excerpts; International Getaways for your Capital
Brazil’s Olympic-Sized Growth
Vietnam, the World’s New Source of Cheap Labor
consider “internationalizing” your portfolio
BRIC without including the South American giant. Brazil is slated to host both the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament. That means major infrastructure projects, tourism dollars, and foreign investment. The World Bank lists Brazil as one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world, and the country just raised its 2010 GDP growth forecast from 5.0% to an impressive 6.5%. It’s without a doubt a nation on the rise.
Cosan (NYSE: CZZ)
Oil Exploration Profits 1,300 Miles from the Gulf Coast without oil covered beaches on the nightly news
As the world watches the tragic BP oil spill and Gulf Coast states are figuring out how to do clean-up, finger pointing and calls for offshore drilling bans are getting louder. Not good news for investors in offshore oil exploration stocks. (BP's off YTD 40%!)
The Southeast Asian powerhouse has spent its history in the shadow of China, and now it is poised to benefit from China’s success - and emerge as a global leader in manufacturing.
As the population of migrant workers in China dwindles, laborers are striking at factories. Workers are now able to command significantly higher wages. Mix in strikes with Beijing’s new minimum wage rules, and China appears to be losing its place as the world’s factory. But China’s loss is Vietnam's gain, and represents an immense opportunity for those who invest in Vietnam right now.
Japanese companies like Canon Inc. and Sanyo Electric have already jumped on the bandwagon, and are shifting operations from China to Vietnam.
Vietnam is currently looking at 6.5% real GDP growth, the highest in Southeast Asia. The government is expected to devalue their already weak currency, the Dong. As Chinese exporters can tell you, a weak currency is great for domestic producers.
***Unfortunately, few Vietnamese companies are listed on U.S. exchanges, but the Market Vectors Vietnam Index (NYSE: VNM) represents a good way to get exposure to the Southeast Asian state. Though VNM isn’t the pure-play small-cap ETF that BRF is, it still affords good exposure to the Vietnamese market. VNM has 70% of its holdings listed in Vietnam, and over 40% of included firms are small-caps. Like any ETF, it carries an expense ratio, this one of 0.76%
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