oil and gas

We think foreign stocks can safely make up 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio. One way is through the selection of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus.


The best of those ETFs continue to offer very low management fees and 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 INDEX FUND $44.46 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) is designed to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.


The fund’s geographic breakdown is as follows: China, 31.4%; South Korea, 14.0%; Taiwan, 11.7%; India, 8.8%; South Africa, 6.6%; Brazil, 6.5%; Russia, 3.4%; Mexico, 3.1%; Malaysia, 2.4%; Thailand, 2.3%; Indonesia, 1.9%; and Poland, 1.2%.


Its top stocks are Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 5.0%; Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 4.1 %; Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.8%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 3.7%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet), 2.1%; China Construction Bank, 1.6%; Baidu (China: Internet), 1.3%; Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.0%; China Mobile, 1.0%; and Ping An Insurance Group (China), 0.9%.


iShares launched the ETF on April 7, 2003....

If you want to make the best energy stock investments, you should to read this advice

WAJAX CORP. $24.19 (Toronto symbol WJX; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (905-212-3300; www.wajax.ca; Shares outstanding: 20.0 million; Market cap: $484.5 million; Dividend yield: 4.1%) sells and services cranes, forklifts and other heavy equipment....

SASOL LTD. (ADR) $37.44 (New York symbol SSL; Extra Risk) (082-883-9697; www.sasol.com; ADRs o/s: 650.6 million; Market cap: $22.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%) is South Africa’s third-largest coal producer and is the world’s largest maker of fuel from coal....

DEVON ENERGY CORP. $43.75 (New York symbol DVN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (405-235-3611; www.dvn.com; Shares outstanding: 523.4 million; Market cap: $22.9 billion; Dividend yield: 0.7%) is one of the largest explorers and producers of oil and natural gas in the U.S....

DREAM OFFICE REIT $23.66 (Toronto symbol D.UN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-365-3535; www.dream.ca/office; Units o/s: 60.1 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Dividend yield: 4.2%) owns and manages 42 office and retail properties in major Canadian cities....

ENERGEN CORP. $74 (New York symbol EGN; Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 97.4 million; Market cap: $7.2 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.energen.com) explores for oil and gas in Texas and New Mexico. It has reserves of 444 million barrels of oil equivalent and the potential for another 2.7 billion barrels for future development.


Billionaire investor Carl Icahn now owns 7.5% of Energen....

SANDRIDGE ENERGY INC. $17 (New York symbol SD; Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 34.5 million; Market cap: $586.5 million; No dividends paid; Takeover Target Rating: Highest; www.sandridgeenergy.com) is an oil and gas exploration and production company with properties in both Colorado and Oklahoma.


Under a new deal with billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns 13.6% of the company, SandRidge has agreed to expand the board of directors from seven to eight....

Some mine stocks are major companies that have been producing for years. Penny stocks, on the other hand, may sound like great investments but are very speculative and risky.

For most investors, we still think large-cap companies, or the ETFs that hold them, should form the core of their stock portfolios. However, while a lot of investors look to add a few small companies with high growth potential, many overlook medium-sized companies, or “mid caps"—regardless of their profitability and prospects....