Tag Archives: australia

ETF To Ride On Batman Vs. Superman Movie Win

It’s Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX ) that has emerged as the winner in the epic battle between Batman and Superman, the two DC Comics superheroes. As per Box Office Mojo reports, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice grossed over $170.1 million over the Easter weekend, far ahead of the other releases. Although the movie failed to get rave reviews from critics, the audiences paid no heed, making it one of the best March launches and the highest-grossing DC Comics movie over the launch weekend. It also claimed the spot of the sixth-largest domestic opening weekend. The movie has also been received well in the international markets, where it was released last week. It grossed over $254 million overseas, taking the total revenue to over $424.1 million so far. The movie’s performance was solid in the UK ($21.9 million), Mexico ($18.6 million), Brazil ($12.2 million), Korea ($10.5 million), Australia ($10 million) and Russia ($8.5 million), among other countries. Going by the current trend, the film could very well cross the $1 billion mark by the time it leaves the theaters. Following a string of failed releases or limited success with a few high-budget releases like Jupiter Ascending , the success of Batman v Superman… is a huge breather for Time Warner. The company is already preparing for a series of interconnected comic book franchises. These positive developments make it essential to look at the top-ranked PowerShares Dynamic Media Portfolio ETF (NYSEARCA: PBS ), with 5.04% exposure to Time Warner (see all Consumer Discretionary ETFs here ). PBS looks to provide exposure to the Dynamic Media Intellidex Index, holding a basket of 30 securities. Time Warner takes the second spot in the fund. The fund charges 59 basis points (bps) as fees. It has total assets of $86.9 million and trades in volumes of 58,000 shares. It has lost 5.2% so far this year (as of March 24, 2016). The fund has a Zacks ETF Rank #1 (Strong Buy). However, Time Warner may face competition later this year, as it is not the only media house pitting its superheroes against each other. Captain America and Iron Man and other Avengers from the Marvel world, a Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS ) subsidiary, are set to fight it out in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War . Meanwhile, PBS is secure in its position and is poised to gain further, with Disney standing at the 7th spot with little less than 5% weight. Original Post

3 Best-Rated Pacific Mutual Funds To Invest In

Investors interested in gaining exposure to the well-diversified and economically vibrant Pacific Basin may consider mutual funds that primarily allocate most of their assets in countries within this region. Mutual funds investing in Pacific Basin are expected to provide a blend of growth opportunities and low investment risk courtesy of high diversification in developed and developing markets. Prominent centers of production and fast-growing potential markets in this part of the world also make it an exciting investment destination. Below we share with you three top-ranked Pacific Mutual Funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to outperform its peers in the future. Fidelity Pacific Basin (MUTF: FPBFX ) invests a major portion of its assets in securities of issuers located in or economically tied to the Pacific Basin. FPBFX primarily focuses on acquiring common stocks of companies located across a wide range of Pacific Basin countries. Factors such as financial strength and economic conditions are considered before investing in a company. The Fidelity Pacific Basin fund has a five-year annualized return of 6.5%. John Dance is the fund manager of FPBFX since Oct. 2013. Commonwealth Australia/New Zealand (MUTF: CNZLX ) seeks long-term growth of capital. CNZLX invests a large portion of its assets in depositary receipts represented by Australian and New Zealand issuers that are tied economically to Australia or New Zealand. CNZLX may invest in open-end, closed-end and exchange-traded funds. The Commonwealth Australia/New Zealand fund has a five-year annualized return of 4.5%. As of January 2016, CNZLX held 45 issues with 18.14% of its assets invested in South Port New Zealand Ltd. Matthews Korea Investor (MUTF: MAKOX ) invests a large chunk of its assets in common and preferred stocks of South Korean companies. MAKOX focuses on mid-to-large-cap firms, but is not restricted to them. The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. The Matthews Korea Investor is a non-diversified fund and has a five-year annualized return of almost 8%. MAKOX has an expense ratio of 1.10% as compared to the category average of 1.87%. Original Post

Australia ETFs In Focus On Likely Snap Elections

While the global economy is on a recovery path with solid improvements across most countries, the development in Australia might block the mending road in the coming months. This is especially true given signs of political issues in the country with the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull threatening to snap elections. Turnbull has been trying to pass labor reform bills aimed at curbing union corruption in the building and construction industry, but was rejected several times by the Senate. Now, the prime minister has recalled parliament from a break for a special session on April 18 to vote on these ongoing controversial bills. The bills would re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission and establish the Registered Organizations Commission that is vital for the country’s economic growth. If the bills are still blocked, he will dissolve both the houses of parliament (Senate and the House of Representatives) and call for early election on July 2. The move would mark the first Australian double dissolutions since 1987, throwing all the 150 lower house seats and 76 senate seats open for vote. The news of double dissolution election came at the time when the latest Newspoll showed that Malcolm Turnbull’s approval rating as prime minister has slipped to the negative territory for the first time, though he remains by far the most preferred prime minister to manage the economy and deliver a tax reform. ETFs in Focus Given heightened political uncertainty over the snap elections, investors may want to take a closer look at the ETFs targeting this nation. iShares MSCI Australia ETF (NYSEARCA: EWA ) This fund is the most popular and liquid ETF tracking the Australian equity market with an AUM of $1.4 billion and average daily volume of more than 3 million shares. It tracks the MSCI Australia Index and holds 73 stocks in its basket with double-digit allocations to the top two firms. Other firms hold less than 6.6% share in the basket. From a sector look, financials dominates the fund’s return at 53.1% followed by materials (12.8%). It charges 47 bps in annual fees and has gained 4.6% so far in the year. It has a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 or “Hold” rating with a Medium risk outlook. iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Australia ETF (NYSEARCA: HAUD ) This ETF targets the Australian equity market without the currency risk. It follows the MSCI Australia 100% Hedged to USD Index and is basically a holding of EWA with currency hedged tacked on. The fund has accumulated $9.7 million in its asset base since its inception in June 2015 and charges 51 bps in annual fees. Volume is paltry as it exchanges less than 7,000 shares on average daily basis. It has lost 1.8% so far this year. First Trust Australia AlphaDEX ETF (NYSEARCA: FAUS ) This fund employs an AlphaDEX methodology and ranks stocks in the space by various growth and value factors, eliminating the bottom-ranked 25% of the stocks. This is easily done by tracking the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Australia Index and the approach results in a basket of 40 stocks that are widely spread out across various components with each security holding less than 4.6% of assets. Here again, financials takes the top spot at 34.2% while the consumer discretionary and materials sectors round of the next two with double-digit exposure each. FAUS is an unpopular and less liquid option with an AUM of only $2.9 million and average daily volume of around 1,000 shares. Expense ratio comes in at 0.80%. The fund has shed 0.8% in the year-to-date time frame and has a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 with a Medium risk outlook. WisdomTree Australia Dividend ETF (NYSEARCA: AUSE ) This fund follows the WisdomTree Australia Dividend Index and offers targeted exposure to high dividend-paying companies in the Australian equity market. It has been able to manage assets of $33.9 million and trades in paltry volume of 4,000 shares a day on average. Expense ratio comes in at 0.58%. Holding 65 stocks in its basket, the product is widely diversified across each component as none of these holds more than 3.43% of assets. Sector-wise, it has a definite tilt toward financials at 22.5%, followed by materials (15.3%), consumer discretionary (14.1%) and industrials (14.0%). The fund has gained 9% so far this year and has a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 with a Medium risk outlook. Original post