Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: What is your view and recommendation on the following ETF: BMO Europe High Dividend Covered Call Hedged to CAD ETF? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

BMO Europe High Dividend Covered Call Hedged to CAD ETF, $18.34, symbol ZWE on Toronto (Units outstanding: 2.5 million; Market cap: $45.9 million; www.etfs.bmo.com), holds mostly high-quality European stocks. These include BP plc, Swiss Re AG, HSBC Holdings plc, Total SA, Teliasonera AG, Allianz SE and Nordea Bank AB. The ETF is reasonably well balanced across the five economic sectors. It’s also focused on the more stable European countries, with 23.1% of its assets in Switzerland, 18.4% in France, 15.8% in Germany, 15.0% in Sweden, 12.3% in the Netherlands and 10.1% in the U.K. In general, a substantial portion of the ETF’s portfolio hedges the movement of the Canadian dollar against the euro, Swiss franc, British pound and so on. That guards against the upward movement of the Canadian dollar compared to those foreign currencies. But if they rise while your investment is hedged, any gain you’d otherwise enjoy will be reduced. Expenses on the units are 0.65% of assets, excluding the…