Yum Brands. Diageo. Nestle. Wal-Mart. Coca-Cola. If you ever develop the urge to invest in Africa, look to buy stock in those five companies which are currently investing throughout the continent to mixed results, although Nestle is once again proving that it has the business model to make money anywhere.
I was reading through the T. Rowe Price Africa & Middle East Fund (ticker symbol TRAMX), and I was reminded of the statistic that there has never been an African-focused fund open to American retail investors that has beaten the S&P 500 because it is extraordinarily difficult to successfully predict African firms that would serve as suitable long-term investments.
Since its inception in 2007, the T Rowe Price Africa & Middle East Fund has returned only 3.16% per year. And to make matters worse, you got charged a 1.47% expense ratio while you achieved those returns.
What does that mean … Read the rest of this article!