Europe offers you a post-COVID-19 recovery

Article Excerpt

For the past decade or so, the European economy has lagged behind the faster-growing economies of the U.S. and China. The departure of the U.K. from the European Union also raised key questions about its overall stability. However, the massive monetary and fiscal stimulus provided by member states, and the European Central Bank, during the pandemic bodes well for a longer term recovery. The EU’s relative success at bringing COVID-19 under control is another good sign. The euro currency and European markets are already starting to reflect this optimism. The supplement on page 100 has more information on the outlook for the European economy. VANGUARD EUROPEAN STOCK INDEX ETF $54.35 (New York symbol VGK; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Conservative; Market cap: $15.8 billion) tracks the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Developed Europe All Cap Index. That index includes stocks of all sizes from 16 developed countries in Europe. The main country holdings are the U.K. (23%), Switzerland (16%), France (15%), Germany (15%), the Netherlands (7%), and Sweden (6%). Healthcare makes…