Asia ETFs: Access to Growing Foreign Economies

It isn't only in the U.S. that the exchange traded fund (ETF) market is expanding, Asian countries are also expanding their lines of offered ETFs to provide investors with access to new areas of the markets. When we talk about Asia, China usually comes to mind and the country is pushing full steam ahead.

Korea and Japan recently launched four more ETFs that track  the U.S., Hong Kong and India's indexes, writes Cris Sholto Heaton for IndexUniverse.

• iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund (NYSE: EWY)
  

• iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (NYSE: EWJ)

Axis bank and insurer Birla Sun Life are also looking to launch new gold ETFs in India's market.

• PowerShares India Portfolio (NYSE: PIN)

So far, China is still late to the ETF game, but the country recent provided local investors access to the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor scheme that provides exposure to foreign bonds.

Thailand now offers exchange-traded interest rate futures on five-year Thai government bonds. Additionally, the country is may begin trading in real estate investment trusts (REITs).

• iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index Fund (NYSE: THD)

Shares in Hong Kong and Malaysia rose on news of Singapore's attempted bid of $8.3 billion for the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in an attempt to stay up-to-date in electronic trading venues.

• iShares MSCI Hong Kong Index Fund (NYSE: EWH)

• iShares MSCI Malaysia Index Fund (NYSE: EWM)

U.S. investors have stashed away $45 billion in mutual funds, hedge funds and ETFs that invest in emerging market equities, with China being a key component, this year through September 22, reports Matt Krantz for USA Today. Investors choosing to invest in the emerging markets may do so with a country-specific ETF or a broader ETF that holds a basket of emerging countries.

• iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 (NYSE: FXI)

In China, manufacturing jumped at its fastest pace in 6 months for October and domestic consumption is on the rise, which are mitigating fears that the global recovery is slowing, reports Don Miller for Daily Markets. China stated that the economy expanded 9.6% in the third quarter year-over-year. Though the fast growth in China should help its neighbors, the carryover may not be as strong as years past since more growth is coming out of China's domestic consumption.

There are dozens more ways to get access to the Asian economy by using ETFs. You can find and research all of them by visiting the ETF Analyzer.