Topic: How To Invest

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $10.60 – New York Exchange symbol EWJ

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $10.60 (New York Exchange symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an exchange traded fund that tries to match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan index.

The ETF’s top holdings include Toyota, 6.6%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 3.0%; Honda Motor, 2.5%; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 2.1%; Softbank Corp., 1.9%; Mizuho Financial Group, 1.8%; Canon, 1.6%; Japan Tobacco, 1.5%; Takeda Pharmaceutical, 1.4%; and Hitachi, 1.3%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Consumer Discretionary, 21.8%; Financials, 20.1%; Industrials, 18.9%; Information Technology, 10.7%; Consumer Staples, 6.5%; Health Care, 6.2%; Materials, 6.2%; Telecommunication Services, 4.7%; Utilities, 3.1%; and Energy, 1.3%.

iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund was launched on March 12, 1996. Its expense ratio is 0.51%.

The fund rose 42%, from $8.75 in November 2012 to $12.43 in mid-May 2013, as the yen fell against the U.S. dollar, which boosted Japanese exports. The Bank of Japan, under pressure from the country’s new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has pumped more money into Japan’s sluggish economy, which is why the yen fell in comparison to the dollar.

However, the fund has given back some of its gains lately, along with many Japanese stocks, after the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s rapid rise.

iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund is a buy.

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