Six ETFs to spur your international gains

Article Excerpt

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 stocks. Here’s a look at four international ETFs we see as well- suited for new buying and two others your portfolio will continue to benefit from holding. ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS ETF $43.93, is a buy for aggressive investors. The fund (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) is designed to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index; it gives you access to some of the world’s fastest growing markets. The ETF’s geographic breakdown is as follows: China, 34.2%; South Korea, 11.7%; Taiwan, 11.5%; India, 9.0%; Brazil, 7.3%; South Africa, 4.6%; Russia, 4.0%; Saudi Arabia, 2.6%; Mexico, 2.5%; Thailand, 2.4%; Indonesia, 2.0%; and Malaysia, 1.8%. Your biggest stock exposure through the fund is Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 5.9% of assets; Tencent Holdings (China:…