Core Insights - The article highlights the expertise of James Foord, an economist with a decade of experience in analyzing global markets, and his leadership role in The Pragmatic Investor, which focuses on building diversified investment portfolios [1] Group 1: Company Overview - The Pragmatic Investor aims to preserve and increase wealth through robust portfolio construction [1] - The investment group covers various sectors including global macro, international equities, commodities, technology, and cryptocurrencies [1] Group 2: Services Offered - The Pragmatic Investor provides features such as a dedicated portfolio, weekly market updates, actionable trades, technical analysis, and a chat room for investor engagement [1]

James Foord is an economist by trade and has been analyzing global markets for the past decade. He leads the investing group The Pragmatic Investor where the focus is on building robust and truly diversified portfolios that will continually preserve and increase wealth. The Pragmatic Investor covers global macro, international equities, commodities, tech and cryptocurrencies and is designed to guide investors of all levels in their journey. Features include a The Pragmatic Investor Portfolio, weekly market ...

Group 1 - U.S. stock futures and international equities are mostly down, indicating a negative market sentiment among traders [1] - Traders are focusing on a mix of geopolitical, economic, and industry developments, which are influencing market movements [1]

Core Insights - The article highlights the expertise of James Foord, an economist with a decade of experience in analyzing global markets, and his leadership role in The Pragmatic Investor, which focuses on building diversified investment portfolios [1] Group 1: Company Overview - The Pragmatic Investor aims to preserve and increase wealth through robust portfolio construction [1] - The investment group covers a wide range of sectors including global macro, international equities, commodities, technology, and cryptocurrencies [1] Group 2: Services Offered - The Pragmatic Investor provides features such as a dedicated portfolio, weekly market update newsletters, actionable trades, technical analysis, and a chat room for investor engagement [1]

Market Performance & Outlook - Equity markets experienced a strong year, with the market up 16% [1] - The market has increased by 80% over the last three years [3] - S&P and Russell 2000 constantly hit new highs [2] - International and emerging market equities are up over 30% year-to-date [2] Portfolio Strategy & Recommendations - Rebalancing portfolios is recommended to address overexposure to benefiting indices [4] - Repositioning portfolios to reduce risk is suggested [4] - Overweighting small caps is favored [5] - International developed and emerging market equities are attractive [5] Small Cap & M&A Activity - The IPO calendar in 2025 doubled that of 2024, and is expected to be even stronger in 2026 [5] - M&A activity has increased, with small cap stocks often being targets [5] International Market Considerations - A significant portion of the 30+% return in international and emerging markets is due to the weakening US dollar [6] - In Europe, the return in US dollar terms is over 30%, while in local currency, it's about half of that [6]

Core Insights - The international ETF space has shown strong performance in 2025, with a focus on the Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF (AVDV) as a notable investment option [1][2] - AVDV has achieved a year-to-date return of 47%, significantly outperforming its ETF Database Category average of 33.1% [1][2] - The fund's strategy combines active fundamental research with passive investment benefits, emphasizing flexibility and low costs [1][3] Performance Metrics - AVDV has consistently outperformed its category average over various time frames, including three- and five-year periods [2] - The fund's performance has been bolstered by its focus on small-cap value companies, which may thrive amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties [4] Investment Strategy - The management of AVDV employs fundamental criteria to identify highly profitable value firms, focusing on metrics such as shares outstanding, cash flow, revenue, expenses, and price-to-book value [3] - The appeal of international equities lies in their potential for diversification away from domestic U.S. uncertainties, making AVDV a compelling option for investors as the new year approaches [5]

Core Insights - The article highlights the expertise of James Foord, an economist with a decade of experience in analyzing global markets, and his leadership role in The Pragmatic Investor, which focuses on building diversified investment portfolios [1] Group 1: Company Overview - The Pragmatic Investor aims to preserve and increase wealth through robust portfolio construction [1] - The investment group covers various sectors including global macro, international equities, commodities, technology, and cryptocurrencies [1] Group 2: Services Offered - The Pragmatic Investor provides features such as a dedicated portfolio, weekly market updates, actionable trades, technical analysis, and a chat room for investor engagement [1]

Group 1 - The article discusses the expertise of James Foord, an economist with a decade of experience in analyzing global markets, and his leadership role in The Pragmatic Investor, which focuses on building diversified investment portfolios [1] - The Pragmatic Investor covers various sectors including global macro, international equities, commodities, technology, and cryptocurrencies, aiming to guide investors at all levels [1] - Features of The Pragmatic Investor include a dedicated portfolio, weekly market updates, actionable trades, technical analysis, and a chat room for investor interaction [1]

Core Insights - The article discusses the investment strategies and focus areas of The Pragmatic Investor, led by economist James Foord, emphasizing the importance of building diversified portfolios to preserve and increase wealth [1] Group 1: Company Overview - The Pragmatic Investor is an investing group that covers various sectors including global macro, international equities, commodities, technology, and cryptocurrencies [1] - The group aims to guide investors of all levels through features such as a dedicated portfolio, weekly market updates, actionable trades, technical analysis, and a chat room for discussions [1]

Core Insights - Investor interest in international equities is expected to persist following the Federal Reserve's second rate cut of the year, with recommendations for actively managed funds like MFS Active International ETF (MFSI) [1][2] - Additional rate cuts are anticipated, although the certainty of a December cut is not guaranteed, reflecting differing opinions among Federal Reserve members regarding future interest rate policies [2][3] Group 1: Federal Reserve and Interest Rates - The Federal Reserve is likely to implement more rate cuts in 2026, which may encourage investors to explore international opportunities [3] - Chairman Powell highlighted the presence of dissenting views within the Fed regarding the direction of interest rate policy, indicating uncertainty in future decisions [2][3] Group 2: Investment Strategy and Fund Characteristics - MFSI aims to create a well-diversified portfolio focused on equities that exhibit a growth-at-a-reasonable-price style, emphasizing quality and potential for strong growth [5] - MFSI's sector weightings as of October 31, 2025, show a focus on financials (23.5%), industrials (16.5%), and information technology (16.3%), providing U.S. investors with opportunities beyond domestic markets [6] Group 3: Currency Impact on International Investing - A weakening U.S. dollar, driven by further rate cuts, could enhance the investment profile for international equities, as local currency strength often correlates with the performance of international economies [7] - The divergence between the strength of international equities and the weakness of the U.S. dollar is expected to continue, positioning MFSI to capitalize on this trend [8]