investment
The Italian economy ranks among the biggest in the world but has offered investors very little growth for the past decade. High unemployment—especially among the country’s youth—as well as regional income disparities and high government debt are key problems.
Still the country is home to some exceptional companies, such as Ferrari (see page 106), that flourish despite the difficult overall economic situation.
Here is one ETF buy that provides you with exposure to the top public companies in Italy.
ISHARES MSCI ITALY ETF $26.98 (New York symbol EWI; TSI Network ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $233.4 million) offers investors exposure to Italy’s top publicly listed companies.
Financial firms account for 24.5% of its assets, while Utilities (21.2%), Energy (17.2%), Consumer Cyclicals (15.0%), Industrials (14.3%) and Telecommunications (3.5%) are other key segments.
The ETF holds a portfolio of 24 stocks; the top 10 make up a high 70% of its assets.
Those top stocks include Enel SpA (utilities; 18.1%), Eni SpA (energy, 11.3%), Intesa Sanpaolo (financials, 10.1%), UniCredit (financials, 6.5%), Assicurazioni Generali (financials, 4.6%), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (consumer cyclical; 4.2%), Ferrari NV (consumer cyclical, 4.0%), Atlantia (industrials, 3.9%), CNH Industrial (industrials, 3.7%) and Snam SpA (utilities, 3.7%).
The ETF started in 1996 and charges investors a moderate 0.47% MER....
ETFs remain popular investment vehicles for investors. In the U.S., total net inflows into ETFs amounted to $197 billion (for the year to the end of September). This was about the same as 2018, which saw record inflows. Canadian ETFs attracted net new money of $15.5 billion so far this year (up to the end of August)....
Gold demand in the first half of 2019 jumped to a three-year high of 2,182 tonnes largely due to record-level central bank purchases.
Altogether, central banks bought 374 tonnes. That makes for the largest net increase in global gold reserves for the first half of the year in nearly two decades.
Buying was spread across a diverse range of emerging-market countries....
RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $27, is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 304.2 million; Market cap: $8.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.5; Dividend yield: 5.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) continues to focus on six major urban markets: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver....
Avoid a strict value company vs growth company strategy and instead focus on high-quality examples of each investment type for the biggest portfolio gains
A: TransAlta Renewables, $13.83, symbol RNW on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 264.3 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; www.transaltarenewables.com), is one of the largest generators of wind power in Canada and is among the country’s largest publicly traded renewable power companies.
TransAlta Renewables owns 21 wind farms, 13 hydroelectric facilities, seven natural gas generation plants, one solar facility and one natural gas pipeline....
TransAlta Renewables owns 21 wind farms, 13 hydroelectric facilities, seven natural gas generation plants, one solar facility and one natural gas pipeline....
A: Power Financial, $29.30, symbol PWF on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 664.1 million; Market cap: $19.8 billion; www.powerfinancial.com), holds majority interests in Great-West Lifeco, symbol GWO on Toronto, and IGM Financial, symbol IGM on Toronto.
We currently see Great-West as a hold and IGM Financial as a buy....
We currently see Great-West as a hold and IGM Financial as a buy....
A: When a company splits its shares, it is simply cutting itself up into a different number of pieces, without changing its fundamental value. It simply wants its stock to trade in a price-per-share range that seems reasonable to investors.
Mechanics of a split: If a stock’s price rises much beyond $50 a share in Canada (or $100 a share in the U.S.), some investors may shun it since it seems expensive....
Mechanics of a split: If a stock’s price rises much beyond $50 a share in Canada (or $100 a share in the U.S.), some investors may shun it since it seems expensive....
A: Medical Facilities Corp., $7.38, symbol DR on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 31.1 million; Market cap: $251.3 million, www.medicalfacilitiescorp.ca), owns majority interest in five specialty surgical hospitals in South Dakota, Indiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas....
A: NFI Group Inc., $27.32, symbol NFI on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 60.8 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; www.newflyer.com), is a leading transit bus maker in the U.S., Canada and globally....