Middle East

Middle East mutual funds and ETFs invest in a wide range of... Middle East mutual funds and ETFs invest in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities, and alternatives, in the Middle East and North Africa. This includes exposure to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Oman. Many of these countries—such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar—are large exporters of oil or natural gas. Several of these funds and ETFs can be actively managed as they require special knowledge of foreign markets and active management may increase the chances of generating a higher return compared to an index fund or passive ETF. The fixed-income portion of these funds may invest in debt securities varying by type (government or corporate), credit quality (investment-grade or junk), duration (short or long), and strategy (inflation-protected or sector-diversified). The equity portion of these funds may invest in common equities, and these can vary by market capitalization (small or large), dividend income (total income or high income), and strategy (sector-based or factor-based), among others. The alternatives portion of these funds may invest in strategies including real estate, currency trading, commodities, derivatives or other techniques relying on volatility, hedge fund, or quantitative strategies. Middle East mutual funds and ETFs offer emerging market or frontier market exposure to investors. Conservative-minded individuals will tend to shy away from these funds, however, as they are riskier than developed market mutual funds and ETFs. Investments in the Middle East, for instance, tend to come with heightened geopolitical risk. Last Updated: 06/02/2023 View more View less

Middle East mutual funds and ETFs invest in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities, and alternatives, in the Middle East and North Africa. This includes exposure to Saudi... Middle East mutual funds and ETFs invest in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities, and alternatives, in the Middle East and North Africa. This includes exposure to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Oman. Many of these countries—such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar—are large exporters of oil or natural gas. Several of these funds and ETFs can be actively managed as they require special knowledge of foreign markets and active management may increase the chances of generating a higher return compared to an index fund or passive ETF. The fixed-income portion of these funds may invest in debt securities varying by type (government or corporate), credit quality (investment-grade or junk), duration (short or long), and strategy (inflation-protected or sector-diversified). The equity portion of these funds may invest in common equities, and these can vary by market capitalization (small or large), dividend income (total income or high income), and strategy (sector-based or factor-based), among others. The alternatives portion of these funds may invest in strategies including real estate, currency trading, commodities, derivatives or other techniques relying on volatility, hedge fund, or quantitative strategies. Middle East mutual funds and ETFs offer emerging market or frontier market exposure to investors. Conservative-minded individuals will tend to shy away from these funds, however, as they are riskier than developed market mutual funds and ETFs. Investments in the Middle East, for instance, tend to come with heightened geopolitical risk. Last Updated: 06/02/2023 View more View less