Basics
Definitions
Brazil
All you need to know about Brazil for 2012
Brazilian stocks have been hit harder than other markets in Latin America, save for the obvious fallout in Argentina. The Bovespa index is down 8.3% since the beginning of the year and 13.0% in the month of May. Only the [...]
What is the Bovespa index?
The Bovespa Index is the flagship index of the Brazilian stock exchange, known by its acronym, BM&FBOVESPA. The index includes 68 of the 370 companies listed on the exchange, which represent roughly 70% of the exchange’s total capitalization and 80% [...]
What exactly is a SELIC anyway?
SELIC (Sistema Especial de Liquidação e de Custódia) or the Special System for Settlement and Custody, is the Brazilian Central Bank’s vehicle for undertaking open market operations — much like the Federal Open Market Committee of the United States Federal [...]
BRICs
Emerging markets versus frontier markets
It is a good exercise to compare and contrast the primary categories of emerging market investing: emerging markets and the sub-category, or maybe more appropriately described sibling: frontier markets. Prior to the emergence of the term emerging markets, In the [...]
What is an ADR anyway?
ADR stands for “American Depository Receipt,” and it’s a way of making hard-to-trade foreign stocks available to investors in the United States. Buying and selling ADRs lets you participate in foreign markets without having to deal with unfamiliar currencies, foreign [...]
The frontier beyond BRICs: an introduction
There was fast money, mid-term investing, long term investing. Then came BRICs, and then CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa) made their debut back in late 2009, to now even longer term plays known as frontier markets (encompassing [...]
What is the difference between a developed, emerging, and frontier market?
For amateur investors, discerning what exactly differentiates developed, emerging, and frontier markets can be challenging. Today, we’ll try to clarify some of these important distinctions for people looking to invest overseas. Developed markets are probably the easiest to identify. As [...]
A quick BRIC 101 guide
Of the many buzzwords that get thrown around when discussing emerging markets, “BRIC” may be the most common. What is a BRIC, and why is it important? BRIC is an acronym invented by a Goldman Sachs analyst a decade ago [...]
Chile
Analysis: the Chilean economy in 2012
The Chilean economy has long been the model for Latin America and maintains the region’s highest credit ratings with Aa3 from Moody’s and A+ from Standard & Poor’s and Fitch. The Chilean economy reported its fastest growth in three quarters [...]
China
So what is the difference between renminbi and yuan anyway?
Read any publication or watch any news program about China’s currency (CNY, quote) and it will be referred to as either the renminbi or yuan seemingly interchangeably. So what’s with the inconsistency? Both terms are transliterations from Mandarin. Renminbi, which [...]
What you need to know about Chinese technology stocks
Chinese technology stocks are exciting for emerging market investors. Just like American tech companies it’s hard to know who will succeed. Here are five technology stocks that investors should keep an eye on. BAIDU: Known as the “Google of China,” [...]
Commodities
What is the link between the US dollar and commodity prices?
What’s the connection between dollars and commodities? The key lies in the U.S. dollar’s status as the global reserve currency. International commodity prices are usually expressed in dollars, so the dollar supply has a direct effect on prices. When more [...]
Did crude oil predict the non-farm payrolls report miss?
After a dismal Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) report of just 69,000 jobs created and the market expecting 155,000, and unemployment ticking up to 8.2% instead of holding at 8.1%, markets have dived over 165 point on the Dow and over 19 [...]
Three currency pairs let investors access commodities
Commodity pairs are three currency pairs that allow investors to expose your portfolio to the commodity markets. They are mainly based on the widely traded currencies of countries with large commodity sectors: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The three currency pairs [...]
Currencies
Why fluctuations in currencies are more important for emerging market stocks
When investing in emerging market equities, it can be easy to overlook certain information integral to a given stock’s valuation because it’s not as relevant to developed multinationals. Specifically, currencies can be both boon and burden to emerging market investors. The [...]
Forex trading for beginners: multiple time frame analysis
In our last two articles we referred to different time periods, which in itself is a type of analysis known as Multiple Time Frame Analysis. This refers to when a technician analyzes the same currency pair over several different chart [...]
Forex trading for beginners
Trading currency in the foreign exchange market (forex) is fairly easy today with three types of accounts designed for retail investors: standard lot, mini lots and micro lots. Beginners can get started with a micro account for as little as $50. [...]
Forex trading for beginners: basic chart types
In this post we will review the different types of charts you can use to perform technical analysis on foreign exchange (forex) currencies. Although we are focusing on forex technical analysis, the fundamentals can also be applied to equities, futures, [...]
Forex trading for beginners: how to determine a trend
Continuing our series on Forex trading for beginners, we now look at how to determine a trend. I’m sure many of you have heard the saying at some point “the trend is your friend, until it bends”. This says it [...]
Which should I choose? Currency ETFs versus forex, a case study
The euro zone crisis has been going on now for two years and the worst is not over yet. This has sent traders looking for vehicles to profit from the crisis as well as hedging their portfolio. One vehicle that traders [...]
What is a reserve currency, and how do traders use it?
A reserve currency is a national currency held by many other governments around the world as part of their foreign exchange reserves. Reserve currency status indicates a powerful economy as other governments depend on the reserve currency’s stability to manage their [...]
Does a fixed exchange rate provides stability for countries and investors?
A government mandates a fixed exchange rate — also known as a pegged exchange rate — for its currency when it bases the exchange value on another country’s currency, gold or a different asset. If the currency’s peg can be [...]
Crises have helped capital controls gain greater acceptance
Capital controls constrain the movement of funds into or out of a country. In the wake of global financial crises these government actions, which include laws and taxes, have gained greater traction. For most of the past four decades, under the [...]
A floating exchange rate shields an economy from shocks
A floating exchange rate prices a nation’s currency against other currencies according to supply and demand in the foreign exchange market. Providing policymakers with a critical tool for protecting their economies, this mechanism is used by most developed markets as [...]
Emerging Markets Insight
Two reasons to buy emerging markets
At Emerging Money, we are often asked by investors why they should invest into international markets and specifically, emerging markets (EEM, quote). In the years ahead, there are a few important factors that are likely to favor developing or emerging markets over [...]
ETFs
ETFs can help long term investors more than you think
Every trader/investor must determine their personal style and risk tolerance before any transaction. For long term investors, Exchange Traded Funds baskets of stocks and index ETFs may provide an advantage over individual stock picking. ETFs that deal with futures, Forex, and [...]
What are ETFs?
ETF stands for Exchange-Traded Funds and refers to investment companies that sell large blocks of stocks to, generally, large institutional investors. First introduced in 1993, ETF shares track market indices or groups of stocks, rather than individual stocks. For example, [...]
How not to get burned by ETFs
Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, are a well-received innovation for online trading that hit Wall Street after the creation of mutual funds. ETF trading has basically become an instant success overnight, allowing retail traders to buy futures, commodities, whole sectors, industries and [...]
Physical precious metals versus their ETFs: which is best for you?
Gold has been drifting higher ahead of the Greek elections this weekend with many looking to be involved in the shiny metal. The same can be said for all precious metals: silver, platinum and palladium.Your risk tolerance, capital, and access [...]
Know your ETF risk
Trading ETFs requires some homework as they do have expenses, and one of the pillars of trading is to understand your ETF risk. Basically ETFs are designed to track indexes, sectors, or a basket of assets such as commodities, stocks, [...]
Don’t get burned trading ETFs – trade like a pro instead
Many of us will be opening our 401k and IRA statements in the next few weeks, and some will be scratching heads and thinking, “I can do better than this 401k fund manager”, especially looking at the ratio of profits [...]
ETFs: strategies for beginners
Last week we looked at investing in Exchange Traded Funds, commonly known as ETFs. Now I want to review a couple of strategies for ETFs to hopefully spark some more ideas. ETFs are a valuable tool in a retail investor’s toolbox, especially [...]
Choosing between similar ETFs
As exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to lure retail investors away from mutual funds, ETF providers have been stepping up their marketing campaigns targeting retail investors. Marketing spin is marketing spin and it’s up to us to look beyond the [...]
What to look for when seeking a yield ETF
Just because you own a portfolio with a yield ETF doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax. ETF investors, just like stock investors, need to be diligent and watch for changing market conditions that will affect the ETF’s holdings. [...]
Investing Basics: the Alphabet Soup of Fund Acronyms
The details behind mutual fund acronyms — from ETF on down — may not seem very important, but it is always beneficial to know a little more about where you are investing your hard-earned dollars. Can you spot the difference [...]
Avoiding dangerous, low liquidity ETFs
I want to expand on our investment basics piece concerning volume or stock liquidity. As mentioned, volume is one of the most important factors to look for in any asset. If there is no liquidity there is no one trading [...]
MSCI Emerging Markets Index tracks the developing world
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (MXEF) is the primary benchmark investors use to follow the performance of emerging markets and compare them with specific countries, companies, funds and developed markets. MSCI, formerly Morgan Stanley Capital International, is now an independent firm that provides portfolio and risk management [...]
Scan sector performance within ETFs for insight into highs/lows
One thing I like to look at are the 52 week lows and weekly lows on a broad market basis. While being up 16 points on the S&P 500 prior to today’s (Friday) open is not necessarily a rally to [...]
Emerging Market Investment Basics: Politics
Discussing politics in an election season may be something you would rather avoid. But for investors planning to put money into emerging markets (EEM, quote), it’s important to have a basic grasp of the political context in a given country. [...]
Frontier Markets
What are CIVETs, and why are they important?
What are CIVETS anyway? A Goldman Sachs economist coined the term BRIC ten years ago describing the four big emerging markets he predicted would drive global economic growth: Brazil, Russia, India and China. As the BRICs mature and slow down, [...]
Think you can’t access frontier markets? Try these ETFs and funds
Investors who heeded the call of Jim O’Neill, now chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to move into the BRIC markets (frontier markets weren’t even a twinkle in an anlysts’ eye then) during the last decade were richly rewarded. The [...]
How American investors can get exposure to the explosive Mongolian economy
Few economies have grown as quickly as the Mongolian economy in the past few years. Unfortunately for American investors, obtaining exposure is not as simple as buying a countryspecific ETF. Rather, you are better off looking at developed-country miners with [...]
Wounded in the financial crisis, Baltic states are regaining strength
The “Baltic Tiger” label still applies to the three nations that make up the Baltic states. Despite suffering in the global financial crisis, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are growing again. With a nickname derived from the four Asian Tigers – [...]
Indonesia
Indonesian market reflects a growing economy
With GDP of $1.1 trillion, Indonesia is the 15th-largest economy in the world. This growth is tracked by the Jakarta Composite Index, the benchmark equity index for the Indonesian market. The Indonesia Stock Exchange was created in 2007, when the Jakarta Stock Exchange [...]
Investing
Market sentiment versus fundamentals – the eternal battle
Investors that follow fundamental valuation techniques like earnings, debt ratios, and cash flow are often frustrated that a company with a great balance sheet can see its stock price continue to fall thanks to market sentiment. Believe me, the frustration [...]
An introduction to emerging markets financial sector investing
While global markets ebb and flow on a weekly basis reacting to the ongoing, and possibly terminal problems in the European Union, emerging markets continue to provide an alternative. Not absent challenges, and plagued by positive correlation to the rest [...]
Avoid penny stocks like the plague
For decades the allure of huge profits in a small time frame have attracted naïve investors into putting money into penny stocks. But if you’re new to the world of investing, don’t be seduced by the promise of massive returns [...]
Israel
What you need to know about the Israeli market
To the casual news consumer, the Israeli market seems like a place in constant turmoil and danger, center of the world’s most famously intractable armed conflict. The picture for investors is quite different: a relatively stable emerging market that has [...]
Markets
Philippine Stock Exchange index rises with national growth
The Philippines has had a better year than most other countries, and the Philippine Stock Exchange reflects this: its principal equity index, the PSEi, is up almost 20%. The Philippine Stock Exchange created the PSEi in April 2006 as the successor to the Phisix [...]
IPC index of the Mexican stock exchange offers gateway to Latin America
The IPC index of the Mexican stock exchange, the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV), is the primary stock index for the country’s only bourse. You might think of it as Mexico’s S&P 500. The IPC is made up of 35 BMV-listed companies that are [...]
When in Mumbai, check your SENSEX
The SENSEX is the primary benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), one of India’s two principal exchanges. The SENSEX includes 30 of the exchange’s largest and most liquid companies, comprising about 40% of the BSE’s total market capitalization. [...]
What exactly is the Indian Nifty?
The S&P CNX Nifty, or Nifty, is the benchmark index of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). The Nifty is one of several indices for large companies listed on the National Stock Exchange, and is composed of 50 of [...]
Mexico
Mexican economy in contrast to its negative stereotypes
The American public is bombarded with negative images of Mexico as a dysfunctional cauldron of drug violence and desperate illegal immigrants. The truth is much more sanguine. The diverse Mexican economy has been growing at a sustainable pace of 3.5-5.5% [...]
Options
Pro tip: Look at the exit from another angle
Continuing our series on Know your trade, let’s take a look at the exit strategy of your trade from another angle. Many non-professional traders and investors sit at home in front of the computer screens and panic when a trade moves [...]
The three keys to options trading are “delta, delta, and delta”
If “location” is everything you need to know about real estate, then delta — the rate of change — is everything you need to know about options trading, especially after the schizoid openings we’ve been having. Options truly live up [...]
Options basics: the pitfalls and benefits of writing a covered call
Like the deep-in-the-money options we covered last week, employing a covered call strategy can be lucrative for both sophisticated and beginning investors alike. However, before jumping into this type of trade, you must understand the potential benefits and pitfalls of [...]
Options basics: Deep-in-the-money options
For beginning investors, the world of options can seem incredibly byzantine and utterly inaccessible. While more complex strategies like butterflies and iron condors are inappropriate for non-sophisticated traders, there exist a number of options techniques that can enhance the portfolios [...]
Using cash secured puts for income and downside protection
I am always looking for an overall strategy that will provide returns with a minimal amount of risk. We covered one investment strategy, core-satellite, last week that separates a portfolio into passive and active components. This week we examine a [...]
The buy/write strategy: options basics
When using options it’s important to employ strategies wisely so you can maximize returns while limiting risk. Today, we’ll cover the buy/write strategy. Last week, we looked at the fundamentals of using a covered call to increase return on investment. [...]
The bull call spread strategy: options basics
For investors keen on mitigating risk when trading options, you need to understand the fundamentals of a bull call spread. A bull call spread involves buying one call at a lower strike price and selling another call at a higher [...]
The bear put spread: how to use options when investing
While it can be difficult for non-sophisticated investors to short stocks directly, the use of options strategies such as the bear put spread can make it easier for to profit from a decline in the underlying value of a given [...]
Options basics: “the Greeks” – Theta
When you become more sophisticated as an options investor, you start needing to understand more complicated options valuation metrics like “the Greeks,” a group of options equations named after Greek letters. Today, we’ll cover the ever important Greek letter of [...]
Options basics: Short iron condor for pass/fail gains
With earnings season here, stocks are trading on binary headline catalysts: beat the Street or miss the mark. One options strategy that works particularly well in this environment is the short iron condor. The short iron condor is a more complex options [...]
Investment basics: out-of-the-money options
Traders who employ out-of-the-money options increase both their risk and their profit potential. While out-of-the-money options are inherently riskier than their deep-in-the-money counterparts, when used effectively, these financial instruments can be highly profitable. If you use out-of-the-money options as the [...]
The protective put: shielding yourself from unexpected calamity
As an investor, there are few things worse than seeing an otherwise fundamentally sound stock drop precipitously on the back of news that is totally unexpected or only tangentially related to the given company — such as the European debt [...]
Russia
What you need to know about Russian technology stocks
For better or worse, the economy of Russia is tied to its huge reserves of natural resources. But Russia also has some important technology stocks. Here are four you need to know. MOBILE TELESYSTEMS (MBT, quote): Russia is a vast nation. Good [...]
What’s Russian for stock exchange? MICEX
The Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange, or MICEX, is the biggest stock market in Russia, having merged with the competing Russian Trading System (RTS) in 2011. The MICEX index includes 30 of the largest and most liquid companies traded on the [...]
South Korea
What you need to know about the South Korean economy
The rise of the South Korean economy (EWY, quote) to global prominence is arguably one of the most compelling stories of 20th century economic history. Prior to the 1960’s, the Korean peninsula was ravaged by wars, largely as the result [...]
South Korean economy: What exactly is a chaebol?
For investors considering investing in South Korea (EWY, quote), it is imperative to understand the role that chaebol plays in this economy. So, what exactly is a chaebol? Concisely, chaebol is the Korean word for family-owned conglomerates. These firms dominate the [...]
So tell me, what is this KOSPI you speak of?
The KOSPI, or Korea Composite Stock Price Index is the primary index used to measure the 788 listed stocks on the Korea Exchange, or KRX of South Korea. The KOSPI is calculated in reference to the total market capitalization of all [...]
Strategy
Do I need to open a special account to invest overseas?
The simple answer for 90% of people reading this is no. However, how do you know if you’re one of the 10% – or the 90%? To answer that question you need to understand the following: What is an ADR? [...]
Investing in companies a little too close to the heart
If you’re new to investing, it’s easy to conflate your personal feelings towards a company and your opinions towards the company’s equity. This can be a costly mistake, with the health of a company’s stock and its public image often divergent. [...]
Building a diversified income strategy with emerging markets
Pacific Investment Management (PIMCO) released an informative strategy paper recently outlining the environment for credit products and a diversified income strategy. The paper was focused on income from bond investments but the insight is appropriate for positioning in equity markets [...]
How to use Fibonacci levels in trading
As many of my posts refer to Fibonacci levels, I thought I should take the time to explain how to use the Fibonacci sequence when trading. Leonardo Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician who lived in the Middle Ages and theorized [...]
Why did my hedge not work?
How do I hedge and why did my hedge not work in the past? Most people look at options, particularly PUT options as a stock insurance policy. The short answer is: they are correct, but most are confused by the [...]
Emerging growth is great, but get it at the right price
The traditional incentive for investors to get involved in emerging markets is that these economies are growing faster than the relatively “mature” industrialized world. But growth for its own sake can still be expensive. In theory, the headline growth rate [...]
Insider buying data can be very useful to investors
When legal insider buying or selling occurs, such information can be very useful for investors. Corporate insiders, such as members of a given firm’s board of directors, have to report any buying or selling via a Form 4 to the Securities [...]
Value investing, thy name is emerging markets
According to a recent Fortune Magazine interview with Pimco’s Rob Arnott, manager of the All Asset Fund, emerging markets are the happy hunting grounds for value investing. When asked, “Looking around the globe, where do you see the best buy [...]
Growth, income and value investing basics
When analyzing a stock to determine if it is undervalued or overvalued, emerging market investors should research from a growth, income or value investing vantage point. The most important point to remember is that there is no single formula or valuation [...]
Risk management from emerging market dividend paying stocks
Are dividend paying stocks like a winning poker hand? Andy Frankenberger might say so. Frankenberger recently defeated Phil Ivey at a major World Series of Poker tournament. The Wall Street Journal says Ivey is considered the world’s best player, but he was [...]
Actively managed investing: how to get higher returns with a low-cost twist
The jury is still out on actively managed investing: whether you can achieve higher returns by actively buying and selling assets or whether the marginal gains are insufficient to cover higher trading costs. Studies have presented a case for both [...]
Investment basics: how you can beat large funds and index managers
Whether you are venturing out on your own for the first time, saving for retirement or supplementing your 401k, the stock market (SPY, quote) can be a scary place with a language of its own. It can often seem markets [...]
How to allocate assets tactically and strategically
Studies show that allocation decisions — choosing which asset classes to invest in, comprise the lion’s share of return variability, so it is surprising that most investors spend less time thinking about how to allocate assets. Fortunately, a short primer can [...]
Finding the right online broker for you
If you are new to investing or trading it’s daunting trying to find the right online broker for you. Emerging Money has a helpful guide. There are so many online brokers out there today specializing in different areas and markets. [...]
Analyst ratings: just how seriously should you take them?
In their research and valuation reports, analyst ratings usually give a qualitative opinion on an investment within a scale from Outperform (Strong Buy) to Underperform (Sell). Specific levels vary from one firm to the next, but the typical scale has [...]
What you need to do before you start investing
Once you have selected your online broker and set up your account according to their procedures – now what? Before you start investing, you should read this. Don’t make the same mistake I did when I opened my first online broker. [...]
Technical Trading
How to read a detailed stock quote
Once you have your chosen and set up your broker account, it’s time to review what a typical detailed stock quote will provide you, the investor. Lets get this weekend’s homework assignment out of the way first as it builds [...]
Breaking down the barriers and myths of technical analysis
Emerging Money readers may have notice a healthier dose of technical analysis, especially when talking about currencies. For years, if not decades, there has been a divide between technical traders and fundamental traders.Technical analysis traders rely solely on concepts like [...]
Short selling strategy: being right on both sides of the trade
When most people think of investing, they typically think of buying shares of a company’s stock to benefit from a short- or long-term appreciation in the value of the company. They don’t think of short selling. But whether through taboo [...]
Investment basics: why stock volume is incredibly important
When first starting out investing, no matter what your time horizon at some point you’ll be staring at your computer screen with an online broker stock screener, wondering what criteria to use. If it’s a robust screener you could looking [...]
Investment calculations: Earnings per share and price earnings ratio
Last week we explained how to break apart a detailed quote. Now we’ll tackle the investment calculations for earnings per share and the price/earnings ratio. Earnings per share, or EPS, represents a company’s profits divided into its outstanding shares of common [...]
Technology
What you need to know about Brazilian technology stocks
You hear a lot about Brazil’s strong economy and bountiful natural resources. You don’t however, hear much about Brazilian technology stocks. That’s understandable. Brazil does lots of manufacturing for multinationals, including FoxConn (HNHPF, quote) and Apple (AAPL, quote). But home-grown technology is hard to find. [...]
What you need to know about Indian technology stocks
Technology stocks are a thriving part of the Indian economy. Unlike China though, the companies are more about service than the web. Here are the five technology stocks you need to know. INFOSYS (INFY, quote): Infosys does many things. It provides business consulting, [...]
Turkey
How to approach the Turkish economy
With each component of the BRICS facing structural headwinds, investors have started to look elsewhere for exposure to emerging markets, in particular the CIVETS. One such economy that has long befuddled investors is Turkey (TUR, quote). So, is now the [...]
