It may be time to dive deeper into the emerging markets trade.
Despite risks tied to the war with Iran, Global X ETFs’ Malcolm Dorson points to weaker dollar trends and uncertainty at home as a tailwind for the group.
“It might be time to double down,” the firm’s senior portfolio manager told CNBC’s “ETF Edge.”
He expects a burst of U.S. war spending will soften the greenback, which jumped this week, and create a favorable backdrop for emerging markets.
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When asked about whether the dollar’s near-term strength could stick, Dorson responded, “for sure.”
However, it’s not his base case.
“A lot of people are trying to say this is going to be over in a week or two. We’re not sure,” he said. “However, I do think there are a lot of reasons to take advantage, to buy the dip here [in emerging markets.]”
As of Wednesday’s market close, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) is off more than 5% week to date. It’s still up almost 37% over the past year.
VettaFi’s Cinthia Murphy also sees advantages by putting money to work abroad and finds investors have grown accustomed to geopolitical noise.
“There is no question that international has been the flavor of the year,” the firm’s director of research said.
Murphy indicates energy is the area to watch if the Iran conflict becomes prolonged.
“European markets are super dependent on energy and oil coming out of the Middle East,” she said. “So, I think it could really shake things up a lot.”
Murphy listed the United States Oil Fund (USO) as a potential way to play energy. It’s up 12% so far this week and up 32% this year, as of Wednesday’s close.
