Reading the Financial Pages for Dummies®

Chapter 11. Going International

In This Chapter

• Getting the international mix right

• Making the most of national differences

• Finding the information you need

• Using currency differentials

We've got a global economy in which every country's fortunes are linked in some way or other with all the others. And a global electronic investment structure which allows you to put your money into almost any company of your choice, no matter where it might be. Not to mention a tax regime in Britain which is being steadily loosened up so as to let you get the full benefit of tax-efficient investment in a growing number of countries. So what could be more natural than to feel like spreading your wings and investing a little of your cash in some of these less familiar places? Even a beginner can do it.

But first, let's put your mind at rest on one important point. You don't need to have any special language skills to buy foreign investments these days. The chances are that every company you're likely to be interested in has an English-language section on its website – and if you buy its shares through the London Stock Exchange (which is often possible), you get the same transparency and investor protection as for any UK share.

If you still don't feel up to the task of going international alone, hundreds of managed funds enable you to take a stake in another country without getting up to your neck in complications. And these days, London-listed Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) make international investing twice ...