Singapore’s exchange traded fund (ETF) has been one of the top performers so far this year. iShares Singapore Index Fund (EWS) is currently up 37.6% year-to-date and has returned an average of 31% per year since 2002. That means a $1,000 investment is worth $3,860 today, reports Todd Wenning for The Motley Fool. This ETF’s top holdings include Singapore Telecommunications and United Overseas Bank, and more than 75% of the fund is invested in financial and industrial stocks. According to the "The Economist," Singapore’s GDP grew at 9.4% during the third quarter, with expected growth to round out at 7% for the year.

Singapore has a highly-developed and successful free-market model economy. The environment is corruption-free with stable prices and and per capita GDP equivalent to the four largest Western European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics and information technology products, according to the CIA World Factbook.

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