WisdomTree’s Director of Research Luciano Siracusano says that it’s the only real region where stocks have gone up uniformly in recent years.
The economies there are more than just oil, too. There’s increasing diversification in the economy, an improving legal framework, an effort made to diversify the economy and a younger urban population. The economies have also started to become integrated into global banking within the last three to five years.
Companies eligible for index inclusion must be incorporated in and have their shares listed on a major stock exchange in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates (including Abu Dhabi and Dubai). The fund comes with an expense ratio of 0.88% and is 36% weighted in banking, followed by telecommunications (25%).
This fund is just the latest in a series to launch that offer access to the Middle East, including: