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, $13.33, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets you tap all 19 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index.


Investors pay a reasonable MER of 0.61%, and the REIT fund gives you a high 7.1% yield.
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Spurred by the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the Bank of Canada has now cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.25% from 1.25%. Whether it continues to hold that rate steady, or cut it further, depends on the country’s economic growth and unemployment levels.


Meanwhile, even for our conservative investors, we caution against investing in bonds....
The world’s urban population has seen rapid growth, from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. Currently, 55% of people now live in cities. According to United Nations estimates, the proportion of people living in urban areas will increase to 68% by 2050; with another 2.5 billion people moving from rural to urban areas over the next 30 years.


By 2030, the world is expected to have 43 megacities, or urban centres with more than 10 million inhabitants....
While the world’s population is still growing, it’s also getting older. That should have a profound impact on developed countries in Europe, Asia and North America. Aging baby boomers are reshaping government finances, pensions, labour markets, nutrition, and medical services.


At the same time, an aging population, especially in developed countries, can present strong opportunities for companies that can position themselves, and their investors, to capitalize on it.



The world’s population is aging


The global population is getting older, with the cohort of those 65 years old and over growing faster than all other age groups....
ISHARES CHINA LARGE-CAP ETF, $38.92 (New York symbol FXI; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market Cap: $4.4 billion) tracks the 50 largest, most-liquid Chinese stocks. It started up October 4, 2004, and investors are charged a high 0.74% MER....
This month we analyze two new offerings for ETF investors from Dynamic Funds (a fund manager wholly owned by Scotiabank). The first hands you an actively managed, international dividend-paying portfolio while the second aims to provide investors with exposure to the top internationally listed infrastructure companies.


Dynamic Funds launched the DYNAMIC ACTIVE INTERNATIONAL DIVIDEND ETF, $18.80 (Toronto symbol DXW) in February 2020....
Sweden extensive list of government-sponsored benefits don’t alter the fact that it is a free-market economy. Still, it’s the blend of capitalism and socialism that has helped the country lower the gap between its rich and poor citizens to one of the narrowest in the world.


Moreover, the country’s economy remains highly competitive with equally high productivity....
Sweden’s high tax rates support its extensive government benefits for citizens—from its 18 months of paid parental leave to its housing allowance for families and 20-somethings. But the high tax rates haven’t kept this nation from becoming one of the world’s most-economically competitive.


In fact, government finances are in good shape, and the Swedish economy has seen steady growth over the past decade....
Another “megatrend” offering investors strong potential for long-term growth is the rising number of people worldwide moving to urban centres. Here are three ETFs that focus on mining, infrastructure, cybersecurity and other industries set to profit from urbanization....
Stock prices have dropped sharply in anticipation of a much wider spread of the coronavirus, and a deep economic setback that could result from that spread.


In a sudden and deep stock-market drop like this, it’s all too easy to respond impulsively or go to extremes....