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ETFs

What are ETFs?

ETF is an acronym for exchange traded fund. These exchange traded funds are used to track indexes as closely as possible, since investors cannot actually buy an index outright.

Exchange traded funds trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. Investors can buy them on margin, or sell them short. The best exchange-traded funds offer well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios with exceptionally low management ETF fees. They are also very liquid.

Investors use ETFs in a variety of ways, and some investors work only with ETFs and no other type of investment in portfolio creation.

An amazing aspect of ETFs is their diversity. Some investors may create an entire portfolio solely from a few well-diversified ETFs.

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.

As well, shares are only added or removed when the underlying index changes. As a result of this low turnover, you won’t incur the regular capital gains taxes generated by the yearly distributions most conventional mutual funds pay out to unitholders.

ETFs have a place in every investor’s portfolio, at TSI Network we also recommend using our three-part Successful Investor strategy:

Invest mainly in well-established companies;
Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; the Consumer sector; Finance; Utilities);
Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.

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ETFs Library Archives

ETFs

Hold off on this China ETF

ISHARES CHINA LARGE-CAP ETF $38.66 (New York symbol FXI; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) China 50 Index. That portfolio is made up of the 50 largest, most-liquid Chinese stocks.

The ETF’s top holdings include Tencent Holdings, China Mobile, China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Ping An Insurance, and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

Outlook is bright for Vietnam

MARKET VECTORS VIETNAM ETF $15.09 (New York symbol VNM; buy or sell through brokers) holds Vietnamese companies and foreign firms that get a significant amount of their revenue from the country.

The ETF’s top holdings are Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 8.9%; Vingroup (conglomerate), 7.7%; Masan Group (a food, resources and banking conglomerate), 6.8%; Hao Phat Group (industrial conglomerate), 6.6%; and Bao Viet Holdings (insurance), 5.8%....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

Six top ETFs for global exposure

We think conservative investors can hold up to 10% of their portfolios in foreign stocks. One way to do that is to buy carefully chosen exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have an overseas focus.

The best ETFs continue to offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks....

6 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

iShares MSCI Canada Index Fund $25.31 - New York symbol EWC

ISHARES MSCI CANADA INDEX FUND $25.31 (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%. It began trading on March 12, 1996....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

Powershares QQQ ETF $116.44 - Nasdaq symbol QQQ

POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $116.44 (Nasdaq symbol QQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www. invescopowershares.com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds stocks representing the Nasdaq 100 Index. That consists of the exchange’s 100 largest stocks by market cap....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF $183.94 - New York symbol DIA

SPDR DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE ETF $183.94 (New York symbol DIA; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) holds the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The ETF began trading on January 14, 1998.

This ETF’s top holdings are Goldman Sachs, IBM, Home Depot, Travelers Cos., Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth, United Technologies and McDonald’s....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

SPDR S&P 500 ETF $217.38 - New York symbol SPY

SPDR S&P 500 ETF $217.38 (New York symbol SPY; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) holds the stocks in the S&P 500 Index, which consists of 500 major U.S. companies chosen based on their market cap, liquidity and industry group. The ETF began trading on January 22, 1993....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF $22.97 - Toronto symbol XDV

ISHARES CANADIAN SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $22.97 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds 30 of the highestyield 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....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF $21.33 - Toronto symbol XIU

ISHARES S&P/TSX 60 INDEX ETF $21.33 (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—the 60 largest, most heavily traded stocks on the exchange....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

ETFs

Best ETFs for precious metal exposure

In 2011, gold shot up to a high of $1,950 U.S. an ounce, and silver reached a peak of $48.48.

Gold prices then fell steadily, dropping to $1,050 in December 2015 for the first time since early 2010. That month, silver also declined to a five-year low of $13.65 an ounce....

1 min read

Pat McKeough

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Inner Circle Pro subscriber

Browse Premium Topics

Cannabis

Spinoffs

One of the ways a company can try to unlock its own hidden value is by creating a separate company out of a corporate subsidiary. The parent company can either sell stock in the new company to the public, or spin it off—hand the stock out to its own investors.

Dividend Stocks

Dividend stocks make cash payouts that serve as a way for companies to share the wealth they’ve accumulated. These payouts are drawn from earnings and cash flow and paid to the shareholders of the company. Typically, these dividends are paid quarterly, although they may be paid annually or even monthly as well.

ETFs

What are ETFs?

ETF is an acronym for exchange traded fund. These exchange traded funds are used to track indexes as closely as possible, since investors cannot actually buy an index outright.

Value Stocks

What are value stocks?

One of the sweetest and most profitable pleasures of successful investing is to buy high-quality “value stocks” (or stocks that are reasonably priced, if not cheap, in relation to its sales, earnings or assets), then hold on to them as mainstream investors recognize the value and push up the share price.

Blue Chip Stocks

Blue chip stocks are big, well-established, dividend-paying corporations with strong business prospects. These are companies that also have sound management that should be able to make the right moves to keep competing successfully in a changing marketplace.

Penny Stocks

A penny stock in general trades for under five dollars a share, and as the name implies, sometimes for pennies. Most of the time they’re young companies, or start-ups in speculative markets like mining or technology.

Growth Stocks

Growth stocks are companies that are likely to have sales and earnings growth well above market average. Frequently they pay few, if any, dividends. Instead they typically reinvest any extra cash flow to promote further growth. Chosen wisely—according to Pat McKeough’s advice—high-quality growth-oriented stocks can be worthwhile additions to most well-diversified portfolios.

Wealth Management

Wealth management is the practice of putting your savings to work so that it continues to grow over your lifetime and will also benefit your heirs. Wealth management encompasses many different areas of investing like long term investment planning and retirement planning.

Mining Stocks

Mining stocks are investments in companies that produce or explore for minerals. Some of these minerals include uranium, coal, molybdenum (which is used in steelmaking), copper, silver and gold. They are affected by fluctuating commodity prices in addition to their own business and operating risks.

How To Invest

Pat McKeough has been making investing for beginners simple—and profitable—by helping investors make big gains for more than 25 years. His advice to beginning investors is the same as it is for all investors: buy high-quality, mostly dividend paying stocks (or ETFs that hold these stocks) and evenly spread your investments over the five main economic sectors (Resources, Manufacturing, Finance, Utilities and Consumer). Pat also believes investors should avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight and focus on those with hidden or little-noticed assets.

Energy Stocks

What are energy stocks?

Businesses that work in the extraction, refining and delivery of energy sources such as natural gas, oil, uranium and coal, are considered energy stocks.