While some ETF marketers distribute stale lists of the stocks that compose a particular ETF, I would like to find a source of machine-readable, up-to-date PCFs. Can anyone point me to a location where they can be found or a service that sells access to them?
The index provider typically owns the rights to sell the composition of an index. Whoever owns the index will usually be able to sell you a service which will give you the components. For instance, Standard and Poor’s owns the S&P 500 which underlies the SPYDERS. Their index alert services provides the machine-readable information you need. It’s expensive, though.
If they are index ETFs go to the sponcer’s web site to find the current composition.
Here is Ishares:
http://www.ishares.com/fund_info/detail.jhtml;jsessionid=1C4GF501RK41GRJUGRDRBGSFGRSMID50?symbol=IWC
Closed end ETFs publish only about semi-annually their share holdings.
But you can get an idea of their holdings by going to their sponcer’s web site. Here is one example. You can also download the latest semi-annual report from there.
http://www.chinafundinc.com/fund/portfolio/