There’s a new kid on the block of exchange traded funds (ETFs). Northern Trust is entering the market with a big splash, by offering 19 foreign-market funds, according to Jesse Emspak at Investor’s Business Daily. There is not a domestic to be found in the mix, and according to a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission, the ETFs will track indexes using American, euro and global depositary receipts.
The firm plans for its ETFs to represent 19 countries, with eight of them focused on emerging markets: China, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Taiwan. The rest will track indexes in Europe, Australia and Japan.
There are a few other firms that have ETFs tracking some of the same countries Northern Trust is proposing, including Barclays iShares and State Street Global Advisors’ SPDRs.
When it comes to the booming international markets, the more the merrier!
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