U.S. consumers just aren’t consuming as much as they used to. While unemployment remains high, you can’t count on spenders here to lift the economy out of its slump anytime soon. That’s why it might be time to consider some consumer-related exchange traded funds (ETFs) with a more global focus.
Domestic companies and even President Obama are counting on foreign consumers, comments Justin Lahart for The Wall Street Journal. As most developed countries are expanding at a crawl, companies are looking to the emerging markets, which are showing some promising growth. JPMorgan calculates that consumer spending will grow by 2.6% this year. Meanwhile, exports are experiencing the fastest increase and biggest impact on economic growth in 30 years. [European ETFs Surge as Economy Shows Life.]
The growing middle classes in developing countries are contributing to increased demand for goods such as mobile phones, beer and high-end electronics, according to The Independent. The emerging market middle class has a combined population of two billion and spends $6.9 trillion per year, and this figure is projected to increase to $20 trillion over the next decade.
China, long know for its penchant for saving, is actually a growing market for luxury goods, reports Michael Dunne for The Detroit News. Luxury car manufacturers are experiencing higher growth in China’s markets as a result of greater demand for luxury name brands. By 2015, it is projected that demand for luxury vehicles in China will surge to 800,000 cars annually. [Luxury ETF Takes a Hit As Rich Scale Back.]
For more information on consumer trends, visit our consumer discretionary category. A search of our ETF Analyzer found a number of retail-focused ETFs, including these international ones. You can dig down further by using the ETF Resume:
- Global X China Consumer ETF (NYSEArca: CHIQ)
- Global X Brazil Consumer ETF (NYSEArca: BRAQ)
- SPDR S&P International Consumer Discretionary Sector (NYSEArca: IPD)
- iShares S&P Global Consumer Staples (NYSEArca: KXI)
- iShares S&P Global Consumer Discretionary (NYSEArca: RXI)
Max Chen contributed to this article.
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.