single-country

There's a lot of interest in single-country funds and an increasing array of them to pick from.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011

For the 12 months through June, the three top-selling single-country ETFs were from BlackRock Inc.: iShares MSCI Brazil Index , which took in $2.9 billion, followed by iShares MSCI Germany Index with $1.8 billion in new investment and iShares MSCI Canada Index with $1.5 billion, according to data from the Strategic Insight unit of Asset International Inc., provided by Cerulli Associates.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011

Of course, just as investors can use single-country funds to capture certain sectors prevalent in a country, it's possible to use industry-specific sector funds to capture certain countries' economic activity.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011

"Small-cap and midcap ETFs are a better way to play regions," because they hold shares of companies that are more likely to do a big portion of their business domestically, says Adam Patti , chief executive at IndexIQ, which offers five small-cap and two midcap single-country funds.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011

Investors should understand the sector exposure of any single-country fund they are considering.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011

This approach treats single-country funds as what Morningstar Inc. analyst Patricia Oey calls a "satellite holding," one that augments core international holdings in a portfolio, which typically include a geographically diversified large-cap fund.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011

In 2008, the United States spent $2.3 billion on its various Aid for Trade programs, and it remains official U.S. policy to be "the largest single-country provider of trade-related assistance, including development of trade-related physical infrastructure."

Ian Fletcher: The Obama Administration's Clueless Trade Diplomacy Ian Fletcher 2011

In 2008, the United States spent $2.3 billion on its various Aid for Trade programs, and it remains official U.S. policy to be "the largest single-country provider of trade-related assistance, including development of trade-related physical infrastructure."

Ian Fletcher: The Obama Administration's Clueless Trade Diplomacy Ian Fletcher 2011

In 2008, the United States spent $2.3 billion on its various Aid for Trade programs, and it remains official U.S. policy to be "the largest single-country provider of trade-related assistance, including development of trade-related physical infrastructure."

Ian Fletcher: The Obama Administration's Clueless Trade Diplomacy Ian Fletcher 2011

Tweaking Country Weights One reason to use single-country ETFs is to tweak the exposure to various countries that you get through a broad international or regional index fund.

Mix-and-Match Countries Jane Hodges 2011