Country ETFs that double as natural resources funds
There are 6 exchange traded funds that are a perfect fit for the natural resources play:
Australia - pretty much any natural resource except oi;
Canada - gold, oil, palladium , natural gas - Canada has it all
South Africa - gold, gold, gold
Chile - Copper
Gold
Silver
Australia - EWA
and it happens to be in close proximity to China - which currently is eager to purchase pretty much everything. In addition, a week dollar makes value of the natural resources go up. As a result, Australian etfs are have done very well.
You can play Australia card in two ways:
you buy Australian dollar etf - ticker symbol FXA.
It will be strong as long as natural resources remain in high demand, and it pays a hefty 5% diviend ( as of spring 2008)
You can also buy Australia itself - the ticker symbol is EWA - this still gives you an exposure to Australian dollar, whie simultaneously giving you direct exposure to companies that extract and trade natural resources.
Canada - EWC
And it happens to be in close proximity to United States - the largest market for anything and everything. Just like Australia, Canada benefites from a weak US dollar.
Again, you can play the Canada card in two ways:
you buy Canadian dollar etf - ticker symbol FXC.
It will be strong as long as natural resources remain in high demand, and it pays a decent 3.5% diviend (as of spring 2008)
You can also buy Canada itself - the ticker symbol is EWC - this still gives you an exposure to Canadian dollar, whie simultaneously giving you direct exposure to companies that extract and trade natural resources.
South Africa - EZA
Known for it's gold and diamond fields, South Africa has plenty of other minrals and metals.
You can invest in South Africa by buying
EZA - South African etf. As of right now (spring 2008) it is down quite a bit - along wiht the rest of the markets, so this may be a good opportunity to take a closer look.
Books about Exchange Traded Funds
ETF Trading Strategies Revealed (Trade Secrets (Marketplace Books))
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 12/18/2009) 
Create Your Own ETF Hedge Fund: A Do-It-Yourself ETF Strategy for Private Wealth Management (Wiley Finance)
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $40.50 (as of 12/18/2009)
ETF Strategies and Tactics: Hedge Your Portfolio in a Changing Market
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $37.77 (as of 12/18/2009)
iMoney: Profitable ETF Strategies for Every Investor
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $17.15 (as of 12/18/2009)
Chile - Copper , Silver and Gold
If you want to play the silver game - you can buy SLV - this is a fund that aims to mimic the price of silver. Basically 1 share is supposed to cost the same as 1 oz of silver.
If gold is your thing - try GLD - the price of 1 share is roughly 1/10 the price of 1 oz of gold.
Both SLV and GLD are supposed to hold at least part of their assets in the actual metal. But they also are allowed to hold futures contracts, and possibly lease the metal as well - so while the price is supposed to approximate that of the metal, they do not guarantee to hold 100% of the metal itself.
Gold and Silver investing
Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 12/18/2009)
Gold: The Once and Future Money
Amazon Price: $18.45 (as of 12/18/2009)
Buy Gold Now: How a Real Estate Bust, our Bulging National Debt, and the Languishing Dollar Will Push Gold to Record Highs
Amazon Price: $25.51 (as of 12/18/2009)
Ruff's Little Book of Big Fortunes in Gold & Silver: A Middle Class License to Print Money
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/18/2009)
Get the Skinny on Silver Investing
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/18/2009)
Investing for the long run
Safe Strategies for Financial Freedom
Amazon Price: $17.79 (as of 12/18/2009)
The Intelligent Investor: The Classic Text on Value Investing
Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 12/18/2009)
The Interpretation of Financial Statements
Amazon Price: $20.45 (as of 12/18/2009)
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Wiley Investment Classics)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/18/2009)
Sites to visit:
More about ETFs.
Couple other lenses to visit - to take a break from the money game:
Fun
and more fun
Back to money stuff:
Wealthencyclopedia.com
Check out these sites:
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