Emerging and other international markets took a beating during the second quarter of 2010, led by a 20% decline in China's Shanghai Composite. The global decline was driven in part by uncertainty around the world, leading investors to unwind risky positions.
Negating the view that emerging markets could lead an economic recovery, most major international averages fell considerably, with Morgan's Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Emerging Markets Index, a benchmark of equity market performance in 22 emerging economies, dropping 8.36% in the past three months.
Only a handful of emerging markets, namely Chile, Colombia, India and South Korea's benchmark indices managed to post gains for the quarter, with the Chilean IPSA taking up the most, posting a gain of 8% for the quarter. For investors, the questions remains whether emerging markets will continue to bear losses or be the leaders in a potential rebound.
>> US Stocks Post Worst Q2 Since 2002
Among developed economies, Italy's FTSE MIB index and Japan's Nikkei fell nearly 16%. The table below highlights the performance of some of the international markets, including both developed and emerging economies.
Global Scorecard
The following ETFs provide a sample of securities traded in the US with exposure to emerging markets. Keep in mind that investing overseas widens the risks for investors as they now need to consider currency cross rates, political uncertainty and other factors.
- IShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund
- Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bull 3X
- SPDR S&P Emerging Markets
- PowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio
- Vanguard Emerging Markets
- IShares S&P Latin America 40 Index Fund
- SPDR S&P Emerging Latin America
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