ishares

ISHARES S&P/TSX GLOBAL GOLD INDEX FUND $24.91 (Toronto symbol XGD; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) aims to mirror the performance of the S&P/TSX Global Gold Index. This index is made up of gold stocks from Canada and around the world. The weight of any one company is capped at 25% of the index’s market capitalization. The fund’s MER is 0.55%. iShares S&P/TSX Global Gold Index Fund began trading on March 23, 2001. The fund’s top-ten holdings are Barrick Gold at 18.4%; Goldcorp., 12.7%; Newmont Mining, 10.5%; Kinross, 7.5%; AngloGold Ashanti (ADR), 6.5%; Agnico-Eagle, 4.5%; Gold Fields (ADR), 4.4%; Eldorado Gold, 3.5%; Yamana Gold, 3.3%; and Randgold Resources (ADR), 2.6%....

ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $77.55 (New York Exchange symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers), is an exchange-traded fund that is designed to track the Brazilian stock market. The fund’s top holdings are Petrobras preferred shares (energy), 10.3%; Cia Vale do Rio Doce (mining) preferred, 9.8%; Itau Unibanco Multiplo SA (banking), 9.2%; Petrobras common, 8.2%; Cia Vale do Rio Doce common, 7.2%; Banco Bradesco preferred (banking), 5.1%; Cia de Bebidas das Americas preferred (beer and other beverages), 3.5%; Itausa-Investimentos Itau (conglomerate), 3.1%; OGX Petroleo e Gas Patricipa (energy), 2.6%; and BM&F Bovespa (Brazilian stock exchange), 2.6%. The ETF’s industry breakdown is as follows: Materials, 25.4%; Financials, 25.0%; Energy, 21.9%; Consumer Staples, 9.1%; Utilities, 5.3%; Consumer Discretionary, 4.8%; Industrials, 3.4%; Telecommunication Services, 2.6%; and Information Technology, 1.7%. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.61%....

ISHARES S&P INDIA NIFTY 50 INDEX FUND $30.91 (Nasdaq symbol INDY; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com), is an ETF that aims to track the S&P CNX Nifty Index, which represents the 50 largest, most liquid Indian securities. The fund’s top holdings are Reliance Industries (conglomerate), 9.8%; Infosys Technologies (software), 9.1%; ICICI Bank, 7.2%; Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (conglomerate), 5.8%; Housing Development Finance, 5.2%; ITC Ltd. (conglomerate), 5.1%; HDFC Bank, 4.7%; State Bank of India, 4.1%; Tata Consultancy Services (information technology), 3.2%; and Bharti Airtel (wireless), 2.4%. The fund’s industry breakdown includes: Banks, 18.9%; Software, 14.2%; Refineries, 10.2%; Engineering, 5.8%; Automobiles, 4.3%; Finance: Housing, 5.2%; Cigarettes, 5.1%; Power, 4.5%; and Steel, 4.5%. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.89%....

ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS EASTERN EUROPE INDEX FUND $32.44 (New York Exchange symbol ESR; buy or sell through brokers), is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe Index. The fund’s geographic breakdown is as follows: Russia, 70.6%; Poland, 18.2%; Hungary, 5.1%; and Czech Republic 4.8%. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe’s top holdings are Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), 19.5%; Sberbank (Russia: bank), 9.5%; Lukoil (Russia: oil), 8.9%; MMC Norilsk Nickel (Russia: mining), 5.4%; Mobile TeleSystems (Russia: wireless), 3.9%; Rosneft Oil (Russia: oil), 3.5%; Novatek (Russia: natural gas), 3.2%; PKO Bank Polski SA (Poland: bank), 3.0%; Magnit (Russia: retailing), 2.8%; and Surgutneftegas (Russia: oil & gas), 2.8%....

Exports to the U.S., Europe and other developed nations remain a strong source of growth for emerging economies. As well, rising domestic demand is increasingly supporting those economies, and letting them grow strongly. Now, the challenge for many emerging nations is to maintain their rapid growth while keeping inflation and rising currencies in check. That could entail slowly raising interest rates or restricting inflows of foreign capital. Even so, high-quality companies based in these countries should continue to gain from their strong economic growth. One of the best safe-money ways to invest in emerging markets is through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). You’ll need to be selective, but the best ETFs offer a great combination of low fees and top-quality stocks....

So far this year, gold is down 3.5% from $1,421 U.S. an ounce at the end of 2010. But at $1,371, it’s still up 25% from a year ago. Silver is down 4.7%, to $29.27. But that’s still up 68% from a year ago. Gold and silver could well move higher over the longer term, although they will likely remain volatile. Higher prices would arise from investor fears that continued low interest rates and governments injecting money into their economies will spur inflation or weaken their currencies. If you want to hold a number of gold or silver stocks, these two exchange-traded funds offer top-quality global miners and low fees....

ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $77.20 (New York Exchange symbol ECH; buy or sell through brokers), is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index. This index consists of stocks that are mainly traded on the Santiago Stock Exchange. The fund’s top holdings are Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 12.4%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 10.2%; Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 8.7%; Enersis AS (electric power), 8.5%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electric power), 8.2%; CAP SA (iron-ore mining and steel), 5.6%; Quimiday Minera de Chile (mining), 5.3%; Lan Airlines SA (Chilean national airline), 5.1%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 4.8%; and S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 4.4%. The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Utilities, 22.7%; Materials, 20.6%; Industrials, 20.1%; Consumer Staples, 13.9%; Financials, 11.1%; Consumer Discretionary, 8.5%; Telecommunication, 2.4%; and Information Technology, 0.9%. iShares MSCI Chile Investable Market Index Fund was launched on November 12, 2007. The exchange-traded fund has an expense ratio of 0.65%....

ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $23.40 (New York Exchange symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index. This index aims to replicate the performance of 85% of the total market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership. The fund’s top holdings are Siemens AG (engineering conglomerate), 10.3%; BASF (chemicals), 7.3%; Bayer (diversified chemicals), 6.8%; Daimler AG (automobiles), 6.6%; E.ON (energy), 6.2%; Allianz (insurance), 6.2%; Deutsche Bank AG, 6.0%; Deutsche Telekom, 4.7%; SAP (software), 4.5%; and RWE AG (energy and waste disposal), 3.5%....

ISHARES MSCI SOUTH KOREA INDEX FUND $55.63 (New York Exchange symbol EWY; buy or sell through brokers), is an exchange-traded fund that aims to track the MSCI Korea Index. The index aims to capture 85% of the total market capitalization of the South Korean stock market. The other 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership. The fund’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 15.2%; Posco (steel), 5.6%; Hyundai Motor Co., 4.8%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 3.5%; Shinhan Financial, 3.2%; KB Financial Group, 3.0%; LG Chemical, 3.0%; Hyundai Heavy Industries, 2.6%; Samsung Electronics preferred shares, 2.2%; and Hynix Semiconductor, 2.1%. The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Information Technology, 26.3%; Industrials, 16.5%; Financials, 15.6%; Consumer Discretionary, 15.3%; Materials, 14.0%; Consumer Staples, 4.7%; Telecommunication Services, 2.8%; Energy, 2.8%; Utilities, 1.6%; and Health Care, 0.5%....

ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $46.07 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers), is an exchange-traded fund that aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The fund’s geographic breakdown includes: China, 18%; Brazil, 15.9%; South Korea, 13%; Taiwan, 10.4%; South Africa, 7.8%: India, 7.1%; Russia, 6.4%; Mexico, 4.4%; Malaysia, 2.8%; and Indonesia, 2.6%. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund’s top holdings are Petrobras (Brazil: energy), 3.4%; Samsung Electronics (South Korea: electronics), 2.1%; China Mobile (China: wireless), 1.6%; Vale SA (Brazil: mining), 1.6%; Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), 1.5%; Banco Itau (Brazil: banking), 1.5%; Taiwan Semiconductor (Taiwan: computer chips), 1.5%; America Movil (Brazil: wireless), 1.5%; and Infosys Technologies (India: software), 1.3%. The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 25.3%; Energy, 14.0%; Materials, 14.0%; Information Technology, 12.5%; Telecommunication Services, 8.2%; Industrials, 7.2%; Consumer Staples, 6.9%; Consumer Discretionary, 6.9%; Utilities, 3.5%; and Health Care, 0.9%....