After spending many of the previous decade being trounced by the U.S. inventory market, worldwide equities are again and investing consultants say the chance ought to final.
A brutal stretch of underperformance that lasted a decade resulted in late 2024 and has sustained its momentum on the outset of 2026. After years of worldwide allocations staying low for many U.S.-based traders due to the weak returns, the current positive factors amid shifting macro circumstances and rising issues about U.S. market focus are main traders to take one other take a look at the dearth of worldwide publicity of their portfolios.
It’s not merely chasing scorching current efficiency, based on Tim Seymour, Seymour Asset Administration chief funding officer, who can be a portfolio supervisor on the Amplify CWP Worldwide Enhanced Dividend Earnings ETF (IDVO). “This isn’t folks saying … this can be a time to commerce international markets,” he mentioned on this week’s CNBC’s “ETF Edge.”
During the last ten years, international equities exterior of the U.S. underperformed home markets by a large margin, with Seymour noting {that a} main world equities benchmark ETF, the iShares MSCI ACWI ETF (ACWI), underperformed by about 60%. That hole formed investor habits and capital flowed into U.S. equities, notably mega-cap know-how shares. Seymour described it as a generational dynamic amongst traders by which market capitalization development within the U.S. “choked off lots of worldwide investing.”
However he says now the structural underweight that many U.S. traders need to international markets is a tailwind. Whereas worldwide equities symbolize roughly 30-40% of worldwide market capitalization, Seymour estimates that on the high-end of the vary, U.S. investor publicity to abroad markets is 12-15%, and in lots of instances a lot decrease.
Worldwide equities started to outperform the U.S. in November 2024, and since that flip have overwhelmed U.S. equities by roughly 15%, Seymour mentioned. Whereas that doesn’t erase the last decade of lagging returns, it marks a significant inflection level. “In a 14-month span, you have seen worldwide outperform the U.S.” Seymour mentioned. Whereas the ten-year chart versus the U.S. inventory market nonetheless seems to be poor, “it truly is a narrative of the place international development has picked again up,” he added.
Dominic Chu and Tim Seymour on ETF Edge on Jan. twenty eighth, 2026.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC
A well-liked exchange-traded fund alternative amongst many U.S. traders to achieve worldwide publicity is the iShares MSCI Rising Markets ETF (EEM), which has $26.55 billion in belongings and has returned 42% over the previous yr. The iShares MSCI ACWI ETF is up 20% over the previous yr, besting the S&P 500’s return by about 5%. Seymour mentioned whereas the potential returns from rising markets are larger, traders who wish to diversify abroad ought to tilt extra closely to developed market allocations, citing a 70%-30% cut up as an affordable instance.
A part of the renewed curiosity in abroad markets is tied to foreign money. A weakening U.S. greenback has improved returns for dollar-based traders holding overseas belongings. In the meantime, metals have surged as traders search for shops of worth, an investing improvement that Seymour described it as a world commerce quite than a U.S. solely phenomenon.
“These are all offering tailwinds and a weakening greenback, in fact, the place that is main traders to diversify their general portfolios that had been beforehand U.S.-centric portfolios,” Jon Maier, J.P Morgan Asset Administration chief ETF strategist, mentioned on “ETF Edge.”
Seymour mentioned a very powerful level for traders to grasp when contemplating the extra of worldwide shares to a portfolio is that the basics are enhancing. Earnings development is showing in locations the place stagnation as soon as outlined the outlook. Japan is a key instance, he mentioned, the place years of company governance reform and shareholder focus is beginning to enhance returns.
Europe can be benefitting from decrease rates of interest, fiscal spending, and regulatory change. Seymour argued that deregulation in Europe could also be a extra highly effective catalyst than related efforts within the U.S. as a result of it represents a sharper shift from the previous. Banking, utilities, and industrials have all seen renewed momentum. He added that in extra to a decade of underperformance making these shares low-cost on a relative foundation, many European banking shares will profit as a lot from central financial institution coverage as U.S. banks and are higher dividend performs, similar to Barclays, Santander and SocGen.
Maier echoed this basic view, saying that “developed worldwide markets are definitely areas of curiosity to our purchasers.”
Worldwide markets additionally supply publicity to current successful trades, together with valuable metals. Latin America has been one of many strongest performing areas this yr, pushed by gold and copper. Seymour mentioned Chile and Peru are examples of worldwide markets benefitting from rising commodity demand. In the meantime, Brazil has gained on each commodity energy and shifting political expectations.
“Brazil’s the most important economic system in Latin America,” Seymour mentioned. “A few of this are the dynamics round commodities, however a few of these are the dynamics across the geopolitics.”
The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ), which has $8.91 billion in belongings, is up virtually 49% over the previous yr, whereas the iShares MSCI Peru and World Publicity ETF (EPU) is up virtually 118% throughout the identical time interval.
The greenback and metals trades got here underneath stress on Friday after President Trump introduced Kevin Warsh as his decide to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair, with market perception in Warsh as determine who will preserve Fed independence quite than power charges down on the president’s bidding. Gold, silver and platinum all crashed. Nonetheless, these metals have seen huge returns over the previous yr, with gold up over 90%, silver up roughly 200%, and platinum up 120%.
Market strategists say Trump administration international insurance policies will proceed to function longer-term tailwinds for international-themed trades. “Whether or not it’s India and the EU reducing a commerce deal or Canada reducing oil offers with China, the remainder of the world is repositioning,” Seymour mentioned.
Expertise management is one other commerce the place traders are reassessing the steadiness between U.S. and abroad holdings. Seymour highlighted South Korea as instance, noting the nation’s market is closely weighted towards reminiscence chip leaders like Samsung and SK Hynix, which make up round 46% of the South Korean inventory market benchmark tracked by the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY), which is up 125% over the previous yr. “Reminiscence has been on fireplace,” he mentioned, making nation degree ETFs a sensible method to achieve publicity. Apple mentioned on its earnings name on Thursday it cannot safe sufficient chips for iPhone demand, one other signal supporting the energy of the reminiscence commerce.
Seymour famous different firms which might be among the many largest chip gamers on the planet, ASML and Taiwan Semi, additionally reside exterior U.S., and there are lots of information heart performs abroad as properly.
The renewed curiosity in worldwide equities displays broader reallocation after years of neglect. Buyers are responding to valuation gaps, earnings development, and a world the place capital and commerce are more and more multi directional. “These are international trades, not simply U.S. trades,” Seymour mentioned.