Most people picture one market when they hear "investing abroad": the US. The real picture is wider than that.
The US and North American market
The US is the largest stock market in the world, and the most popular destination for Indians investing abroad. It is where most people begin.
- The NYSE: the older and more diversified of the two big US exchanges, listing industrials, banks, and established consumer brands, companies like Coca-Cola and JPMorgan among them.
- The Nasdaq: younger and more technology-heavy, the exchange most large software and internet companies list on, names like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia trade here.
- Canada's TSX: sits just north of the US, built largely around resources and banking, companies like Barrick Gold and Royal Bank of Canada among them.
Together, these exchanges cover most of what people mean by investing in North America.
The European market
Europe is not a single market but a set of exchanges spread across several countries, all open to an Indian investor. The UK left the EU in 2020, but its exchange remains one of the most important in Europe, which is why it gets treated separately from the EU markets that follow. The two sides also still recognise each other's fund regulations, which is why UCITS funds, the common European fund structure covered later in this module, are listed in London just as they are across the EU.
- London (UK): the London Stock Exchange is one of the world's oldest, listing companies across banking, energy, and consumer goods, names like HSBC and Unilever among them.
- Zurich (Switzerland): built around the country's pharmaceutical strength, home to global drugmakers like Novartis and Roche.
- Frankfurt (Germany): anchors the country's industrial and engineering economy, listing companies like Siemens.
- Paris and Amsterdam (France and the Netherlands): carry luxury goods, automakers, and some of Europe's largest banks, the kind of companies behind names like LVMH.
The Asian market
Asia is home to some of the largest economies and most important companies in the world. Many of the companies behind the chips, EVs, and electronics shaping the next two decades are based in Asia. And almost all of it is accessible to an Indian investor.
- Seoul (South Korea): anchored by the chipmakers behind a large share of the world's electronics, companies like Samsung and SK Hynix.
- Hong Kong (China): the main route to Chinese companies for most investors outside China, since many large Chinese businesses list here rather than on mainland exchanges, companies like Tencent and BYD among them, alongside major regional banks and conglomerates.
- Singapore: a financial and trade hub for the region, home to companies like DBS Bank and Singapore Airlines.
- Tokyo (Japan): the most established of these, listing some of the world's most recognisable manufacturing and consumer names, companies like Toyota and Sony.
All of this is genuinely open to an Indian investor. And yet, when most Indian investors talk about investing abroad, they usually mean one country: the US. That gap, between what is actually available and what people end up choosing, can be understood in Module 0 - Chapter 2.
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