ishares

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Canada Index Fund is your best choice for holding a basket of major Canadian stocks.

Saudi Arabia has ambitious plans to reduce its dependence on oil by generating more sources of income for the government and the citizens of the country. These plans include the opening of various avenues for domestic and international tourism, and a focus on new industries such as electric vehicles, datacentres, and artificial intelligence....

With today’s still-low interest rates, there are few, if any, high return, lower-risk fixed-income investments available to investors right now.


Note that we don’t recommend “going into cash” in times of market uncertainty—or when markets are close to or hitting highs: Going into cash in reaction to uncertainty is rarely a good idea....

ISHARES CORE MSCI ALL COUNTRY WORLD EX CANADA INDEX ETF $45.53 (Toronto symbol XAW; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $2.9 billion) invests globally in publicly listed companies, excluding Canada.


The ETF tracks the MSCI ACWI ex-Canada Index....

Biotechnology companies have been at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in healthcare over the past two decades—and there are more developments in the pipeline. However, the high cost of product development, long lead times for product testing and regulatory approvals, and low success rates add to their risk.


Here are two ETFs that aim to benefit from the opportunities presented by biotech firms despite those challenges....

iShares MSCI Germany Fund & Australia ETF broaden your horizons with access to top companies from both hemispheres.

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....

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....