Low-fee access to emerging markets

Article Excerpt

The long-term outlook remains bright for emerging market economies and stocks. One of the best ways to profit from that growth is through low-fee exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ISHARES S&P INDIA NIFTY 50 INDEX FUND $20.44 (Nasdaq symbol INDY; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that aims to track the S&P CNX Nifty Index, which represents the 50 largest, most liquid Indian securities. The fund’s top holdings are Infosys Technologies (software), 9.5%; Reliance Industries Ltd. (conglomerate), 8.4%; ITC Ltd. (conglomerate), 7.7%; Housing Development Finance, 6.3%; ICICI Bank, 5.7%; HDFC Bank, 5.6%; Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (information technology), 4.2%; Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (conglomerate), 3.9%; Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (consumer products), 3.1%; and State Bank of India, 3.0%. The fund’s industry breakdown includes: Banks, 17.0%; Computers, 15.9%; Refineries, 8.8%; Cigarettes, 7.7%; Finance: Housing, 6.3%; Automobiles, 5.4%; Pharmaceuticals, 4.5%; Power, 4.3%; Engineering, 3.9%; and Oil Exploration, 3.3%. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.89%. India’s economy has grown by more than 9% annually in…