Two regionally focused ETFs are the MSCI BRIC Index Fund and the MSCI Brazil Index Fund.

FORBES: Intelligent Investing Panel

Half of the MSCI BRIC stock exposure comes from energy and financials, but crude prices are sliding, and bank profits can be volatile.

WSJ: Upside: Is It Time to Buy the BRICs?

If you're a staunch ETF investor, you could choose the more diversified (compared with the BRIC) iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (amex: EEM) to buffer some of the inevitable blows that come with the emerging-market trade winds.

FORBES: BRIC Investing For The Bold

As measured by the equity markets, Russia is the second best performing BRIC, but is still underperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

FORBES: Russian GDP Beats Brazil's Even As Investment Slips

The finance sector heavy iShares FTSE China (FXI) is down 11.5% year-to-date, the worst of the big BRIC exchange traded funds and underperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets index by wide margins.

FORBES: Market Still Ignores China's Relatively Positive Economy

The iShares MSCI Italy ETF (EWI) is selling off worse than the top four BRIC ETFs.

FORBES: Connect