Topic: How To Invest

Pat: I own shares of iShares CDN MSCI EAFE 100% Index Fund hedged to Canadian dollars for international diversification. Is this a hold? Thanks

Article Excerpt

iShares CDN MSCI EAFE Index Fund, $16.33, symbol XIN on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 50.6 million; Market cap: $825.5 million), is an exchange-traded mutual fund that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe Australasia Far East (MSCI EAFE) Index. The MSCI EAFE Index is a benchmark for international equity performance. It is made up of 21 MSCI country indexes representing the developed markets outside of North America: Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The iShares CDN MSCI EAFE Index Fund is hedged against movements of foreign currencies against the Canadian dollar. The fund’s value rises and falls with the price movements of the stocks in its portfolio. The fund’s top 10 holdings are: BP plc, HSBC Holdings plc, Nestle SA, Total SA, Toyota Motor, Vodafone Group plc, Roche Holding, Telefonica SA, Banco Santander SA and BHP Billiton Ltd. The fund charges a fee of 0.15% of assets, plus an added 0.34% for the cost of the currency hedges,…