Guru: Ron Rowland
Newsletter: All-Star Fund
Trader
BUY: iShares MSCI Taiwan
(nyse: EWT)
Asian economies can be difficult to assess.
Taiwan is no exception. Though China has been
capturing the headlines for the better part of a
decade, Taiwan has maintained a solid economic
infrastructure. Taiwan is a technology powerhouse,
and its IT business provides over $90 billion
in exports. Growing semiconductor and
software businesses contribute over $42 billion to
the annual economy. Taiwan DRAM manufacturers
dominated the global landscape with a
37% market share in 2006, according to a report
by market intelligence group DRAMeXchange.
Nine of the world's top 20 memory manufacturers
are Taiwan companies. In November 2007,
Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research
Institute (ITRI) reported that Taiwan's flat panel
industry is now the world's largest, both in terms
of production value and shipments.
Political tension with mainland China has
long been a concern when investing
in Taiwan. Last month, Taiwan
elected a new president, Ma Yingjeou,
amid promises of dialogue
with the Chinese government. This is a great
thing for Taiwanese business.
As of mid-April 2008, the Taiwan stock market
is up +6.6%. Compare this to China's
slump of -17.3%. The best place to participate
in Taiwan's growth is iShares MSCI Taiwan
(EWT). EWT is a broad-based fund with heavy
allocation in tech, financials, and materials.
The future looks bright for a politically-repositioned
Taiwan. To play Taiwan's quiet strength
on the global stage, go with EWT.
KEY STATS:
Recent Price: $16.81
52 Week High: $18.19
52 Week Low: $12.61
Net Assets ($BIL): $3.6
P/E: 12.33
Yield: 2.44%
Forbes Gurus---25 Stocks, ETFs and Funds for the Second Half 2008
19
(nyse: EWT)
| Currency | US Dollars |
| Price | $13.25 |
| Change Today | -$0.16 |
| 52 Week High | $18.19 |
| 52 Week Low | $12.78 |
| Volume | 11,977,074 |
| Beta | 1.14 |
| RiskGrade | 142 |
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| 15:59 | 442 @ $13.25 green colour
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| 15:59 | 2 @ $13.25 green colour
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| 15:59 | 1 @ $13.25 blue colour
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| 15:56 | 1 @ $13.24 green colour
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| 15:56 | 24 @ $13.24 green colour
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| Dividend Information |
| Dividend Yield: | 2.90 % |
| Dividend Yield 5yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Rate: | $ 0.39 % |
| Dividend Payout Ratio: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Payout Ratio 5yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Growth Rate 3yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend Growth Rate 5yr Avg: | 0.00 % |
| Dividend AllStar™ Ranking: | |
| Consecutive Div. Increases: | 2 years |
| Dividend Payment Type: | Cash |
| Dividend Declaration Date: | Nov-30-1999 |
| Dividend Ex Date: | Dec-24-2007 |
| Dividend Record Date: | Dec-27-2007 |
| Dividend Pay Date: | Jan-04-2008 |
| Dividend Amount: | 0.3901 |
| Dividend Payments: | Last 12 months payments: 1 |
$13.25 (07/19/08)
