These global ETFs round out your portfolio

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 suitable for new buying and two others we feel you should continue to hold. ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS ETF, $44.79, 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, 27.3%; Taiwan, 19.0%; India, 18.8%; South Korea, 10.0%; Brazil, 4.8%; Saudi Arabia, 3.9%; South Africa, 3.2%; Mexico, 1.9%; Indonesia, 1.6%; Thailand, 1.5%; and Malaysia, 1.4%. Your biggest stock exposure through the fund is Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips) at 9.9% of assets; Tencent Holdings (China: Internet),…