Three Country ETFs Hitting Lows

Of the 24 developed country stock markets around the globe, the U.S. is trailing all but 2 heading into this week. The performance has not improved with the S&P 500 hitting a new one-month low on Tuesday. While the S&P 500 is now in negative territory for the year, the index is holding up much better than some of its emerging market peers that have been decimated by a rise in the U.S. Dollar and various concerns. The three worst performing country-specific ETFs in 2015 are all emerging markets with two residing in South America. The third, Turkey, is dealing with currency issues that have weighed heavily on the ETF traded in the U.S. The Global X MSCI Colombia ETF

is made up of 28 companies based in Colombia. The top holdings include Bancolombia SA

with a 14 percent holding, Ecopetrol ADR

at 8.8 percent, and Grupo De Invers Surameric coming in at 7.1 percent. GXG is down 39 percent over the last 12 months, down 49 percent over the last six months, and down 21 percent in 2015. The heavy exposure to the financials and energy stocks have weighed on the performance of the ETF and with several stocks in the portfolio hitting multi-year lows the downside risk remains. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.61 percent. The iShares MSCI Turkey ETF

provides exposure to 80 Turkish companies across nine sectors. The financials make up 46 percent and the industrials come in at 14 percent, making the two sectors the most heavily weighted. The top holdings include Turkiye Garanti Bankasi at 11.4 percent, Akbank coming in at 7.9 percent, and Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri making up 6.5 percent of the ETF. Over the last 12 months the ETF is up 3 percent, however the ETF is down 19 percent over the last six months and down 19 percent this year. The ETF is closing in on major support at the $40 area and if the value of the Lira continues to collapse it could send TUR to new lows. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.62 percent. The iShares MSCI Brazil Mid-Cap ETF

tracks 72 Brazilian companies across ten sectors. With financials at 33 percent and consumer staples at 20 percent they make up over half of the portfolio. The top three holdings include Itau Unibanco Holding SA Pref

with a 10.1 percent holding, Ambev SA

making up 9.1 percent, and Banco Bradesco SA

coming in at 7.7 percent. EWZ is down 22 percent over the last 12 months, down 38 percent over the last six months, and down 16 percent in 2015. The concerns with Brazil continue as the political landscape is a mess, the currency is crashing, and the fall in commodity prices add another layer of uncertainty. That being said, there could be a value buy at some point later this year. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.62 percent.