Weekly "Focus" and Like a Swiss Clock
Bradley Goldhar - Sep 13, 2024
For the third year in a row, Switzerland tops the rankings as the “best country in the world” according to U.S. News & World Report. The publication ranks countries based on how they score in 10 different categories, from Quality of Life to Cultural Influence: from Open for Business to Adventure. Canada comes in at number 4, down 2 spots from last year as both Japan and the US leapfrogged it. If you are interested, here is the link to the article:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/us-news-unveils-best-countries-rankings
When it comes to stock market performance of the top 10 countries, iShares has a series of country specific ETFs listed in the US. The top 10 countries have all posted positive returns so far in 2024 with the US market in the lead followed by Denmark and the United Kingdom (Canada 4th).
|
| Symbol | Total Return in 2024 | Dividend Yield |
| EWL | +8.0% | 2.0% |
| EWJ | +10.3% | 2.0% |
| IVV | +18.4% | 1.3% |
| EWC | +11.2% | 2.1% |
| EWA | +9.1% | 3.7% |
| EWD | +5.2% | 3.9% |
| EWG | +10.9% | 2.4% |
| EWU | +13.5% | 3.9% |
| ENZL | +4.3% | 1.4% |
| EDEN | +17.4% | 1.2% |
Source: FactSet, US$ Values as of September 12, 2024
This week’s "Focus" from our economics team is attached.
Have a great weekend,
Brad
Senior Portfolio Manager and Senior Investment Advisor