When domestic and international equity markets tumbled in the first three months of this year, bargain hunters were overwhelmed with possibilities. As price-to-earnings ratios plunged into the single digits, those who follow the Buffett mantra “be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful” were presented with one of the best buying opportunities in recent memory. But since March, equity markets have staged impressive recoveries, making good values hard to come by. [click to continue…]
With sluggish growth forecasted for the next few quarters an unemployment rate quickly approaching 10%, many U.S. investors are looking beyond their borders for new investment opportunities. While developed European and Asia Pacific economies have received a significant amount of attention, the most popular investment destinations remain the four largest emerging market countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China, collectively known as the “BRIC” economies. Together, these four countries currently comprise 40% of the world’s population and 15% of GDP, ensuring that they will be a force to be reckoned with on the global stage for years to come. Meanwhile, combined foreign reserves total over $3.1 trillion, potentially allowing these countries to influence world trade and push politics more towards a multipolar world. [click to continue…]
Index compiler MSCI Barra announced earlier this week that Israel will be reclassified from Emerging market status to Developed market status, forcing some of the largest ETFs on the market to do some rebalancing in the coming months. Israel will be removed from the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and the MSCI EMEMEA Index, which includes emerging [...]
