Do Foreign Stocks Substitute for International Diversification?
Do Foreign Stocks Substitute for International Diversification?

Author: Vicente J. Bermejo

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Using a novel sample of foreign securities available for trade in 42 countries during the last four decades (1979-2018), we characterize the rise in importance of foreign stocks for investors in their host countries and its implications for diversification benefits across industries and countries. We document a substantial increase in the number and the market value of stocks available for trade in markets outside of their home country (i.e., foreign stocks). The availability of foreign stocks in host countries allows domestic investors to increase their international diversification from home by investing in these stocks. We find that this rise in the number of foreign securities has led to the increase in the importance of industry effects relative to country effects on stock returns. Thus, we conclude that including foreign stocks in portfolio investments offers an effective substitute for international diversification, and significantly contributes towards increasing the integration of global markets.

Is the International Diversification Potential Diminishing? Foreign Equity Inside and Outside the Us
Is the International Diversification Potential Diminishing? Foreign Equity Inside and Outside the Us

Author: Karen K. Lewis

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 74

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Over the past two decades international markets have become more open, leading to a common perception that global capital markets have become more integrated. In this paper, I ask what this integration and its resulting higher correlation would imply about the diversification potential across countries. For this purpose, I examine two basic groups of international returns: (1) foreign market indices and (2) foreign stocks that are listed and traded in the US. I examine the first group since this is the standard approach in the international diversification literature, while I study the second group since some have argued that US-listed foreign stocks are the more natural diversification vehicle (Errunza et al (1999)). In order to consider the possibility of shifts in the covariance of returns over time, I extend the break-date estimation approach of Bai and Perron (1998) to test for and estimate possible break dates across returns along with their confidence intervals. I find that the covariances among country stock markets have indeed shifted over time for a majority of the countries. But in contrast to the common perception that markets have become significantly more integrated over time, the covariance between foreign markets and the US market have increased only slightly from the beginning to the end of the last twenty years. At the same time, the foreign stocks in the US markets have become significantly more correlated with the US market. To consider the economic significance of these parameter changes, I use the estimates to examine the implications for a simple portfolio decision model in which a US investor could choose between US and foreign portfolios. When restricted to holding foreign assets in the form of market indices, I find that the optimal allocation in foreign market indices actually increases over time. However, the optimal allocation into foreign stocks decreases when the investor is allowed to hold foreign stocks that are traded in the US. Also, the minimum variance attainable by the foreign portfolios has increased over time. These results suggest that the benefits to diversification have declined both for stocks inside and outside the US.

The International Diversification Puzzle is Not as Bad as You Think
The International Diversification Puzzle is Not as Bad as You Think

Author: Jonathan Heathcote

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Abstract : In simple one-good international macro models, the presence of non-diversifiable labor income risk means that country portfoliosshould be heavily biased toward foreign assets. The fact that the opposite pattern of diversification is observed empirically constitutes the international diversification puzzle. We embed a portfolio choice decision in a frictionless two-country, two-good version of the stochastic growth model. In this environment, which is a workhorse for international business cycle research, we derive a closed-form expression for equilibrium country portfolios. These are biased towards domestic assets, as in the data. Home bias arises because endogenous international relative price fluctuations make domestic stocks a good hedge against non-diversifiable labor income risk. We then use our our theory to link openness to trade to the level of diversification, and find that it offers a quantitatively compelling account for the patterns of international diversification observed across developed economies in recent years.

Is the International Diversification Potential Diminishing?
Is the International Diversification Potential Diminishing?

Author: Karen K. Lewis

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Over the past two decades international markets have become more open, leading to a common perception that global capital markets have become more integrated. In this paper, I ask what this integration and its resulting higher correlation would imply about the diversification potential across countries. For this purpose, I examine two basic groups of international returns: (1) foreign market indices and (2) foreign stocks that are listed and traded in the US. I examine the first group since this is the standard approach in the international diversification literature, while I study the second group since some have argued that US-listed foreign stocks are the more natural diversification vehicle (Errunza et al (1999)). In order to consider the possibility of shifts in the covariance of returns over time, I extend the break-date estimation approach of Bai and Perron (1998) to test for and estimate possible break dates across returns along with their confidence intervals. I find that the covariances among country stock markets have indeed shifted over time for a majority of the countries. But in contrast to the common perception that markets have become significantly more integrated over time, the covariance between foreign markets and the US market have increased only slightly from the beginning to the end of the last twenty years. At the same time, the foreign stocks in the US markets have become significantly more correlated with the US market. To consider the economic significance of these parameter changes, I use the estimates to examine the implications for a simple portfolio decision model in which a US investor could choose between US and foreign portfolios. When restricted to holding foreign assets in the form of market indices, I find that the optimal allocation in foreign market indices actually increases over time. However, the optimal allocation into foreign stocks decreases when the investor is allowed to hold foreign stocks that are traded in the US. Also, the minimum variance atta

International Diversification at Home and Abroad
International Diversification at Home and Abroad

Author: Fang Cai

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

It is an established fact that investors favor the familiar%u2014be it domestic securities or, within a country, the securities of nearby firms%u2014and avoid investments that would provide the greatest diversification benefits. While we do not rule out familiarity as an important driver of portfolio allocations, we provide new evidence of investors%u2019 international diversification motive. In particular, our analysis of the security-level U.S. equity holdings of foreign and domestic institutional investors indicates that institutional investors reveal a preference for domestic multinationals (MNCs), even after controlling for familiarity factors. We attribute this revealed preference to the desire to obtain %u201Csafe%u201D international diversification. We then show that holdings of domestic MNCs are substantial and, after accounting for this home-grown foreign exposure, that the share of %u201Cforeign%u201D equities in investors%u2019 portfolios roughly doubles, reducing (but not eliminating) the observed home bias.

Should Us Investors Hold Foreign Stocks?
Should Us Investors Hold Foreign Stocks?

Author: Kai Li

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 6

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This paper examines the international diversification benefits when short-selling is not allowed. We show that the benefits remain substantial for US equity investors when they are prohibited from short-selling in emerging markets. This result is also true for emerging market stocks that are 'investable' for US investors. In contrast, the benefits of investing in developed countries, that are small to begin with, disappear if short-selling is not allowed. The integration of world equity markets reduces, but does not eliminate, the diversification benefits of investing in emerging markets subject to short-sale constraints.