What do people mean when they say "index funds"? There are so many... which ones are you taking into account?
Before you point to S&P 500: I'm from/in Europe, please account for that in your reasoning :)
Before you point to S&P 500: I'm from/in Europe, please account for that in your reasoning :)
The US stock market outperforms any European or Canadian stock market in the past 10 years, and there's no reason that won't continue. This is because the US is where tech stocks are listed.
So, invest in the US even if you live outside the US. YMMV.
Not only is historical performance no guarantee of future performance, 10 years is a pretty short time span to look back - it doesn't even take you back to the '08 recession. The US did well in the 1990s and 2010s, but both ex-US developed markets and emerging markets did better in the 2000s: https://www.ishares.com/us/strategies/international-etfs
It's good to diversify internationally, and that probably does mean holding some US equities ETF even if you're in Europe. As for what else to buy, this may be a good starting point: https://www.lynalden.com/best-etfs/
Here is a link to ETFs available in Europe that have a worldwide focus. If you have no clue or preference, go for the top one. It's large, cheap and doesn't try to do anything fancy.
Keep in mind that even world wide indexes have a large portion in the US, since the US market is so large. On the flip side, there are many companies in the US that are internationally diversified themselves. Coca Cola sells its sugar all over the world, not just in the US.
Just ETF is focused on showing only ETFs that are available in Europe (not all ETFs abide by EU regulation).
[0] https://www.ishares.com/uk/individual/en/products/251882/ish... (search for "Exposure Breakdowns", then choose "Geography")