Global Consumer ETFs Your Broker Forgot to Mention (ECON, EWG, EWHS)

There's no denying it. The U.S. consumer has come roaring back with a vengeance and there are plenty of ETFs benefiting from that trend. Good news regarding consumer confidence, retail sales and related data points here in the U.S. should remind traders of two important facts. First, there worthy ETF options beyond the obvious for tapping into the the resurgent consumer. Second, the U.S. consumer isn't the only game in town. Simply put, it's a big world out there and there are plenty of international consumers that will be looking to part with some discretionary income as the global economy. These forgotten ETFs might just benefit from that trend. iShares MSCI Hong Kong Small Cap Index Fund EWHS EWHS is a new, intriguing offering as the ETF is the second attempt at Hong Kong small-caps. Home to almost 50 stocks, EWHS doesn't indicate it's a play on the consumer with its name, but look deeper and you'll find that almost 42% of the ETF's weight is allocated to consumer discretionary names. Since inception, EWHS is up almost 19% and has sharply outperformed its large-cap brother, the iShares MSCI Hong Kong Index Fund EWH. EGShares Emerging Markets Consumer ETF ECON One of the original ETFs to give investors pure play access to the emerging markets consumer, the EGShares Emerging Markets Consumer ETF has thrived in 2012, gaining over 13% before the start of trading today. ECON does a good job mixing discretionary and staples names together as five industries – beverages, general retailers, food producers, automakers and food and drug stores – each account for 10% or more if the fund's weight. At the moment, the concern with ECON is how much retreating Brazilian stocks will hurt the fund. Overall, Latin American countries account for almost half of ECON's country weight. EGShares India Consumer ETF INCO Critics can assail the EGShares India Consumer ETF on two fronts, either for its niche focus or for the fact that this ETF is home to extremely light volume (less than 1,700 shares per day). What cannot be debated is that INCO is up over 20% year-to-date and the ETF might be offering more upside here as it's showing signs of emerging from a reverse head and shoulders pattern. Something else to note: At the sub-sector level, INCO isn't as risky as one might assume. Staples stocks account for about 55% of the fund's weight. Market Vectors Germany Small-Cap ETF GERJ Just a few days shy of its first birthday, the Market Vectors Germany Small-Cap ETF still isn't garnering much press, which is surprising when considering how often Germany is in the spotlight these days. It's also a shame because those that don't know about GERJ obviously don't know the ETF is up almost 20% this year. GERJ isn't a pure play discretionary ETF, though that sector is almost 15% of the ETF's weight. Overall, the GERJ offers plenty of exposure to the German export story, meaning the fund is a fine way to play positive news regarding Europe's debt crisis and a way to tap into the rebounding global economy.