There are times when I see someone suggest an ETF or mutual fund based on a particular segment (health care, technology) or geography (Brazil, China, Japan) and wonder “how does that fund perform against the index for that country?” There is a tool that can get you a good look at many of the key indices of the world. This includes:

  • World Market Indices
  • Asian Market Indices
  • European Market Indices
  • American Market Indices
  • Special Sector Indices (for example: Airlines, paper, US Dollar, banks, insurance, REITS)
  • Commodity Indices (Gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, aluminum, zinc, etc)
If you scroll down on the index.org link you will see many indices. This is the “American” which includes North and South America.

If you don’t already suspect it, playing with the markets of economically-small countries or unstable countries is not a wise long-term approach. I would not buy an index based on Poland or Turkey. However, I might consider one for a powerhouse like the USA, Canada, China or the UK. I avoid French investments. They hit investors hard with taxes. I would also steer clear of countries in the Middle East, primarily due to unrest and never-ending wars. Here is the reality: it is far better, in my opinion, to focus on the USA and Canada. Stick with those geographical areas and sector funds that focus on growing areas of the economy like health care. LINK: http://www.indexq.org/wide.php

If you have a Fidelity Investments account, you can also find valuable information at this web page:

LINK: https://eresearch.fidelity.com/eresearch/goto/markets_sectors/landing.jhtml