International Funds - Are They Worth Exploring?

Recently, interest in international funds was rejuvenated when US company Nvidia Corp created windfall gains for its investors. Against this backdrop, the article investigates whether investing in international funds is truly one of the ways to create wealth. It also examines the risks associated with this path of investing

On May 30, Nvidia Corp, a company listed in the US, achieved a significant milestone by joining the prestigious group of US firms with a market capitalisation of USD 1 trillion. This achievement can be attributed to the tremendous growth in Nvidia Corp’s share price, which has tripled in less than eight months. The surge in interest in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in generative AI, has played a major role in driving the company’s success. While many Indian investors may have missed out on this appreciation, a few investors who had invested in the Mirae Asset FANG+ETF might have reaped the benefits.

This ETF has delivered an impressive return of 60 per cent year-to-date, with Nvidia Corp now constituting 12.26 per cent of its assets as at the end of May. This is just one example of the overall outperformance of international funds, which are consistently surpassing other equity categories in terms of returns.

The year-to-date performance of various mutual fund categories indicates that international funds have exhibited superior performance. International funds have delivered a remarkable return of 13.23 per cent during this period, outperforming other categories. The superior performance within the international funds category can primarily be attributed to specific funds that are dedicated to NASDAQ 100. While not all international funds have performed equally well, it is noteworthy that leading funds that predominantly focus on investments in US’ technology companies have performed well.