iShares MSCI Germany ETF (NYSEArca: EWG)
Odds: 6/1
YTD: Up 20.4%
Comment: The Germans are perennial World Cup contenders having finished no worse than third in the previous three tournaments. That steadiness has also been seen in German equities this year, which have been among Europe’s best performers. That has given investors an opportunity to take on some single-country risk in Europe without the volatility of a PIIGS ETF. Currency-hedged alternatives to EWG include the db X-trackers MSCI Germany Hedged Equity Fund (NYSEArca: DBGR) and the WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund (NasdaqGS: DXGE). German small-caps can be accessed with the Market Vectors Germany Small-Cap ETF (NYSEArca: GERJ).