Emerging markets are attractive, but with risks

Article Excerpt

Many investors have lost interest in investing in emerging markets (“EMs”) given their recent poor performance. Still, EM fundamentals remain sound, despite COVID-19-induced setbacks and higher inflation. The key emerging markets are also home to many top-notch global companies, available at reasonable, if not attractive valuations. Emerging markets can deliver stellar returns Over the past 30 years, investors in EMs have experienced slightly lower returns than investors in developed markets. However, volatility (a measure of risk) in the EMs was much higher. Given that history, it is understandable that many investors would be reluctant to invest in these markets. The average EM return over rolling 36-month periods was a modest 26%, or 8.7% per year—not much different from the developed markets—and therefore probably not worth the added risk. But this does not tell the whole story—EMs can deliver spectacular returns. One-quarter of the time, since 1989, the rolling 36-month return exceeded 50% and 12% of the time it exceeded 100%. That looks more like…