Utility companies provide services so basic that we tend to take them for granted: electricity, natural gas, and water. It's only a slight exaggeration to write that civilization as we know it in the modern world depends on them.
People in the developed world outside the United States also need large quantities of energy and clean water. And just as in the U.S., utility companies are making lots of money by providing those services. Demand for them may go down during bad economic times, but it will never stop as long as people remain alive.
Many experts believe that in the near future electricity will be a resource more in demand than oil. Building new coal and nuclear power plants is a top priority in China.
Now ordinary U.S. investors can simply and easily profit from investing in utility companies outside the United States.
The S&P Global Utilities Sector Index Fund: JXI tracks the S&P Global Utilities Index. Because it is a "global" fund, it includes U.S. utility companies. About 38% of its seventy-six holdings are located in the U.S. Its expense ratio is 0.48%.
Its top companies are E.On Ag (Germany), Gdf Suez (France), Rwe Ag (Germany), Iberdrola Sa (Spain), Enel Spa (Italy), Exelon Corporation, Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc, Southern Company, National Grid PLC (United Kingdom), and Centrica PLC (United Kingdom).
At 38%, U.S. utilities are the largest single country held by JXI. The U.S. is followed by Germany, France, Japan, The United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Chile.
The last three countries are developing economies, not developed. Including them gives investors the opportunity to profit from the greater growth potential of the developing world.
The SPDR S&P International Utilities Sector EFT: IPU tracks the S&P Developed Ex-U.S. BMI Utilities Sector Index. This index specifically excludes U.S. utility companies. Its number of holdings is sixty-one. IPU's expense ratio is 0.50%.
Its top holdings are E.On Ag (Germany), Gdf Suez (France), Iberdrola Sa (Spain), Rwe Ag (Germany), Enel Spa (Italy), Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc, National Grid PLC (United Kingdom), Centrica PLC (United Kingdom), Kansai Electric Power (Japan), and Scottish & Southern Energy (United Kingdom).
There is obviously a huge overlap with JXI's top holdings. The only difference is that the two U.S. utilities held by JXI have been replaced by a company in Japan and one in the UK.
IPU's top holdings by country are Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Finland, Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
Therefore there's no need to buy shares in both of these exchange traded funds. If you're also buying shares in a U.S. only ETF, then IPU is the obvious choice. If you buy JXI you'll get a 38% overlap.
However, if you'd prefer to buy only one utility exchange traded fund, JXI gives you exposure to the entire world.
The ETF sites don't say this, but you must assume that some of these utilities own and operate nuclear power plants. For many years France has generated a large percentage of its electricity from nuclear sources. This is also true of other European countries.
So long as humanity needs electricity to survive and thrive, utility companies will remain a secure investment.
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