Buy 4 of these 6 ETFs to tap global growth buys, 2 holds

Article Excerpt

We think conservative investors can hold up to 10% of their portfolios in foreign stocks. One way to do that is by choosing exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus. The best of those funds 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 buys, and two we feel you should continue to hold. ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $47.90 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The fund’s geographic breakdown follows: China, 29.8%; South Korea, 15.0%; Taiwan, 11.6%; India, 8.1%; Brazil, 7.4%; South Africa, 6.7%; Russia, 3.6%; Mexico, 2.9%; Malaysia, 2.5%; Thailand, 2.4%; Indonesia, 2.1%; and Poland, 1.2%. Its top stocks are Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 5.4%; Samsung Electronics (South Korea ), 4.6%; Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 3.8 %; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 3.7%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet ), 1.9%; China Construction Bank, 1.6%; Industrial & Commercial…