Emerging and frontier markets closed 2025 on a strong note, marking an excellent year. Performance was supported by AI momentum, easing financial conditions and growing investor interest beyond US equities.
Highlights from Q4 2025:
- Emerging markets outperformed the S&P 500 in 2025, marking their strongest relative performance since 2008.
- China and Korea led gains as confidence in AI-related growth broadened across sectors.
- Frontier markets continued to deliver solid performance, supported by low correlations and domestic growth.
With elevated valuations and increasingly concentrated returns in a narrow set of US stocks, investors are paying closer attention to opportunities across emerging and frontier markets.
Read East Capital’s full Q4 commentary for insights into what drove market performance in 2025 and how we view developments ahead.
Watch the latest episode of Meet East Capital – CIO Jacob Grapengiesser and Portfolio Manager David Nicholls discuss the key drivers behind Q4 performance and where they see opportunities across emerging and frontier markets.
Watch the episode on YouTube
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