investment

LISTEN:

For more than two decades, Vietnam has been one of the best-performing emerging-market economies....

The growing use of technology in financial services has produced a high-growth industry—fintech. The companies involved provide a wide range of services, including digital payment systems, data analytics, process automation and investment management.


Here are two ETFs that aim to benefit from fintech....

Rising interest rates generally reduce the appeal of income stocks, including utilities. However, recent acquisitions by these four industry leaders—and their new projects—set them up for years of higher dividends.


CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $31 and CU.X [class B voting] $31; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 272.1 million; Market cap: $8.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.9; Dividend yield: 5.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta and Australia....

Despite covering about 70% of the earth’s surface, only 3% of that water is fresh and therefore suitable for human consumption and agriculture.


At present, an estimated 3.6 billion people (nearly half the global population) live in areas that are potentially water-scarce at least one month per year....

“Fintech” refers to the crossover of technology into financial services. Firms in this area offer innovative software, mobile devices, data and analytics, and networks to compete with traditional financial services providers. Many are also partnered with banks, insurance companies or investment managers to complement their existing services and products....

For more than two decades, Vietnam has been one of the best-performing emerging-market economies. Business-oriented government policies, booming exports, and an expanding middle class increasingly contribute to that success story.


Here is an ETF that provides exposure to the top Vietnamese publicly listed companies.


VANECK VECTORS VIETNAM ETF $15.11 (New York symbol VNM; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $326.1 million) holds Vietnamese companies and foreign firms that get a significant share of their revenue from the Southeast Asian nation.


Real Estate accounts for 27% of the fund’s assets, followed by Consumer Defensive (17%), Financial Services (16%), Consumer Cyclical (10%), Industrials (8%) and Technology (7%).


The ETF holds a portfolio of 26 stocks; the top 10 make up a very high 61% of its assets....

Generally, robo-advisors offer a set number of investment portfolios largely composed of ETFs. They then use a client’s investment profile—factoring in their needs and risk tolerance—to determine which of those portfolios is best suited to the individual investor.


Robo-advisors claim that their exclusive algorithms take the emotion out of investing and lead to better returns for a lower cost than traditional financial advisors.


Typically, robo-advisors aim to build what they see as diversified portfolios covering all the main asset categories....

The growing use of technology in financial services has produced a high-growth industry—fintech. The companies involved provide a wide range of services, including digital payment systems, data analytics, process automation and investment management.


Here are two ETFs that aim to benefit from fintech....

A: Village Farms International Inc., $6.43, symbol VFF on Toronto (Shares Outstanding: 47.6 million; Market cap: $293.2 million; www.villagefarms.com), is one of the largest and longest-operating greenhouse growers in North America....

A: Camping World Holdings, $17.72, symbol CWH on New York (Shares outstanding: 87.7 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; www.campingworld.com), offers a variety of services to recreational vehicle (RV) owners and enthusiasts through its two brands: Camping World and Good Sam.

Camping World operates more than 150 RV dealerships (selling new and used towable and motorhomes) and service locations in 36 states....