%; Tencent Holdings, 6.2%; China Mobile, 5.8%; Industrial & Commercial Bank, 5.8%; Baidu, 4.6%; Bank of China, 3.5%; CNOOC Ltd., 3.4%; PetroChina, 2.6%; China Life, 2.6%; and China Petroleum & Chemical, 2.2%.

The ETF was launched on March 19, 2007. It has a 0.59% MER and yields 2.1%.
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iShares Canadian Fundamental Index Fund ETF, $13.39, symbol CRQ on Toronto (Units outstanding: 16.8 million; Market cap: $225.0 million; ca.ishares.com), aims to track the FTSE RAFI Canada Index. The ETF’s top 10 holdings are Royal Bank, 7.2%; TD Bank, 6.2%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.0%; Manulife Financial, 4.6%; Suncor Energy, 4.4%; Bank of Montreal, 4.0%; Encana, 3.3%; CIBC, 3.0%; Canadian Natural Resources, 2.8%; and Sun Life Financial, 2.6%. Its expenses are 0.72% of its assets. The RAFI (Research Affiliates Fundamental Index) methodology aims to select companies by the highest fundamental measures of their size, rather than by market capitalization (or the value of all their outstanding shares)....

iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (CAD-Hedged) ETF, $21.12, symbol XIN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 47.6 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; ca.ishares.com), is an exchange traded fund that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe Australasia Far East (MSCI EAFE) Index. The MSCI EAFE Index is used as a benchmark to measure international stock performance. It is made up of 22 MSCI country indexes representing developed markets in Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The fund is hedged against movements of foreign currencies against the Canadian dollar, so its value rises and falls with the stocks in its portfolio. Note, however, that such exposure adds to the diversification in your investments....

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are set up to mirror the performance of a stock-market index or subindex. 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....

Chinese stocks are up 25% from June 2013, as the country’s economy continues to grow at an annualized rate of 7.5% or more, even with slower exports to Europe and the U.S. Recent government policy changes are also raising optimism for growth.

The country recently brought in measures to boost economic activity and raise competition, including making it easier for private firms to win contracts over state-owned enterprises....

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are set up to mirror the performance of a stock-market index or subindex. 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....

ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $15.46 (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds the 15 Canadian real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index. The weight of each REIT is limited to 25% of the ETF’s value.

iShares CDN REIT’s expenses are 0.60% of its assets. The fund yields 5.0%.

The ETF’s largest holding is RioCan REIT at 19.5%, followed by H&R REIT (14.9%), Dundee REIT (8.0%), Canadian REIT (7.4%), Calloway REIT (6.7%), Allied Prop. REIT (5.9%), Boardwalk REIT (5.8%), Canadian Apt, REIT (5.7%), Cominar REIT (5.6%), Artis REIT (4.7%), Chartwell REIT (4.6%), Granite REIT (4.4%), Dundee Intl. REIT (2.3%), Northern Property REIT (2.3%) and Crombie REIT (1.8%).
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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 Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 9.1%; Vincom Corp. (real estate), 7.7%; PetroVietnam Fertilizer & Chemical, 7.0%; Baoviet Holdings (finance and insurance), 6.5%; PetroVietnam Technical Services (oilfield services), 5.2%; Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank, 5.1%; Minor International (a Thailand-based firm with hotels and fast-food restaurants in Vietnam), 5.1%; Charoen Pokphand Foods (a Thailand-based food conglomerate), 4.6%; PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services (oilfield services), 4.6%; and Gamuda Bhd (a Malaysia-based construction group), 4.6%.

Market Vectors Vietnam ETF’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 37.5%; Energy, 23.1%; Industrials, 11.7%; Materials, 9.7%; Consumer Discretionary, 9.1%; Consumer Staples, 4.4%; and Utilities, 2.9%. Its expense ratio is 0.76%.
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