index etf

An investment mania usually begins as a mass attraction to a specific investment, or investment area. It often ends up including a range of investments that bear only a passing resemblance.

The current mania for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies— which we think will end badly for most investors—is grounded in several factors....

Here are three new ETF launches. Each uses “quanitative modelling.” That may make their investment approach sound scientific; however, in our view, it will likely detract from their long-term returns. Many ETFs that use a socalled “black box” to pick stocks find the approach works only for a while, or in retrospect....

The ETF world is diverse, with a fund for every kind of investment strategy. That includes ETFs for those Canadians who want to invest in companies committed to protecting the environment and helping social causes. Here are two such funds:

ISHARES MSCI KLD 400 SOCIAL ETF $97 (NYSE symbol DSI; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $932.5 million) avoids companies that derive a significant portion of their business from alcohol, tobacco, gambling, civilian firearms, nuclear power, military weapons, adult entertainment, and genetically modified organisms.

The fund invests in large U.S....

The growing commercial use of robots and computers with sophisticated learning and problem-solving skills will change manufacturing and service sectors over the next decade (see supplement page 9). Here is a look at two exchange-traded funds that provide easy access to those companies now leading the development of robotics, artificial intelligence and automation.

ROBO GLOBAL ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION INDEX ETF $40 (Nasdaq symbol ROBO; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $1.9 billion) invests in companies that use extensive robotic and automation technologies in their manufacturing processes or are directly involved in making and distributing those robotics as well as artificial intelligence and automation systems....

ETFs are flooding the market and Canadians are increasingly spoiled for choice. Here’s four new, or upcoming, launches. We’re not entirely convinced of their investment merits, but we are impressed by the diversity and creativity.

WISDOMTREE EMERGING MARKETS DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $27 (Toronto symbol EMV.B; Market cap: $2.6 million) invests in dividend payers based in emerging markets....

ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX ETF $24 (Toronto symbol XIU; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative Market cap: $10.8 billion) is a low-fee way to buy the top Canadian listed stocks. Specifically, the ETF holds stocks that represent the S&P/TSX 60 Index—the largest, most heavily traded equities on the TSX.

The ETF’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 8.7%; TD Bank, 8.0%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.9%; Enbridge, 5.3%; CN Railway, 4.8%; Suncor Energy, 4.5%; Bank of Montreal, 3.8%; TransCanada Corp., 3.3%; BCE, 3.3%; Manulife Financial, 3.1%, Canadian Natural Resources, 3.0%; CIBC, 3.0%; Brookfield Asset Management, 2.8% and Canadian Pacific Railway, 1.9%.

The industry breakdown is as follows: Financials (41%), Resources (29%), Industrials (9%), Telecommuncations (6%), Consumer discretionary (5%), Consumer staples (4%), Information technology (2%), Utilities (2%) and others (2%).

Still, this ETF’s assets are highly concentrated in the financial and resources sectors.

The fund began trading in September 1999....

We think it’s all but impossible to duplicate the investment success of celebrated investors such as Warren Buffett, Bill Ackman, Carl Icahn, Daniel Loeb and David Tepper. That hasn’t kept these two ETFs from trying. Each aims to track the holdings of the most prominent investors.

DIREXION IBILLIONAIRE INDEX ETF $32 (New York symbol IBLN; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $14.2 million) tracks the iBillionaire Index, which aims to replicate the largest stock holdings of a select group of 10 billionaires.

The fund invests in large companies listed in the U.S....

With yearly revenue of $4 trillion, the global agriculture industry offers enormous opportunities for firms ready to satisfy growing food demand. (For more on agriculture, see supplement, page 10.)

VANECK VECTORS AGRICULTURE AGRIBUSINESS ETF $59 (New York symbol MOO; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $831.4 million) tracks the MVIS Global Agribusiness Index and provides exposure to companies involved in the business of agriculture....

The Bank of Canada increased interest rates in July 2017 for the first time since 2010. It then raised its key interest rate again in September 2017, from 0.75% to 1.00%. But it appears unlikely that it will raise it again this year.

That’s because the Canadian economy shrank unexpectedly in August, by 0.1%....

These six ETFs mostly hold high-quality stocks that are widely traded on Canadian and U.S. exchanges. Each fund mirrors, or tracks, the performance of a major stock market index. That’s different from ETFs focused on narrower indexes or themes such as solar power and biotechnology....