Highlights from the 20 Most-Searched Stocks Among Financial Advisors: Focus on Earnings and ETFs

Next in line is an Exchange-Traded Fund, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (NYSEARCA:EEM), which ranked on the fourth spot in the top 20 list. EEM is an ETF that allows investors to gain exposure to emerging markets and has more than $17.69 billion in net assets, with 24.70% of those concentrated in China, followed by South Korea and Taiwan. With the declines registered by the stock markets in China, EEM might be a good solution for investors seeking to invest in the country, but who want to limit the volatility of their investment. The ETF has lost around 9% since the beginning of 2016, outperforming some of the broader Chinese indices, such as the Shanghai Composite Index, which has slid by nearly 25%. The second China-focused ETF that made the list is iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI), which ranked on the 16th spot.

The last week was dominated by some pessimistic news and forecasts from the region, with Goldman Sachs saying that despite the drop registered by emerging markets since the beginning of the year, there is more room for equities to fall. Fitch Ratings also said last week that credit ratings in emerging markets might continue to decline.

Among the funds from our database, the sentiment towards EEM is mixed. Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates disclosed holding 36.51 million shares as of the end of September, down by 41% over the quarter. On the other hand, John Burbank’s Passport Capital initiated a ‘Put’ position, holding options underlying 16.76 million shares. Overall, 31 funds among those we track held shares of the ETF at the end of September.