Topic: How To Invest

ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $23.40 – New York Exchange symbol EWG

ISHARES MSCI GERMANY FUND $23.40 (New York Exchange symbol EWG; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that aims to track the stocks in the MSCI Germany Index.

This index aims to replicate the performance of 85% of the total market capitalization of the German stock market. The remaining 15% is unavailable for investment, partly due to limitations on foreign ownership.

The fund’s top holdings are Siemens AG (engineering conglomerate), 10.3%; BASF (chemicals), 7.3%; Bayer (diversified chemicals), 6.8%; Daimler AG (automobiles), 6.6%; E.ON (energy), 6.2%; Allianz (insurance), 6.2%; Deutsche Bank AG, 6.0%; Deutsche Telekom, 4.7%; SAP (software), 4.5%; and RWE AG (energy and waste disposal), 3.5%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 18.8%; Consumer Discretionary, 16.0%; Industrials, 15.4%; Materials, 14.4%; Health Care, 10.8%; Utilities, 10.0%; Information Technology, 5.8%; Telecommunication Services, 4.7%; and Consumer Staples, 4.1%.

The fund was launched on March 12, 1996. It has an expense ratio of 0.55%.

German exports, which account for 45% of the country’s economy, have been rising strongly. That has helped Germany steadily rebound, even though many European countries, such as Ireland, Greece, Spain and Portugal, are struggling. The low euro, pushed down by those struggles, will continue to provide a big boost to Germany’s exports.

iShares MSCI Germany Fund is a buy.

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