ishares
ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $15.79 (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds the 15 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index. iShares CDN REIT’s expenses are 0.60% of its assets. The fund yields 5.1%. The ETF’s largest holding is RioCan REIT at 20.1%, followed by H&R REIT (14.6%), Smart REIT (7.9%), Canadian Apartment Properties REIT (7.9%), Canadian REIT (7.3%), Allied Properties REIT (6.7%), Cominar REIT (6.5%), Dream Office REIT (6.1%), Boardwalk REIT (5.3%), Granite REIT (4.5%), Artis REIT (4.3%), Dream Global REIT (2.5%), Crombie REIT (2.3%), Pure Industrial REIT (2.1%) and Northern Property REIT (1.6%)....
ISHARES MSCI CANADA INDEX FUND $25.90 (New York symbol EWC; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds the stocks in the Morgan Stanley Capital International Canada Index. The fund has a 0.48% MER and yields 1.6%.
The index’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 7.2%; TD Bank, 6.4%; Valeant Pharmaceuticals, 6.0%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.1%; CN Railway, 3.9%; Suncor Energy, 3.3%; Enbridge, 3.3%; Bank of Montreal, 3.1%; and Manulife Financial, 3.0%.
If you want to own a Canadian index fund, you should buy the iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund (see previous page). You’ll pay about a third of the management fees.
...
The index’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 7.2%; TD Bank, 6.4%; Valeant Pharmaceuticals, 6.0%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.1%; CN Railway, 3.9%; Suncor Energy, 3.3%; Enbridge, 3.3%; Bank of Montreal, 3.1%; and Manulife Financial, 3.0%.
If you want to own a Canadian index fund, you should buy the iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund (see previous page). You’ll pay about a third of the management fees.
...
ISHARES CANADIAN SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $23.07 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds 30 of the highestyielding Canadian stocks. Its selections are based on dividend growth, yield and payout ratio. The weight of any one stock is limited to 10% of the ETF’s assets. The fund’s MER is 0.55%, and it yields 4.5%. The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 8.5%; Bank of Montreal, 6.3%; Royal Bank, 6.3%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.4%; BCE, 5.3%; Laurentian Bank of Canada, 4.4%; IGM Financial, 4.3%; TD Bank, 4.1%; National Bank, 4.1%; Rogers Communications, 4.1%; and TransCanada Corp., 4.0%.
The ETF holds 53.7% of its assets in financial stocks. The top Canadian finance stocks have sound prospects, but if you invest in this ETF, be sure to adjust the rest of your portfolio so it won’t be overly concentrated in the financial sector.
...
ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX ETF $21.18 (Toronto symbol XIU; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) is a good low-fee way to buy the top stocks on the TSX. The units are made up of stocks that represent the S&P/TSX 60 Index, which consists of the 60 largest, most heavily traded stocks on the exchange. Expenses are just 0.18% of assets, and it yields 3.0%.
The index mostly consists of high-quality companies. However, it must ensure that all sectors are represented, so it holds a few we wouldn’t include. The index’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 7.9%; TD Bank, 7.1%; Valeant Pharmaceuticals, 6.6%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.6%; CN Railway, 4.2%; Suncor Energy, 3.6%; Enbridge, 3.6%; Bank of Montreal, 3.4%; BCE, 3.3%; Manulife Financial, 3.3%; Brookfield Asset Management, 2.8%; and Canadian Natural Resources, 2.6%.
iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF is a buy.
...
The index mostly consists of high-quality companies. However, it must ensure that all sectors are represented, so it holds a few we wouldn’t include. The index’s top holdings are Royal Bank, 7.9%; TD Bank, 7.1%; Valeant Pharmaceuticals, 6.6%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 5.6%; CN Railway, 4.2%; Suncor Energy, 3.6%; Enbridge, 3.6%; Bank of Montreal, 3.4%; BCE, 3.3%; Manulife Financial, 3.3%; Brookfield Asset Management, 2.8%; and Canadian Natural Resources, 2.6%.
iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF is a buy.
...
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are set up to mirror the performance of a stock market index or sub-index. They hold a more or less fixed selection of securities that represent the holdings that go into the calculation of the index or sub-index. ETFs trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. That’s different from mutual funds, which you can only buy at the end of the day at a price that reflects the fund’s value at the close of trading. Prices of ETFs are quoted in newspaper stock tables and online. You pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell them, but their low management fees give them a cost advantage over most mutual funds....
ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS EASTERN EUROPE INDEX FUND $18.22 (New York symbol ESR; buy or sell through brokers) has 66.4% of its assets invested in Russia, followed by Poland at 26.2%; Hungary, 3.7%; and the Czech Republic, 3.1%.
The fund’s top holdings are Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), 13.4%; Lukoil (Russia: oil), 10.2%; Magnit PJSC (Russia: retailing), 5.7%; MMC Norilsk Nickel (Russia: mining), 4.2%; Sberbank (Russia: bank), 4.0%; and Novatek (Russia: natural gas), 4.0%. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe Index Fund’s expense ratio is 0.67%.
The fund’s concentration in Russia adds considerable risk. The country’s currency, the ruble, is near record lows against the U.S. dollar. This comes in the wake of falling oil prices, Western sanctions after Russia’s takeover of Crimea and the country’s continued threats against the rest of Ukraine.
...
The fund’s top holdings are Gazprom (Russia: gas utility), 13.4%; Lukoil (Russia: oil), 10.2%; Magnit PJSC (Russia: retailing), 5.7%; MMC Norilsk Nickel (Russia: mining), 4.2%; Sberbank (Russia: bank), 4.0%; and Novatek (Russia: natural gas), 4.0%. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe Index Fund’s expense ratio is 0.67%.
The fund’s concentration in Russia adds considerable risk. The country’s currency, the ruble, is near record lows against the U.S. dollar. This comes in the wake of falling oil prices, Western sanctions after Russia’s takeover of Crimea and the country’s continued threats against the rest of Ukraine.
...
ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $33.27 (New York symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that’s designed to track the Brazilian stock market.
Its top holdings are Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 9.6%; AmBev SA (beer and beverages), 8.8%; Petrobras (oil and gas), 8.7%; Banco Brandesco SA, 7.1%; Vale do Rio Doce (mining), 5.3%; BRF SA (food), 4.2%; and Cielo SA (payment processing), 3.8%.
The ETF was launched on July 10, 2000. It has a 0.62% expense ratio.
...
Its top holdings are Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 9.6%; AmBev SA (beer and beverages), 8.8%; Petrobras (oil and gas), 8.7%; Banco Brandesco SA, 7.1%; Vale do Rio Doce (mining), 5.3%; BRF SA (food), 4.2%; and Cielo SA (payment processing), 3.8%.
The ETF was launched on July 10, 2000. It has a 0.62% expense ratio.
...
ISHARES MSCI CHILE INVESTABLE MARKET INDEX FUND $40.22 (New York symbol ECH; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the MSCI Chile Investable Market Index, which consists of stocks that mainly trade on the Santiago Stock Exchange.
The fund’s top holdings are S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 10.9%; Enersis SA (electricity), 9.9%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 7.6%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 7.1%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 5.0%; Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 4.9%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 4.6%; Banco de Chile, 4.5%; Colbun SA (utility), 4.1%; and LATAM Airlines, 3.9%.
The fund’s industry breakdown consists of Utilities, 28.6%; Financials, 18.0%; Consumer Discretionary, 12.9%; Materials, 11.0%; Consumer Staples, 9.3%; Energy, 8.0%; Industrials, 7.0%; Telecommunications, 2.3%; and Information Technology, 2.2%.
...
The fund’s top holdings are S.A.C.I. Falabella (retail), 10.9%; Enersis SA (electricity), 9.9%; Empresas Copec SA (conglomerate), 7.6%; Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (electricity), 7.1%; Banco Santander Chile (banking), 5.0%; Empresas CMPC (pulp and paper), 4.9%; Cencosud SA (retailer), 4.6%; Banco de Chile, 4.5%; Colbun SA (utility), 4.1%; and LATAM Airlines, 3.9%.
The fund’s industry breakdown consists of Utilities, 28.6%; Financials, 18.0%; Consumer Discretionary, 12.9%; Materials, 11.0%; Consumer Staples, 9.3%; Energy, 8.0%; Industrials, 7.0%; Telecommunications, 2.3%; and Information Technology, 2.2%.
...
ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $29.74 (New York symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) tracks the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index.
This index aims to replicate 85% of the market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership.
The ETF’s top holdings are Bayer (diversified chemicals), 9.8%; Daimler (autos), 7.5%; BASF (chemicals), 7.1%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 6.9%; SAP (software), 6.1%; Allianz (insurance), 6.0%; Deutsche Telekom, 4.5%; Deutsche Bank AG, 3.5%; Volkswagen AG, 3.3%; and BMW AG, 3.1%.
...
This index aims to replicate 85% of the market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership.
The ETF’s top holdings are Bayer (diversified chemicals), 9.8%; Daimler (autos), 7.5%; BASF (chemicals), 7.1%; Siemens (engineering conglomerate), 6.9%; SAP (software), 6.1%; Allianz (insurance), 6.0%; Deutsche Telekom, 4.5%; Deutsche Bank AG, 3.5%; Volkswagen AG, 3.3%; and BMW AG, 3.1%.
...
ISHARES MSCI SOUTH KOREA INDEX FUND $56.70 (New York symbol EWY; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Korea Index.
The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 19.8%; SK Hynix Semiconductor, 4.6%; Hyundai Motor, 3.9%; Shinhan Financial, 2.8%; Naver (Internet), 2.7%; Posco (steel), 2.5%; KB Financial, 2.5%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 2.4%; AmorePacifi
c (cosmetics), 2.0%; and Kia Motors, 2.0%. The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Information Technology, 36.1%; Consumer Discretionary, 15.7%; Financials, 14.0%; Industrials, 11.6%; Materials, 7.8%; Consumer Staples, 7.6%; Utilities, 2.1%; Energy, 1.8%; Telecommunication Services, 1.2%; and Health Care, 1.0%.
...
The ETF’s top holdings are Samsung Electronics, 19.8%; SK Hynix Semiconductor, 4.6%; Hyundai Motor, 3.9%; Shinhan Financial, 2.8%; Naver (Internet), 2.7%; Posco (steel), 2.5%; KB Financial, 2.5%; Hyundai Mobis (auto parts), 2.4%; AmorePacifi
c (cosmetics), 2.0%; and Kia Motors, 2.0%. The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Information Technology, 36.1%; Consumer Discretionary, 15.7%; Financials, 14.0%; Industrials, 11.6%; Materials, 7.8%; Consumer Staples, 7.6%; Utilities, 2.1%; Energy, 1.8%; Telecommunication Services, 1.2%; and Health Care, 1.0%.
...