Rather, decreased imports helped pare South Africa’s deficit. The country’s import needs have waned as labor tensions there have escalated, forcing lower or suspended precious metals production. South Africa is the world’s largest platinum-producing country and the second-largest palladium producer. [Positive Palladium Trends]
The $479.3 million EZA allocates a combined 23% of its weight to materials and energy names, two sectors that in the developing world have lagged the MSCI Emerging Markets Index over the past three years. Financial services is the ETF’s largest sector weight at 25.1%.
iShares MSCI South Africa ETF
ETF Trends editorial team contributed to this post.