At the beginning of the year it's a good idea to reassess the economic snapshot of the country that you are planning to invest in. What is the overall direction that you will be expecting the market to trend in? Will the country be experiencing growth or setback? What will be happening to inflation? Interest rates? Consumer confidence?
In 2011, Canada's Gross Domestic Product is estimated to be 2.0%. What does this mean? It means that the total value of goods produced and services provided by the country is expected to increase by 2.0% from the previous year. The fact that the number indicates that Canada is expecting that it's economy will grow in 2011.
To get a better understanding for what 2.0% means, it is helpful to benchmark the number against the numbers that other countries are forecasting. China and India are forecasted to grow at 8.5% and 8.7% respectively. The United States is currently projected at a growth rate of 2.2% for 2011.
http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?theSitePK=659149&pagePK=2470434&contentMDK=20370107&menuPK=659160&piPK=2470429
If GDP were the sole indicator used for choosing a stock, then it would suggest the most probable gains would be found in equities in the country's forecasted to experience the most growth. The easiest access investors have to gain exposure on the foreign exchanges can be found at http://www.tmxmoney.com/en/sector_profiles/exchange_traded_funds/funds/by_type.html
Search for an ETF that is bullish in emerging markets.
