The 3 biggest risks faced by international investors (2024)

Investors who want to increase the diversification and total return of their portfolios are often advised to get into international assets. Many hesitate to take that advice.

There are, in fact, three big risks that investors add when they enter international investing. Knowing what they are and how you can mitigate those risks may help you decide if going global is worth the risk and potential rewards.

1. Higher Transaction Costs

The biggest barrierto investing in international markets is the added transaction cost. Yes, we live in a relatively globalized and connected world, but transaction costs still vary greatly depending on which foreign market you are investing in. Brokerage commissions in international markets are almost always higher than U.S. rates.

Key Takeaways

  • Expenses on foreign transactions tend to be substantially higher.
  • Currency volatility is an additional layer of risk in making foreign transactions.
  • Liquidity can be a problem, especially when investing in emerging economies.

On top of the higher brokerage commissions, there can be additional charges specific to the local market. These can include stamp duties, levies, taxes, clearing fees, and exchange fees.

As an example, here is a general breakdown of what a single purchase of stock in Hong Kong by a U.S. investor could look like on a per-trade basis:

Fee TypeFee
Brokerage CommissionHK$299
Stamp Duty0.1%
Trading Fees0.005%
Transaction Levy0.003%
TOTALHK$299 + 0.108%

That's about $38.60 U.S. in fees per trade, based on the exchange rate on Aug. 1, 2020.

In addition, if you are investing through a fund manager or professional manager, the fee structure will be higher than usual.

For the manager, the process of recommending international investments involves significant amounts of time and money spent on research and analysis. The may include hiring analysts and researchers who are familiar with the market, and other professionals with expertise in foreign financial statements, data collection, and other administrative services.

Investing in American Depository Receipts (ADRs) is an option for those who want to avoid the higher fees of foreign asset purchases.

For investors, these fees will show up in the management expense ratio.

Minimizing Expenses

One way to minimize transaction costs on international stocks is by investing in American depositary receipts (ADRs). Depositary receipts, like stocks, are negotiable financial instruments but they are issued by U.S. banks. They represent a foreign company's stock but trade as a U.S. stock, eliminating the foreign exchange fees.

ADRs are sold in U.S. dollars. And that makes their investors vulnerable to currency price fluctuations. That is, if you buy an ADR in a German company, and the U.S. dollar falls in value against the euro, the value of the ADR will drop correspondingly. Of course, it works both ways, but the risk is there.

2. Currency Volatility

When investing directly in a foreign market (and not through ADRs), you first have to exchange your U.S. dollars into a foreign currency at the current exchange rate.

Say you hold the foreign stock for a year and then sell it. That means you will have to convert the foreign currency back into USD. That could help or hurt your return, depending on which way the dollar is moving.

It is this uncertainty that scares off many investors.

A financial professional would tell you that the solution to mitigating currency risk is to simply hedge your currency exposure. The available tools include currency futures, options, and forwards. These are not strategies most individual investors would be comfortable using.

A more user-friendly version of those tools is the currency exchange-traded fund (ETF). Like any ETF, these have good liquidity and accessibility and are relatively straightforward.

3. Liquidity Risks

Another risk inherent in foreign markets, especially in emerging markets, is liquidity risk. This is the risk of not being able to sell an investment quickly at any time without risking substantial losses due to a political or economic crisis.

There is no easy way for the average investor to protect against liquidity risk in foreign markets. Investors must pay particular attention to foreign investments that are or may become illiquid by the time they want to sell.

There are some common ways to evaluate the liquidity of an asset. One method is to observe the bid-ask spread of the asset over time. An illiquid asset will have a wider bid-ask spread relative to other assets. Narrower spreads and high volume typically point to higher liquidity.

Article Sources

Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy.

  1. Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (HKEX). "Transaction."

  2. U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. "American Depositary Receipts."

Compare Accounts

×

The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where listings appear. Investopedia does not include all offers available in the marketplace.

Provider

Name

Description

The 3 biggest risks faced by international investors (2024)

FAQs

The 3 biggest risks faced by international investors? ›

The risks that tend to make investors hesitant (automatic download) toward international investments include higher transaction costs, currency volatility and liquidity risks. It goes without saying that the value of investments can (and will) be impacted by changes in the value of the currency itself.

What are 3 high risk investments? ›

While the product names and descriptions can often change, examples of high-risk investments include:
  • Cryptoassets (also known as cryptos)
  • Mini-bonds (sometimes called high interest return bonds)
  • Land banking.
  • Contracts for Difference (CFDs)

What are the risks of international investing? ›

The risks that tend to make investors hesitant (automatic download) toward international investments include higher transaction costs, currency volatility and liquidity risks. It goes without saying that the value of investments can (and will) be impacted by changes in the value of the currency itself.

Which risk concerns investors the most? ›

Business risk may be the best known and most feared investment risk. It's the risk that something will happen with the company, causing the investment to lose value.

What are the two major types of risk that an investor faces? ›

Types of Financial Risk. Every saving and investment action involves different risks and returns. In general, financial theory classifies investment risks affecting asset values into two categories: systematic risk and unsystematic risk. Broadly speaking, investors are exposed to both systematic and unsystematic risks.

What are the three 3 categories of investment? ›

There are three main types of investments:
  • Stocks.
  • Bonds.
  • Cash equivalent.

What is the riskiest type of investment quizlet? ›

Mutual funds are the riskiest type of investment.

What are three 3 major risks in international trade? ›

These risks can hinder international business development, but there are tools available to limit the effects of these risks on business.
  • Foreign exchange risk. ...
  • Credit risk. ...
  • Intellectual property risk. ...
  • Shipping risks. ...
  • Ethics risks.

What are the three major risks in international business? ›

What are the three major risks in international business? The three major risks companies engaged in the international business face are financial, political, and regulatory.

What are international risks? ›

Key Takeaways. The major international risks for businesses include foreign exchange and political risks. Foreign exchange risk is the risk of currency value fluctuations, usually related to an appreciation of the domestic currency relative to a foreign currency.

What are the 4 main risks of investing? ›

These four risks aren't the only ones that you'll encounter, but they are important considerations for building a sound investment plan.
  • Company risk. Company-specific risk is probably the most prevalent threat to investors who purchase individual stocks. ...
  • Volatility and market risk. ...
  • Opportunity cost. ...
  • Liquidity risk.
Aug 7, 2021

Which risk concerns investors the most and why? ›

Answer and Explanation: For long-term U.S. government bonds, the interest risk concerns investors the most. This is because when the bonds are long-term, the change in interest rate will directly impact the bond's price.

Which is the most obvious risk in investments? ›

Investment Risk

The biggest and most obvious risk is the risk of investors losing some or all of their investment. A key quality of hedge fund investment risk is the virtual Wild West landscape of the hedge fund industry (though strides have been made since the 2008 financial crisis).

What are the 3 types of risk? ›

Types of Risks

Widely, risks can be classified into three types: Business Risk, Non-Business Risk, and Financial Risk.

What are the three 3 types of investors and their corresponding risk? ›

Investors are usually classified into three main categories based on how much risk they can tolerate. They include aggressive, moderate, and conservative. Knowing the risk tolerance level helps investors plan their entire portfolio and will drive how they invest.

What are the 3 D's of investing? ›

Diversification. Dividends. Discipline. Christopher Quinley, CFP®, CIMA®, AAMS®, the co-founder of Liang & Quinley Wealth Management, says that one of his key tips for financial health is to invest using the three Ds: diversification, dividends, and discipline.

What are the 3 C's of investing? ›

Investors must know you, like you, and trust you before they will fund you. And they are looking for what I call the three Cs in a business founder: character, confidence, and coachability.

What are the three 3 key elements of an investment strategy? ›

There are three key factors that determine which investment strategy is right for you.
  • Risk tolerance.
  • Expected returns.
  • Effort required to implement the strategy.

Which fund types the highest risk is associated with? ›

Equity Mutual Funds as a category are considered 'High Risk' investment products.

Which type of investment is the riskiest according to the financial risk pyramid? ›

The pyramid, representing the investor's portfolio, has three distinct tiers: low-risk assets at the bottom such as cash and money markets; moderately risky assets like stocks and bonds in the middle; and high-risk speculative assets like derivatives at the top.

Which of the following investment styles usually has the lowest risk? ›

The investment type that typically carries the least risk is a savings account.

What are the 3 most common barriers to international trade? ›

Types of Barriers to International Trade. There are three main types of barriers to international trade that you should know: tariffs, quotas, and other non-tariff barriers.

What are the names of 3 barriers to international trade? ›

The major obstacles to international trade are natural barriers, tariff barriers, and nontariff barriers.

What are at least 2 risks of international business? ›

International business risk factors to consider
  • The usual suspects: market and economic forces.
  • Cultural differences.
  • Extreme weather events and natural disasters.
  • Legal challenges.
  • Political risk factors.
  • Purchasing power parities.

What are three 3 sources of risk affecting the business performance? ›

In this context, there are a number of sources of risk for any business to consider, including risks from the marketplace, employee-related risks, and financing risks.

What are the 3 basic strategies of international business? ›

Multinational corporations choose from among three basic international strategies: (1) multidomestic, (2) global, and (3) transnational. These strategies vary in their emphasis on achieving efficiency around the world and responding to local needs.

What are the top 5 risks in the world? ›

Climate action, cybersecurity, food security, energy transition and healthcare system – these are just five of the many global risks that the world currently faces.

What are broad risks of international business? ›

A firm always encounters a number of risks during the course of business, i.e. political instability, technical obsolescence, availability of skilled labour, extent of trade unionism, infrastructural bottlenecks and financial risks.

What are social risks in international business? ›

Social risk for a business includes actions that affect the communities around them. Examples include labor issues, human rights violations within the workforce, and corruption by company officials. Public health issues can also be a concern as they can impact absenteeism and worker morale.

What are the risks faced by investors in the financial market? ›

Counterparty risk, interest rate risk, and default risk are examples of risks in the financial world. Systemic risk refers to the risk that problems in one or a few companies will affect the entire sector or economy. Diversification mitigates non-systemic or unsystemic risk.

What are the five components of investment risk? ›

The five main risks that comprise the risk premium are business risk, financial risk, liquidity risk, exchange-rate risk, and country-specific risk. These five risk factors all have the potential to harm returns and, therefore, require that investors are adequately compensated for taking them on.

What is the biggest risk in the market? ›

The most common types of market risks include interest rate risk, equity risk, currency risk, and commodity risk. Interest rate risk covers the volatility that may accompany interest rate fluctuations due to fundamental factors, such as central bank announcements related to changes in monetary policy.

Why are risk factors important to investors? ›

By understanding the underlying risk factors within various asset classes, investors can ultimately choose which asset class allows them to most efficiently obtain exposure to that particular risk factor.

Why are most investors risk-averse? ›

Investors face business, volatility, inflation and liquidity risks, which result in risk aversion to avoid losing money. It's essential to understand risk-averse investing to help you determine how much risk you can assume in exchange for potentially higher returns.

What are the main types of risk in investment? ›

Common types of investment risk
  • Business risk. The risk associated with the unique circ*mstances of a particular company as they might affect the price of the company's securities. ...
  • Default risk. ...
  • Inflation risk. ...
  • Liquidity risk. ...
  • Opportunity risk. ...
  • Unsystematic risk.

What are the 3 primary risks that banks face? ›

There are four main risks that are central to being a bank: credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk and operational risk.

What are common mistakes people make when investing? ›

  • Buying high and selling low. ...
  • Trading too much and too often. ...
  • Paying too much in fees and commissions. ...
  • Focusing too much on taxes. ...
  • Expecting too much or using someone else's expectations. ...
  • Not having clear investment goals. ...
  • Failing to diversify enough. ...
  • Focusing on the wrong kind of performance.

What is foreign investment risk? ›

As such, foreign investment risk (sometimes known as global investment risk) is defined as the degree of loss likely to occur when investing in countries outside of the United States.

What are the 3 components of risk and explain each? ›

Given this clarification, a more complete definition is: "Risk consists of three parts: an uncertain situation, the likelihood of occurrence of the situation, and the effect (positive or negative) that the occurrence would have on project success."

What is level 3 investment risk? ›

Level 3 assets are financial assets and liabilities considered to be the most illiquid and hardest to value. They are not traded frequently, so it is difficult to give them a reliable and accurate market price.

What are the 3 major types of investment styles? ›

It will be the way you divide your contributions among the three basic investment categories: stocks, bonds and stable value money market funds.

What are the 4 types of risk? ›

The main four types of risk are:
  • strategic risk - eg a competitor coming on to the market.
  • compliance and regulatory risk - eg introduction of new rules or legislation.
  • financial risk - eg interest rate rise on your business loan or a non-paying customer.
  • operational risk - eg the breakdown or theft of key equipment.

What is the #1 safest investment? ›

What are the safest types of investments? U.S. Treasury securities, money market mutual funds and high-yield savings accounts are considered by most experts to be the safest types of investments available.

What investments to avoid? ›

13 Toxic Investments You Should Avoid
  • Subprime Mortgages. ...
  • Annuities. ...
  • Penny Stocks. ...
  • High-Yield Bonds. ...
  • Private Placements. ...
  • Traditional Savings Accounts at Major Banks. ...
  • The Investment Your Neighbor Just Doubled His Money On. ...
  • The Lottery.
Jun 1, 2023

What's the safest investment with the highest return? ›

High-quality bonds and fixed-indexed annuities are often considered the safest investments with the highest returns. However, there are many different types of bond funds and annuities, each with risks and rewards. For example, government bonds are generally more stable than corporate bonds based on past performance.

What are the riskiest assets to invest in? ›

Equities are generally considered the riskiest class of assets. Dividends aside, they offer no guarantees, and investors' money is subject to the successes and failures of private businesses in a fiercely competitive marketplace. Equity investing involves buying stock in a private company or group of companies.

What is the least risky way to invest money? ›

Here are the best low-risk investments in June 2023:
  • High-yield savings accounts.
  • Series I savings bonds.
  • Short-term certificates of deposit.
  • Money market funds.
  • Treasury bills, notes, bonds and TIPS.
  • Corporate bonds.
  • Dividend-paying stocks.
  • Preferred stocks.
Jun 1, 2023

What has the lowest investment risk? ›

Money market funds

Since money market funds only invest in very short-term and low-risk securities, they're considered one of the least risky investment vehicles. Most money market funds strive to maintain a net asset value, or NAV, of $1 per share so that investors can treat these funds as cash.

What makes most investors successful? ›

Investing can be complex, but some of the most important habits of successful investors are pretty simple. If you build a smart plan and stick with it, save enough, make reasonable investment choices, and be aware of taxes, you will have adopted some of the key traits that may lead to success.

What are four types of investments you should avoid? ›

8 Types of Investments You Might Want to Avoid
  • Penny stocks. ...
  • Companies whose business you don't understand. ...
  • Promises that seem too good to be true. ...
  • Buzzworthy stock making headlines. ...
  • Tips from family members or friends. ...
  • Company stock. ...
  • Cash. ...
  • Companies with changeable leadership.
Feb 16, 2023

What are the four investments which is considered the safest? ›

For example, certificates of deposit (CDs), money market accounts, municipal bonds and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) are among the safest types of investments.

What is the best thing to invest with? ›

12 best investments right now
  • High-yield savings accounts.
  • Certificates of deposit (CDs)
  • Money market funds.
  • Government bonds.
  • Corporate bonds.
  • Mutual funds.
  • Index funds.
  • Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
May 4, 2023

Should a 70 year old be in the stock market? ›

Seniors should consider investing their money for several reasons: Generate Income: Investing in income-generating assets, such as stocks, bonds, or real estate, can provide a steady income stream during retirement. This can be especially important for seniors who no longer receive a regular paycheck from work.

What is the safest investment for $1000000? ›

Some options for relatively safe investments include high-quality bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), and money market accounts. These investments are generally less risky than stocks, but also have lower potential returns.

Where is the safest place to put my money? ›

Savings accounts are a safe place to keep your money because all deposits made by consumers are guaranteed by the FDIC for bank accounts or the NCUA for credit union accounts. Certificates of deposit (CDs) issued by banks and credit unions also carry deposit insurance.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Last Updated:

Views: 5963

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Birthday: 1992-06-28

Address: Apt. 413 8275 Mueller Overpass, South Magnolia, IA 99527-6023

Phone: +6824704719725

Job: District Real-Estate Facilitator

Hobby: Letterboxing, Vacation, Poi, Homebrewing, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.