It’s easy to find reasons to invest in companies that are based in the United States, as our financial markets contain some of the most innovative and financially secure businesses in the world. With that said, investors are doing themselves a major disservice if they are only focused on adding domestic stocks to their long-term portfolios. There are plenty of exciting opportunities to explore in emerging markets as well, and the concept of diversifying your holdings with international companies is definitely worth considering if you truly want to generate long-term alpha.
Sure, there are some added factors to consider when buying companies based outside of the United States, but almost every investment comes with some form of risk. In the end, owning quality companies regardless of where they are based will be a winning long-term investment strategy.
Here are 3 emerging market stocks to buy now:
1. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
As the world’s largest pure-play semiconductor foundry, there are plenty of reasons that support adding shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) to your portfolio. TSMC plays an essential role in creating chips for some of the biggest technology companies in the world including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), and more. The company’s high-quality technology is quite difficult for competitors to replicate, and since TSMC assumes all of the costs and capital expenditures of running these large factories it’s easy to envision more semiconductor companies operating under a fabless model that benefits this chip-manufacturing giant in the future.
We know there is a global chip shortage that will seemingly continue well into next year, which means TSMC will be very busy trying to keep up with all of the demand. The company is also reportedly raising its prices by as much as 20%, which should boost TSMC’s margins in a big way. In Q2, the company delivered a year-over-year revenue increase of 19.8% and diluted EPS up 11.2%, and with all of the factors working in this company’s favor, it wouldn’t be surprising to see even stronger numbers going forward. Finally, the stock has been consolidating for months and recently reclaimed all of the major moving averages, making it one to watch for the rest of the year.
2. Cemex SAB
If you have faith that construction activity is going to bounce back sharply over the next few months, Cemex (NYSE:CX) is an emerging market stock to consider adding. It’s a company that is primarily engaged in the production, distribution, marketing, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, clinker, and other construction materials. These types of materials are important for construction activity in every country in the world, and with Cemex owning plenty of cement and grinding plants, ready-mix plants, and aggregate quarries in the United States the company should see a nice uptick in business thanks to the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill.
Cemex reported consolidated net sales in Q2 of $3.9 billion, up 25% year-over-year, along with operating EBITDA of $818 million, an increase of 48% from last year. These results could be a sign of even better things to come for the company in 2021, particularly if the global economy continues to bounce back. Finally, the fact that Cemex is targeting a 35% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 makes this a great option for investors that want to support companies with a vision for a cleaner future. At a share price of under $10, it’s hard to argue against adding shares of this emerging market stock at this time.
3. XP
This Brazil-based financial services company offers things like brokerage, investment advisory, and asset management services and is committed to making financial markets more accessible to people in Latin America. XP (NASDAQ:XP) operates a financial product platform that provides clients with access to over 600 investment products, including equity and fixed income securities, mutual and hedge funds, life insurance, REITs, and more. The brokerage industry in Brazil has traditionally been dominated by the big banks, which is why it's interesting to see a company like XP come along and potentially change the investing landscape in its native country.
XP reported solid Q2 earnings results that should be attractive to potential investors, including revenue of $3.02 billion BRL, up 57% year-over-year, and net income of $930 million BRL, up 72% year-over-year. With the way financial markets have been rallying over the last year and trading volumes hitting record highs, it's easy to see the potential in XP Inc. Keep an eye on this emerging market stock if it can break 52-week highs in the coming trading sessions.