These ETFs aim to rise with world markets

Article Excerpt

Almost half of the world’s stocks trade on exchanges outside of North America, where the economic and political climate can increase risk. However, even in developed countries with stable markets, price-to-earnings ratios are generally more attractive than they are in the U.S. (See supplement on page 40.) Here are two ETFs with exposure to global stocks. FIRST ASSET MORNINGSTAR INTERNATIONAL ETF $26 (Toronto symbol VXM; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $181.2 million) focuses on the stock markets of developed economies, excluding Canada and the U.S. The ETF uses hedging contracts to help protect itself from fluctuating foreign currency rates. That means the fund’s value (in Canadian dollars) only rises and falls with the movement of stocks in its portfolio. The ETF provider also offers an unhedged version (Toronto symbol VXMb). This fund invests globally, with 42% of its holdings in Europe and 39% in Japan. About 8% are in the U.K., 4% in Australia and 6% in the rest of Asia…