When investors think Asia they often automatically turn to China. Economists understand that but also believe there are other areas in the region equally as good for different reasons. All too often these are overlooked. In this brief article, we give a snippet review of 3 of them.
According to Matthews Asia Innovators Fund Portfolio Manager Michael Oh, South Korea features a “rising middle class” but is nonetheless “often overlooked [by investors] for China and India, so the valuations tend to look very attractive.” A couple of companies Oh believes are hitting the big time include: Samsung Electronics and Hugel.
For those focused solely on trading digital currencies, it seems like Japan has what to offer. With its announcement that it will be treating bitcoin as legal tender, it’s likely that this will be attractive to more investors. Given that it is the most accepted form of tender with merchants (comprising approximately 44% of the aggregate cryptocurrency market cap), it makes for an attractive argument to conduct business with countries utilizing it.
When it comes to purchasing discounted assets, Reid Kirchenbauer believes Malaysia is the place to shop. He points out that even though the region’s economy is strong, the currency in Malaysia is “near its lowest level in decades. Therefore, exchanging foreign currency into Malaysian and thereafter purchasing local assets “is a better deal than ever before.” In addition, for those looking to invest in Asian real estate, Malaysia is the place to go since well-located properties are cheap – in Kuala Lumpur’s city center the price for a condo is less than $3,000 per square meter.