CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Funds in this article include: iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index Fund (AAXJ), iShares S&P Global Infrastructure Index Fund (IGF), Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO), PowerShares Downside Hedged Portfolio (PHDG), and the Barclays S&P Veqtor ETN (VQT). Eric Dutram looks at four 'megatrends' highlighted in a recent study and a few ETFs to play them.
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Play Four Megatrends with These ETFs written by Eric Dutram of Zacks Investment Research:
As we have seen in the past few years, the global political and economic landscape can change quite rapidly and in a very short period of time. This shifting picture doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon either, as intense weather events, geopolitical crises, and a scramble for resources could make the next several years just as volatile.
To prepare for this potentially uncertain timeframe, the National Intelligence Council recently laid out an extensive report of hopes and pitfalls that look to change the world from now until 2030. In the 140 page document, the intelligence industry player also identified a few 'megatrends' which look to be at the heart of the world's shift over the roughly next two decades as we experience more globalization, conflict, and fights for top resources and talent.
While some of the trends highlighted in the paper aren't exactly good news for U.S. investors, there are several ways that you can prepare a portfolio for the seismic shifts that are in many ways already taking place in the global economic and political picture (read Five Great Global ETFs for Complete Equity Exposure).
For these investors who look to remain ready for these developments, we briefly highlight four of the biggest trends that the study brought to light below, and a few ETFs to play them. While these ETF picks might not be great in the short term, if the 'megatrends' described below come to pass they could be excellent long-term choices over the next decade:
Geopolitical Shift
Thanks in part to the financial crisis and political ineptness, many in the study are forecasting America's dominance over the global stage to wane. Instead, they look for Asia to continue its rise as China surpasses America from a GDP perspective, while total population, military spending, and technological investment all tilt decided in favor of the East as opposed to the West.
For a broad play on a rising Asia, investors could look to the iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index Fund (AAXJ). This popular product holds nearly 600 stocks in its basket, has a robust $2 billion in AUM, suggesting modest bid ask spreads (read Asia Ex-Japan ETF Investing 101).
From a country look, rising giant China takes the top spot at 22% of assets, followed closely by Korea at 20%. Taiwan and Hong Kong account for another 25% of the fund, while sectors tilt the product to financials, tech, and consumer discretionary firms.
Black Swans
The past few years has certainly seen a few black swans hit the market, the biggest of which was the 2008 meltdown while the debt ceiling scare of 2011 and the Fiscal Cliff debacle of 2012 both threatening to do the same. Geopolitical worries in the Middle East, oil shocks, or a breakup of the euro zone all could act as coming black swans, suggesting that while the markets may rise, there could be intense periods of extreme volatility.
In order to play this trend, a look to broad markets with a hedge could be the way to go. In this respect investors could look at VQT or the newly launched PHDG.
Both of these products look to broadly invest in the markets, but then dynamically allocate to volatility when levels are elevated (see PowerShares Debuts Hedged Broad Market ETF). In this way, the two products can beat out 'regular' funds during shaky market environments, although they could underperform in the absence of 'black swans'.
For the rest of this ETF article, please visit Zacks.com at: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/88451/play-four-megatrends-with-these-etfs
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
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Contact: Eric Dutram
Company: Zacks.com
Phone: 312-265-9462
Email: [email protected]
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SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.
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