Get your portfolio’s passport stamped: Reasons to consider international investing

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Take your portfolio international.

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Investing in foreign companies and markets is a common way to build some diversification into your portfolio. It spreads investment risk, allows you to participate in growth opportunities outside of the U.S., and provides exposure to emerging markets that can sometimes grow faster than developed markets.

If you love traveling overseas, have you ever considered letting some of your portfolio also take a trip abroad? Maybe you’ve thought about it and decided it’s too complicated, but that’s really not the case.

If you can plan a detailed European vacation itinerary, you’re well equipped to research and purchase stocks or funds from Europe or elsewhere. International exchange-traded funds (ETFs) make it easier than ever to own foreign stocks.

It’s a big world out there. Diversifying your portfolio by investing overseas can help smooth out volatility, or market swings. Foreign markets usually won’t rise and fall at the same time as U.S. markets because they’re often influenced by different factors.

Over the last 10 years, U.S. equity markets represented on average 37.4% of global equity market capitalization, according to SIFMA, a U.S. trade association for the nation’s securities industry. That means the rest of the world comprises nearly 63% of what’s available to investors. You wouldn’t invest your money in just 37.4% of U.S. stock sectors (unless you had an extremely narrow investing approach). So why tie up all your funds in a country that represents less than 40% of global market capitalization?

This doesn’t mean you need to put more than 60% of your money into overseas stocks. Instead, consider having at least a little exposure. How much depends on your overall investment goals.

When looking outside of the U.S. to invest, start with regions. Most international investment regions are broken down geographically:

International investing can be done in a variety of ways and styles. Many investors stick to large-cap international companies, but there are also mid-cap and small-cap stocks in different regions and countries. There are a few ways to access foreign investments.

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). These are non-U.S. company stocks trading in U.S. markets. Each ADR usually represents one share of foreign stock (although multiple shares or fractions of shares are possible). This is a streamlined and efficient instrument for U.S. investors to own foreign companies.

U.S.-listed international exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. Funds can provide investors with much more diversification and easy access to non-U.S. companies than individuals can likely put together on their own. Because these funds are subject to U.S. regulations, they also offer protections. These funds can be actively managed, like many mutual funds, or based on a passive index, like most international ETFs. These funds offer investors different types of exposure, such as:

When investing internationally, keep in mind a few factors that may affect how well your investment performs.

Currency. The strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar affects international investments. A strong U.S. dollar works to U.S. investors’ advantage because they can buy more foreign shares, says Pat O’Hare, chief market analyst at research firm Briefing.com. The trade-off occurs when investors sell those assets and it’s more expensive to convert foreign-currency-denominated shares back into U.S. dollars. One way to eliminate currency risk is to use currency-hedged ETFs, O’Hare points out.

Costs. International equity funds are more expensive than domestic funds. According to data from the Investment Company Institute in 2021, the asset-weighted average annual equity ETF expense ratio was 0.16%, a figure that includes all types of ETFs, whereas the asset-weighted average annual equity ETF expense ratio for international ETFs was 0.24%. For mutual funds, the average expense ratio for equity mutual funds was 0.47% versus 0.60% for world funds.

Political events. Changes in political parties, government policies, and other events can affect international holdings. For example, when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union—an event known as Brexit—it pressured U.K. stock markets. Emerging markets can also offer robust growth opportunities, but tend to be subject to more geopolitical risk.

Liquidity. Some international markets, particularly in small countries, can be less liquid. There aren’t as many active trading participants, so when something happens—a market-moving news event or a large trade entering or exiting the market—prices can swing around a lot.

Another way to invest internationally is to consider shares of “hometown” companies that might already make some of your favorite products. We’re talking Big Macs and iPhones.

Many large-cap U.S. companies derive much of their revenue outside of the U.S. That means you can think of these shares as another way to get international exposure without dealing with some of the unique circumstances of holding non-U.S. investments, O’Hare says.

For example, semiconductor chip maker Nvidia (NVDA) derives more than 80% of its revenue outside the U.S. More than three-quarters of vaccine manufacturer Moderna’s (MRNA) revenue is non-U.S.; Apple’s (AAPL) foreign revenue is about 67%; and McDonald’s (MCD) international operations bring in 50% of its revenue.

International investing is a good way to diversify a portfolio to take advantage of economic growth outside the U.S. Because markets don’t often move in lockstep, it’s also a way to smooth out total returns. But owning international stocks has its own risks and costs, so you should review potential holdings to see how they match up with your goals and risk tolerance.