These dividend ETFs offer steady income

Dividend-paying companies have done well over the longer term, although the recent performance of this group lagged the main market indexes. That’s because higher interest rates on fixed-income investments made their dividends less attractive to income investors. Still, high-quality dividend-paying companies—given their prospects for capital… Read More

Tap into expanding military spending

Global military spending reached an all-time high of $2.44 trillion U.S. in 2023, spurred by major regional wars and large-scale investments by several countries. That spending might slow in the coming years as governments are forced to re-examine their military budgets in the wake of… Read More

India still offers investors strong growth

The Indian economy continues to expand rapidly and increased consumption among a growing middle class is expected to support that growth over the medium term. The Indian stock market has also performed well over the past five years, easily beating the emerging markets index and… Read More

These global ETFs round out your portfolio

We think foreign stocks can safely make up 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio. One way is through exchange traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus. The best of those ETFs charge you very low management fees yet offer you well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality… Read More

A Yield to Caution

ISHARES CORE MSCI CANADIAN QUALITY DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $30.08 (Toronto symbol XDIV; Units o/s: 57.8 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; Dividend yield: 4.5%; www.blackrock.com/ca) aims to invest in Canadian stocks with above-average dividend yields and steady or increasing dividends. It also targets stocks with strong overall financials,… Read More

South Korea’s outlook remains bright

When we last wrote about South Korea—in late 2022—we pointed out that the country’s stocks had seen a two-year run-up in prices and then a sharp decline. That left many high-quality companies trading at attractive valuations. Since that time the South Korean market has gained… Read More

Use diversity to cap volatility of Financial ETFs

Banks and insurance companies have performed strongly over the past year, easily beating the main market indices. However, banks, in particular, use a lot of debt to boost returns, and are prone to volatility when they encounter problems.
We’ve always said most investors should diversify within… Read More