The Middle East always seems to be in the news and will be for some time with all of the political turmoil. When this turmoil calms down, there could be great opportunities to invest in this region with Middle Eastern ETFs.
The Middle East is not just about oil
as there are many industries and companies in the countries of the Middle
East. A Middle Eastern ETF is a great way to broadly invest in the
companies and countries of that region.
Industries of the Middle East
When most people think of the Middle Eastern region, they
automatically think only of oil. There is a lot of money to be spent and a lot
of diversified industries and companies in Middle Eastern countries. With a Middle
Eastern ETF you can invest in many different companies and industries in this
region.
These countries not only have an abundance of oil and
natural gas but an abundance of oil money to spend. Most of the Middle Eastern
ETFs do not concentrate their investments in oil companies of these countries,
the oil dollars are certainly put to work in other industries of the region. Other
industries in the Middle Eastern countries include:
- Banking and financial
- Communications, telecom and internet
- Construction
- Real estate
- Infrastructure
Middle Eastern ETFs
There are several Middle Eastern ETFs that spread their
investment in companies throughout the different countries of the Middle
East. Investing in one of these ETFs, you can spread the risk if
something were to happen in just one country. Some of these Middle Eastern ETFs
try to match the S&P Mid East and Africa BMI Index while other Middle
Eastern ETFs track the Dow Jones GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Titans 40
Index. You will not find any companies from Saudi
Arabia because their stocks are not open to
foreign investing.
- Wisdom Tree Dividend Fund ETF (GULF) invests mainly in the financial and telecom companies of the Middle East instead of just the oil and gas industry. GULF invests in companies in the following Middle Eastern countries, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, Oman, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Their top holdings include Mobile Telecommunications, Maroc Telecom, Industries Qatar and Qatar Telecom Q-tel Qsc.
- PowerShares MENA Frontier Countries (PMNA) is another Middle Eastern ETF that does not concentrate their investments in the oil industries of Middle Eastern countries. PMNA invests in the telecom, real estate and banking industries of Morocco, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. This ETF invests 100% of its funds in stocks and their top holdings include National Bank of Kuwait, Arab Bank, Mobile Telecommunication, Qatar National Bank and Emaar Properties.
- Market Vectors Gulf States Index (MES) is a Middle Eastern ETF that invests 100% in stocks primarily in financial, communications, industrials and real estate companies. At this time, these industries account for 73% of their investment holdings. Some of their top investments are National Bank of Kuwait, Qatar National Bank, Kuwait Finance House, Emaar Properties in Dubai and Qatar Communications.
- SPDR S&P Emerging Middle East & Africa (GAF): This Middle Eastern ETF is rather confusing at this time. The majority of its holdings are in South Africa and some in Israel. Since this fund can invest in Middle Eastern companies, it could be worth watching.
Single Country Middle Eastern ETFs
If you would rather invest in a single Middle
East country instead of the entire region, there are several Middle
Eastern ETFs for this also.
Israel
iShares MSCI Israel Cap Invest Market Index (EIS) invests in
companies in Israel
and is rated 5-stars by Morningstar. EIS has a majority of holdings in
healthcare, basic materials, industrials and communication services. The top
companies it invests in are Teva Pharmaceuticals, Israel Chemicals and Bank
Leumi Le-Israel.
Egypt
Market Vectors Egypt Index (EGPT) has had its ups and downs
with the political turmoil in Egypt.
When the situation in Egypt
becomes clearer and settles down, this Middle Eastern ETF could be worth
owning. Some of the top holdings include Commercial International Bank, Orascom
Construction, Talaat Mostafa Group and Egypt-Kuwait Holdings.
Turkey
iShares MSCI Turkey Invest Market Index (TUR). This ETF has
as its main holdings at this time in the consumer defensive, communication
services, industrials, basic materials and energy sectors. It has to be at
least 90% invested in stocks at all times. Their top holdings are Turkiye Garanti Bankasi, Akbank, Turkiye Is Bankasi and
Tupras-Turkiye Petrol Rafineleri.
Conclusion
As you can see there are numerous
Middle Eastern ETFs that will diversify your portfolio into this emerging
market part of the world. With so many ETFs being invented, there could be more
planned.
Copyright © April 2011
Sam Montana
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