Should you bet on US stocks?

You don’t have to be bearish on US stocks to worry that they are now such a large share of global indices

Statue of Liberty on the background of US stocks charts
(Image credit: Getty Images)

American stocks have become a headache for many investors. Over the past 15 years, they have raced ahead of other major markets, to the point where they now account for more than 70% of the MSCI World index.

MSCI USA versus MSCI World ex USA

(Image credit: MSCI)

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Cris Sholto Heaton

Cris Sholto Heaton is an investment analyst and writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2006 and was managing editor of the magazine between 2016 and 2018. He is especially interested in international investing, believing many investors still focus too much on their home markets and that it pays to take advantage of all the opportunities the world offers. He often writes about Asian equities, international income and global asset allocation.

Cris began his career in financial services consultancy at PwC and Lane Clark & Peacock, before an abrupt change of direction into oil, gas and energy at Petroleum Economist and Platts and subsequently into investment research and writing. In addition to his articles for MoneyWeek, he also works with a number of asset managers, consultancies and financial information providers.

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and the Investment Management Certificate, as well as degrees in finance and mathematics. He has also studied acting, film-making and photography, and strongly suspects that an awareness of what makes a compelling story is just as important for understanding markets as any amount of qualifications.