Invest in the recovery of the Thai economy

Article Excerpt

The Thai economy is emerging from the slump caused by the political turmoil of 2013-15. During that period, a military coup ousted the country’s prime minister and installed a military-led government. As a result, economic growth fell sharply as exports and tourism plummeted. Today, the political situation continues to stabilize—exports have picked up, tourists have returned and the government has ramped up its infrastructure development program. ISHARES MSCI THAILAND CAPPED ETF $89 (New York symbol THD; TSI Network ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $411.1 million) tracks the performance of a broad basket of publicly listed Thai companies. The fund caps the size of individual holdings in order to limit the importance of single issuers to the portfolio. The ETF holds a portfolio of 127 stocks, but the top 10 make up 49% of total assets. Financials (27%), Industrials (18%), Oil and Gas (16%), and Consumer Services (14%) are the main areas represented in the portfolio. The fund’s top holdings are PTT PCL…