After a long wait, investors will finally be saying “good morning” to a Vietnam exchange traded fund (ETF) today.
Van Eck Global is bringing investors an ETF that focuses solely on Vietnam’s stocks, as the interest in emerging markets is surging. Market Vectors Vietnam (VNM) is the first U.S.-listed ETF dedicated to Vietnam, and will track the Market Vectors Vietnam index.
Walter Brandimarte for Reuters explains that the index tracks companies that generate at least 50% of their revenues in the country, with financials, energy and materials getting the top weightings. Vietnam represents 67.9% of the index; Singapore, 7.5%; United Kingdom, 6%; Malaysia, 5%. Canada, South Korea, India and Thailand are also represented.
A few other interesting facts about Vietnam:
- The country has a population that is young and well-educated. Half of the 90 million residents are under 25, boosting prospects for local economic growth.
- The country has been increasingly making structural reforms in order to modernize itself, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007.
- Deep poverty has been on the decline and it’s now smaller than that of China, India and the Philippines.
- The labor force is growing by 500,000 people each year, pushing Vietnam to work hard to create jobs.
- The Vietnamese economy grew an estimated 3.9% in the first six months of 2009 from a year earlier, and a total of 5% growth is estimated for this year.
For more stories about Vietnam, visit our Vietnam category.
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.