Topic: How To Invest

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.81 – New York Exchange symbol EWJ

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND $11.81 (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, 3.1%; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, 2.4%; Softbank Corp., 2.4%; Honda Motor, 2.3%; Mizuho Financial Group, 1.9%; Japan Tobacco, 1.5%; Takeda Pharmaceutical, 1.4%; Canon, 1.3%; and Hitachi, 1.2%.

The fund’s industry breakdown is as follows: Financials, 21.4%; Consumer Discretionary, 21.1%; Industrials, 19.6%; Information Technology, 9.6%; Consumer Staples, 6.3%; Materials, 6.2%; Health Care, 5.9%; Telecommunication Services, 5.1%; Utilities, 2.8%; and Energy, 1.2%.

iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund was launched on March 12, 1996. Its expense ratio is 0.50%.

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. Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s so-called “Abenomics” strategy, the Bank of Japan pumped more money into the country’s economy, which is why the yen is down against the dollar.

The fund dipped to $10.40 in June, along with many Japanese stocks, but it has since rebounded to today’s price.

iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund is a buy.

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