etf

For many investors, gold represents a “safe harbour” amid COVID-19 turbulence. That’s reflected in the sharp price jumps we continue to see.


We expect gold-loving markets in Asia and other emerging markets to rebound after the coronavirus. That should further spur gold purchases, taking gold stocks even higher....

A: iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF, $39.99, symbol EWL on New York (Units outstanding: 38.8 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; www.ishares.com/us), tracks an index composed of large and mid-sized Swiss equities.

The ETF’s biggest holdings are: Nestle SA, Roche Holding, Novartis, Zurich Insurance, UBS Group, Lonza Group, ABB, Givaudan SA, Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA and Alcon AG.

The $1.5 billion fund has a reasonable MER of 0.50%.

As it has for most countries, the coronavirus has had a huge impact on the Swiss economy.

The services sector has been particularly hard hit by measures to contain the virus....

Most precious-metal stocks dropped, along with stock markets, in March 2020. They then quickly reversed that trend to soar for investors.


The extra burst reflects investor fears about many things, including stock market volatility because of COVID-19 and the length and depth of the resulting economic slowdown.


For many investors, gold and silver represents a “safe harbour” in these turbulent times....

GLOBAL X COPPER MINERS ETF $16.78, is a hold. The ETF (New York symbol COPX; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) lets you track the Solactive Global Copper Miners Index, which includes 27 global mining and exploration firms....

All of the major global stock markets are down in the wake of COVID-19’s spread. But we think the worst is over for many stocks, and one way to profit, while at the same time cutting your risk, is to invest in ETFs.


Here’s a look at two international funds that we believe are well-suited for your new buying.


ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $56.89 (New York symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan Index.


The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 4.0%; Sony Corp., 2.4%; Keyence (sensors), 2.2%; Softbank, 2.1%; Takeda Pharma, 1.8%; Daiichi Sankyo (pharmaceuticals), 1.6%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 1.5%; KDDI (telecom), 1.4%; Nintendo, 1.3%; and Recruit Holdings (human resources), 1.3%....

If you’re looking for an ETF with top holdings and exceptionally low fees, then Pennsylvania-based Vanguard Group offers you strong options. Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment management companies. In all, it administers over $6.2 trillion U.S....

A: The growing commercial use of robots and computers with sophisticated learning and problem-solving skills will change the manufacturing and service sectors over the next decade and beyond.

Robots are machines designed to perform operations without human intervention....

‘Keep it simple’ is the key to discovering the ETFs that are stronger, safer and less expensive, and The ETF Investor’s Handbook shows how to make the right choices.

A: There’s little doubt that the developing world’s aging population will continue to spend more on medical services for years to come. Medical device makers are well positioned to capture a share of that increased spending. Technological changes that continually spur new product development will also pay off....

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