United Kingdom stocks have strengthened on a weakened pound sterling as major exporters enjoy a more competitive currency. While the volatility in the pound may deter some, investors can look to currency-hedged exchange traded fund strategies to take a purer play on the underlying British markets.
There are still questions over how leaders can amicable separate the U.K. from the European Union without a large fallout. Talks are expected to continue after the U.K.’s snap June elections.
“However, last week, following the snap election news out of the UK, the FTSE bus once again returned to the spot of its breakout, giving investors one more chance to hop aboard. However, they needed to hop on quickly as the FTSE has already sped out of the station as if driven by one of those belligerently impatient bus drivers. Specifically, the FTSE popped higher yesterday, gaining more than 2%,” reports ETF Daily News.
Financial services stocks account for 21% of EWU’s weight while consumer staples and energy names combine for over 31% of the ETF’s roster.
For more information on the GBP, visit our British pound category.