The Healthiest Emerging Markets in 2015

With economic growth slowing in China, India is emerging as the fastest-growing member of the BRICs (Brazil-Russia-India-China). The International Money Fund predicts global growth will reach 3.5 percent this year; however, besides India, BRIC economies are taking their financial turmoil from 2014 and bringing it into 2015.

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Google Plans To Sell More Android Phones In Emerging Markets

Google is testing a way to make its super-cheap Android One smartphones more useful and accessible to people in emerging markets.  The company wants to partner with developers to make apps cheaper or free to use, a practice called "zero-rating," The Information's Amir Efrati reports, based on discussion with people with knowledge of Google's plan.
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The 2015 Bargain: Emerging Market Stocks

Emerging markets are notorious for being a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. So far this year, the signs are pointing to an upswing.  They could very well beat the U.S. this year. Falling oil prices and the strong U.S. dollar were problems for emerging markets in the past. They're overall positives now, experts say.Despite a recent surge, emerging markets still offer a good bang for your buck. The S&P 500 is trading at about 17 times expected earnings. Compare that to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which is only trading at 13 times earnings. A popular fund, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, is up 6% in the past month alone.

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Time to Buy Energy and Emerging Markets

Both energy and emerging markets stocks have fallen in the past six months, a period which saw modest gains for the broader U.S. stock market.  But a reading of the financial press in recent days tells us what some of the smart-money crowd is thinking about these sectors.  I’ll start with energy, a sector hit hard by falling oil prices. The New York Times reports that Blackstone, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, has finished raising $4.5 billion for a new fund “ dedicated to investments in the energy sector, as the private equity giant seeks to profit on the rout in oil prices, a person with knowledge of the matter said.”

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Facebook Taps Emerging Markets With Stripped Down App

Facebook has quietly launched a stripped-down version of its mobile app, aimed at emerging market users with low-end mobile devices.  The social media giant confirmed to CNBC on Monday that "Facebook Lite" was an official app. It is available in eight countries: Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nigeria, Nepal, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

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How Much Should You Invest In Emerging Markets?

What’s the right amount to invest in emerging markets? Increasingly, investors have taken larger bets that returns from giant Brazilian miners or Indonesian factories will beat more sedentary gains expected from companies at home.  One investment outfit believes this trend has gone too far. Rplan berated investors this week for putting more than 20pc of their portfolio in exotic funds. It undertook research that found 26pc of its investors who make their own decisions had put more than a fifth of their money in emerging markets.

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A Bargain Hunter in Emerging Markets

Emerging markets have been a tough place lately for equity-fund managers to generate positive returns. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index was down 2.2% last year, as investors favored U.S. stocks.  The $3.2 billion Thornburg Developing World fund lost 3.04% in 2014, trailing Morningstar’s Diversified Emerging Markets category by three basis points (0.03%). But manager Lewis Kaufman, 39, who has run the fund since it launched in late 2009, has done well over longer periods. The fund’s five-year annual return of 7.7% is at the top of its peer group.

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India: Fairest Emerging Market of Them All?

The Indian economy is set to kick off the year as the favorite among emerging markets thanks to a series of positive economic developments coupled with the accelerating pace of Prime Minister Modi's reforms.  "We expect India's stock market to generally outperform emerging and developing peers in 2015," said Howie Lee, investment analyst at Phillip Futures, in a report last week. The Sensex stock index was Asia's second-best performing market in 2014, rising around 30 percent.

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Emerging Market Stocks Rise as Energy Producers, Banks Lead Gain

Emerging-market stocks headed for the biggest four-day gain in 15 months, led by energy and financial companies, as investors bet oil prices are stabilizing and China will step up measures to support economic growth. Russia’s ruble rose for a second day.  VTB Bank jumped to the highest price since July 2012 in Moscow after saying it’s financing a $283 million copper-mill project in Armenia. Shares in Dubai and Nigeria rose for a third day. Cnooc Ltd. and PetroChina Co. climbed more than 4 percent, while Bank of China Ltd. led mainland shares traded in Hong Kong to the largest gain in two weeks. The ruble gained 6.9 percent versus the dollar.

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Emerging Markets Poised to Outperform in 2015

In 2015, we believe ongoing economic reform in many emerging markets could positively influence economic growth trends and corporate profitability. Stock valuations at a discount to those of developed markets do not accurately reflect the potential of emerging markets.  High economic growth rates will remain a key attraction of many emerging markets. Even with major economies like Brazil and Russia slowing down, overall growth in emerging markets during 2015 is expected to be comfortably in excess of that achieved by developed markets, with China and India likely to drive the Asian region to particularly strong growth.

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