Buy a low-cost ETF for exposure to Europe’s top companies

Article Excerpt

ISHARES MSCI EUROPE IMI INDEX ETF $31.30 (Toronto symbol XEU; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative; Market cap: $396.1 million) invests in European companies. The ETF is not currency-hedged but there is a hedged version available (symbol XEH) The ETF aims to track the MSCI Europe Investable Market Index. That index includes large, medium, and small companies listed on the public markets. Stocks are weighted based on their market values. Companies domiciled in the U.K. make up the largest portion of the portfolio (23%), followed by France (16%), Germany (14%), Switzerland (14%), Netherlands (6%), Sweden (6%), Italy (5%), and Spain 4%). Financial companies represent 22% of assets, while Industrials (19%), Healthcare (14%), Consumer Staples (9%), Consumer Cyclical (9%), and Information Technology (7%) are other key segments. The portfolio holds 1,194 stocks; the top 10 make up 18% of its assets. Top holdings include ASML (2.2%), SAP (2.1%), Novo Nordisk (1.9%), Roche (1.8%), AstraZeneca (1.8%), Novartis (1.7%), and HSBC (1.5%). The ETF started up in April 2014 and charges an…