ishares

Global energy demand continues to increase as the world population grows and electricity demand for cooling, vehicles and data centers increases.


Meanwhile, sources of energy supply are changing: while oil and coal based energy will continue to form the backbone of energy supply for the next decade or more, low-carbon energy sources such as wind, sunlight, hydro, natural gas and nuclear will satisfy a portion of future supply.


In an elevated oil price environment that prevailed for most of the past 5 years, traditional energy producers and energy infrastructure companies have done well....
Mexico’s relationship with the U.S. is extremely important for the country’s economy. More than 80% of Mexican exports, including manufactured goods and food, go to the U.S. In addition, 38 million Mexicans who live and work in the U.S. send large amounts of money back to their country of origin.


On the trade tariff front, the new U.S....
Investing in agriculture ETFs could be a smart move if you choose the right investments for the right reasons
We think foreign stocks can safely make up 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio. One way is through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus. The best of those ETFs charge you very low management fees yet offer you well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks.


Here’s a look at four international ETFs we see as suitable for new buying and two others we feel you should continue to hold.


ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS ETF, $43.76, is a buy for aggressive investors. The fund (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) is designed to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index; it gives you access to some of the world’s fastest growing markets.


The ETF’s geographic breakdown is as follows: China, 29.9%; India, 19.0%; Taiwan, 16.7%; South Korea, 9.3%; Brazil, 4.6%; Saudi Arabia, 4.0%; South Africa, 3.2%; Mexico, 2.1%; the UAE, 1.4%; Malaysia, 1.4%; Indonesia, 1.2%; and Thailand, 1.2%.


Your biggest stock exposure through the fund is Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips) at 8.6% of assets; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 5.1%; Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 3.1%; Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 2.4%; HDFC Bank (India: finance), 1.6%; Xioami Corporation (China: technology), 1.3%; Reliance Industries (India: conglomerate), 1.2%; and ICICI Bank (India: finance), 1.1%.


iShares launched the ETF on April 7, 2003....
ISHARES S&P/TSX CANADIAN DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS INDEX ETF $35 (Toronto symbol CDZ; Units outstanding: 26.0 million; Market cap: $910.0 million; Dividend yield: 3.7%; www.blackrock.com/ca) aims to mirror the performance of the S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index.


The ETF hold 90 stocks....
Low interest rates make bonds unattractive, but for investors who want stable income through bonds, we see two Canadian bond ETFs as buys
Germany was the only country in the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations to suffer an economic contraction in both 2023 and 2024. One reason was the country’s “debt brake.” In place since 2009, it sharply limits the government’s ability to borrow and run economy-stimulating deficits.


However, newly elect German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now secured backing to remove the debt brake and pave the way for a massive increase in state borrowing.


This will spur a boom in defence and security spending as well as 500 million euros ($545 billion U.S.) in infrastructure investment....
A key rule of our three-part Successful Investor strategy is to spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; and Utilities).

This has two main benefits: a) It keeps you from investing too heavily in any industry or sector that is headed into a period of big losses; and b) By spreading your investments out more widely, it also improves your chances of latching onto a market superstar—a stock that will wind up producing two or five or 10 times more profit than average.

ISHARES S&P/TSX GLOBAL BASE METALS ETF $16.86 (Toronto symbol XBM; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $230.9 million) tracks the S&P/TSX Global Base Metals Index....
ISHARES MSCI TAIWAN INDEX FUND, $48.48 is a buy for aggressive investors. The ETF (New York symbol EWT; buy or sell through brokers) gives you direct exposure to some of the top public companies of this East Asian powerhouse economy.


The fund’s largest holding is Taiwan Semiconductor at 20.9% of assets....
The major Canadian and U.S. stock markets, while still subject to volatility, continue to offer attractive prospects for investors—especially if you buy the top stocks. All in all, we think that if you can afford to stay in the market for several years or longer, now is a good time for new buying....