Much has been made of the growth of the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. But the fact remains that despite their impressive growth rates, all of these countries remain very poor relative to the developed world. For example, in the People’s Republic of China, more than one third of the population lives on less than $2 a day. In Brazil the figure stands at 18%, and an incredible 75% in India (PDF). These depressing figures indicate that the BRICs have a long way to go to reach developed status. While there are certainly great opportunities in the BRICs, there are also substantial risks. [click to continue…]
The iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund (EWY) jumped by nearly 1% on Monday following surprisingly strong GDP growth in the third quarter. South Korea’s economy grew 2.9% from the second quarter, the biggest jump since the first quarter of 2002. That represents a 0.6% increase from the same period a year ago, the first year-over-year growth in four quarters. Economists had been expecting growth of 2.1% over the second quarter and a decline of 0.2% from a year ago. [click to continue…]
It’s been an interesting week the world of ETFs: Gold finished the week around $1045/oz and President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
With the third quarter drawing to a close and a possible economic recovery beginning to take place, many investors who have been sitting on the sidelines are anxious to get back into the market and put their money to work again. With overriding fears about inflation and concerns about the U.S. dollar, many investors are [...]
Kim Jong Il, the eccentric and volatile leader of North Korea, is reportedly battling one of the most virulent forms of cancer, setting off waves of speculation throughout Asia and the world as to the future of the “axis of evil.” While Il’s inflammatory personality and refusal to abandon his country’s nuclear ambitions in the [...]
