ETFs

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:

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

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ETFs Library Archives
ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $15.09, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets investors tap all 16 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index....
INVESCO SOLAR ETF, $48.53, is a buy for aggressive investors. The ETF (New York symbol TAN; buy or sell through brokers) tracks solar-related companies (including technology firms and utilities) listed on global exchanges.


Its top holdings are First Solar (China; solar panels) at 16.0%; Enphase Energy (U.S.; home solar systems), 9.3%; NEXTracker Inc....
Generally speaking, Canadians are blocked from buying mutual funds that are registered in the U.S. unless those funds are also registered with provincial securities commissions. (Moreover, some Canadian mutual funds are only available in a limited number of provinces.)


Investors in this country can, however, buy exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, listed on U.S....

Medium-sized companies are a bit like the proverbial middle child—they tend not to get as much attention from investors as the smallest or the biggest. But this creates opportunities for investors who are prepared to add the best of those stocks—or the ETFs that hold them—to their portfolios.


High-quality mid-cap stocks can offer the stability and balance sheet strength of large caps, while at the same time, they give investors growth potential similar to small caps.


What are mid-cap stocks?


Mid-cap stocks fall between large-cap stocks and small-cap stocks but the average size of mid-cap companies varies from market to market.


Index provider S&P ranks all U.S....
Physical gold and silver have been strong performers over the past two decades even beating the S&P 500. Gold has also been much less volatile than the equity markets.


Investors shouldn’t overindulge in any one investment, and that includes gold, silver, platinum or any other precious metals....
This month we discuss a new, competitively priced ETF holding physical gold, as well as a fund aiming to ride the artificial intelligence wave.


BMO GOLD BULLION ETF $34.29 (Toronto symbol ZGLD) aims to replicate the performance of the price of gold bullion, net of fees and expenses....
An informal economy (or underground economy) is the part of an economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Informal economic activity ranges from unregistered legal activities to outright illegal activities. Examples include undocumented employment, fraudulent accounting practices, small-scale farming, gambling, prostitution, drug dealing and smuggling.


Economists identify two main factors that drive economic activity underground—the pace of economic development and the quality of societal institutions....
The Italian economy has recovered well from the pandemic setback, but growth slowed last year as high energy costs and interest rates weighed on consumers. Unemployment, especially among the youth, has improved, but a large, untaxed informal sector (see box next page) and high government debt remain challenges.


Still, the country is home to some exceptional companies, such as Ferrari, that flourish despite the difficult overall economic situation.


Here is one ETF that provides exposure to the top public companies in Italy.


ISHARES MSCI ITALY ETF $37.51 (New York symbol EWI; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $412.5 million) invests in publicly listed Italian companies.


Financial companies account for 32% of its assets, while Consumer Cyclicals (22.0%), Utilities (16%), Energy (8%), and Industrials (9%) are other key segments.


The ETF holds a portfolio of 24 stocks; the top 10 comprise 66% of its assets....
Many investors overlook mid-cap stocks, thinking that a combination of large- and small-cap stocks will provide their portfolios with all the diversification they need. However, as a group, U.S. mid-cap stocks have often performed better than large caps and are generally less risky than small caps....
GLOBAL X GOLD PRODUCER EQUITY COVERED CALL ETF $25.08 (Toronto symbol GLCC) invests in an equal-weighted portfolio of North American-listed gold mining companies. The portfolio currently holds 10 stocks, with all the top producers such as Barrick Gold and Newmont Corp....