Starting with a disclaimer, it’s been awhile since the MSCI Emerging Markets beat the S&P 500 on an annual basis and it’s not going to happen this year.
The last time the emerging markets benchmark beat the domestic equities was 2017, meaning this year will be the sixth consecutive in which it’s lagged major U.S. equity indexes. Making that scenario all the more vexing is that stocks in developing are more volatile than U.S. equivalents. Between the heightened turbulence and slack performance, there haven’t been many good reasons for investors to embrace the risks associated with emerging markets equities and the corresponding exchange traded funds.
Problematic for investors is the fact that many developing economies, including some of the larger ones, continue notching growth rates that far outpace those seen in more mature economies. In other words, some emerging markets’ equity markets aren’t keeping pace with the economies’ growth rates.
Of course, “it’s time” or an asset being overdue to outperform aren’t credible investment theses, but there are areas of opportunity that could be compelling in 2024. Here are some of the ETFs to consider.
Global X MSCI Argentina ETF (ARGT)
A word of caution regarding the Global X MSCI Argentina ETF (ARGT). The original ETF dedicated to stocks in the South American county is higher by 8.63% over the past week and 31.37% over the past month on the back of populist Javier Milei’s victory in the recent presidential election in that country. As of yet, ARGT hasn’t experience a “sell the news” retrenchment. Perhaps that’s a sign that markets continue to be enthusiastic about Milei’s win.
While the right-leaning Milei has predictably been vilified in the global media, a strong case can be made that he’s likely a stark improvement over previous regimes in the country and, at worst, won’t be any worse than those regimes. After all, Argentina has experienced five sovereign defaults over the past 50 years.
Additionally, Milei is likely to moderate his tone because his La Libertad Avanza party wields little power in either house of Argentina’s Congress. A more middle-of-the-road posture from the new president could be to the delight of investors.
“We have been impressed with Milei’s actions on this front since the first round of voting,” according to Global X research. “His negotiations with the Juntos coalition showed flexibility within his ideological framework, easing fears that he would not moderate. Milei’s victory also proves that he can maintain support from his core voters while coming to the middle. As a result, we see declining execution risks surrounding his ability to successfully implement orthodox fiscal and economic policies while maintaining public support.”
WisdonTree India Earnings Fund (EPI)
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Read More: Emerging Markets ETFs Could Surprise in 2024