Exploring Investment Products in the U.S.

Investing Abroad

Investing in the US Market offers significant opportunities for diversifying income in U.S. dollars, as well as access to a wide range of assets and products in the world’s largest investment market. It’s important to understand the main segments and types of investments available in each to make informed and strategic decisions.

Stocks

Stocks represent a share of ownership in a company. When you buy a stock, you become a shareholder, participating in the company’s profits and risks.

In addition to liquidity, the U.S. stock market offers access to companies from around the world, whether listed on the NYSE, NASDAQ, or over-the-counter markets like penny stocks and ADRs (American Depositary Receipts).

Main Differences between buying stocks in the U.S. vs Emerging Markets

Liquidity: The American market presents much higher liquidity compared to many emerging markets allowing faster trades with the possibility of lower costs and greater efficiency. While this enhances flexibility, it can also encourage short-term behavior, which may not align with long-term investment goals.

Fractional Shares: Due to the high liquidity of the U.S. market, some brokerages allow buying fractions of stocks starting at $50, making access to the stock market much more democratized. In some markets, investing still requires relatively higher amounts—even when using fractional shares—making it less accessible for investors with limited capital.

Volume and Diversity: The U.S. stock market features thousands of listed companies spanning a wide range of sectors, sizes, and strategies. This abundance offers investors extensive opportunities for diversification and strategic positioning. However, the sheer variety of options can be overwhelming for new investors, making portfolio selection more complex without proper guidance or a clear investment framework.

Consolidated Market: In the United States, you find some of the largest companies which offer a sense of safety and possible growth potential for investors when compared to lesser-known names or companies based in less mature markets. This enables investors to gain exposure to global market, helping them diversify their portfolios and reduce reliance on companies tied solely to local economic conditions. These companies often trade at premium valuations, which may limit their upside potential or increase their sensitivity to market corrections.

Growth and Value Stocks

Stocks are generally divided into two main categories: growth and value.

Growth Stocks: Growth stocks are companies focused on rapid growth, reinvesting their earnings into the business or acquiring competitors, market share, and margins. These companies usually pay little or no dividends.

Value Stocks: Value stocks are companies that have already experienced substantial growth and hold strong positions within their respective markets. These companies often prioritize returning capital to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. They are generally considered undervalued relative to their fundamentals and tend to exhibit lower price volatility compared to growth stocks.

Dividends

Dividends from American companies are generally lower than those observed in some other markets. This is largely due to the lower and more competitive risk-free rate in the U.S., which reduces the pressure on companies to offer high dividend payouts.

This approach reflects the structure and maturity of the U.S. market, where many companies prioritize reinvesting earnings into innovation, expansion, and long-term growth strategies rather than distributing profits to shareholders. This reinvestment focus is often seen as a driver of sustained competitiveness and value creation over time.

REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)

REITs are companies that invest in real estate and distribute at least 90% of their profits to shareholders in the form of dividends REITs offer an efficient way to invest in the real estate market without the need to directly purchase physical properties.

Funds and ETFs

The main difference between funds and ETFs lies in their structure and management:

Mutual Funds are typically actively managed, meaning a team of analysts and managers is directly involved in selecting the investments that align with the fund’s strategy. These funds are not traded on stock exchanges; instead, they are purchased through financial institutions’ distribution platforms.

These funds offer various share classes, such as institutional and retail. Within each of these, investors can choose between accumulation and distribution versions. 

• Accumulation: Reinvests distributions back into the fund, deferring taxes until redemption.

• Distribution: Pays the proceeds in cash or additional shares to the investor.

ETFs, on the other hand, are mostly passively managed, usually tracking an index or a specific group of assets. As a result, active funds tend to have higher management fees, while passive ETFs generally have lower fees since they don’t require a team actively managing the portfolio. ETFs are an accessible way for diversification and exposure to the global stock market. This product comes in various forms, each tailored to different investment goals and styles. A few examples are Equity ETFs and Crypto ETFs generally have lower fees since they don’t require a team actively managing the portfolio.

Equity ETFs

Equity ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are investment vehicles that provide direct exposure to the stock market and can be either actively or passively managed. They offer immediate liquidity through trading on U.S. stock exchanges and allow investors to diversify across specific sectors, investment styles, or strategies with a single transaction. The most common examples of Equity ETFs are:

• Index ETFs: are investment funds designed to track the performance of a specific market index, such as the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, or Russell 2000. They aim to replicate the returns of the index by holding the same or similar securities in the same proportions.

• Sector ETFs: There are also ETFs focused on specific sectors of the economy (technology, health, finance, etc.), allowing investors to make targeted allocations based on their market outlook or strategic preferences.

Fixed Income

The American market is dominated by fixed-rate securities (fixed interest at the time of purchase) which offer the investor the opportunity to diversify their income by fixing a rate for a certain period and receiving fixed coupons in dollars until maturity. These instruments provide predictable income and less exposure to losses compared to stocks. The fixed income market is still an over-the-counter market, meaning it is a market with extreme liquidity and constant offers to buy and sell assets.

The fixed income market offers a diverse range of instruments with unique characteristics, allowing to support different strategies depending on interest rate trends, inflation outlooks, and issuer credit quality. Types of Fixed Income Securities:

Treasury ETFs: These funds provide direct exposure to US government securities,

Floating Rate ETFs (Floaters): these ETFs invest in securities with variable interest rates, adjusting periodically based on market conditions.

TIPS ETFs: these are focused on inflation protection helping preserve purchasing power during inflationary periods,

Credit Ratings: Bonds and other fixed income securities receive ratings from agencies like Moody’s and S&P. Ratings such as AAA, AA, BB indicate the credit quality of the issuer.

Investment Grade Bonds

Investment grade bonds are debt securities from companies with high credit quality (ratings above BBB-). Securities in this category generate lower returns compared to high yield securities but are exposed to less volatility and sensitivity to the market and interest rates. As a result, they experience fewer drastic price adjustments along their path compared to similar maturity high yield securities. The credit and default risk of investment grade companies tend to be lower.

High Yield Bonds

High yield bonds are debt securities from companies with low ratings (below investment grade), offering higher yields and larger coupons due to the greater need to attract investors compared to investment-grade companies.  These bonds typically offer higher returns than investment-grade bonds because they carry greater risk. Investors are compensated with elevated yields for taking on exposure to companies with lower credit ratings or less stable financial profiles.

Another factor is the greater volatility and exposure to economic changes reflected in their pricing. When there is a change in economic expectations or interest rates, high yield bonds tend to be more sensitive to these changes, potentially altering the price of a security consistently until its maturity. The credit and default risk of high yield companies tend to be higher.

Treasuries and TIPS

The US government issues debt in the form of treasuries. This type of investment is considered in the fixed income market as a benchmark for evaluating other types of investments. The difference between its yield and that of another bond is known as the G-Spread.

The G-Spread is a measure that compares how much a company’s bond is paying over a comparable U.S. Treasury bond with the same maturity. It enables investors to evaluate whether the additional return offered by a corporate bond adequately compensates for its higher risk compared to the relative safety of the Treasury bond.

There are various categories of treasuries that an investor has the option to allocate in, such as STRIPS, T-Bills, T-Bonds, and TIPS.

STRIPS: STRIPS are government securities without periodic interest payments. The investor receives the full value (interest + principal) at maturity, thus avoiding the risk of reinvesting the coupon. This type of investment is usually made when the investor believes there will be a cut in interest rates in the short term, ensuring that their investment remains fixed during this time and that the investor only receives the invested amount at the maturity of the STRIP.

Treasury Bills (T-Bills): T-Bills or Treasury Bills are short-term debt securities (up to 1 year) issued by the US government. Investors looking to invest in T-Bills are generally interested in keeping their money available in the short term. Another factor that leads investors to buy T-Bills is when they believe there are no medium and long-term opportunities that justify the current investment risk. In such case, they prefer to keep their money in short-term, high liquidity instruments until conditions change.

Treasury Bonds (T-Bonds): T-Bonds, or Treasury Bonds, are long-term securities (typically exceeding 10 years) that offer semi-annual interest payments. Investors who choose T-Bonds generally seek medium- to long-term, conservative investments, placing their capital in one of the most secure financial instruments available—debt issued by the U.S. government. Generally, investors with planned future expenses choose this type of investment to allow their money to continue earning returns while minimizing the risk of default—especially when the funds are earmarked for important goals such as paying for their children’s college education or purchasing property.

TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities): TIPS are inflation-linked securities designed to protect an investor’s purchasing power. They are typically chosen by investors who anticipate rising inflation and want to safeguard their capital. This investment provides a returns composed of the inflation rate plus a fixed percentage. However, if the inflation turns out to be lower than expected, the investor may face capital loss, making it important to assess inflation trends carefully before investing.

Fixed Income ETFs

Investments in debt securities and US Treasury are also available through ETFs, offering investors the benefit of diversification and automated portfolio management. Instead of the investor having to worry about diversification and reinvestment and spreading risks across issuers, ETFs streamline the process by automatically managing these tasks, helping reduce exposure to individual credit risks while maintaining consistent returns.

Fixed Maturity Fixed Income ETFs

Fixed maturity fixed income ETFs are ETFs that buy corporate debt securities with a maximum stipulated maturity. Unlike traditional ETFs that are “perpetual,” these mature and return the value to the investor at the end. After reaching this maturity, the ETF ceases to exist and returns the initial investment and gain to the investor. These ETFs typically pay periodic coupons, providing investors with consistent cash flow, diversified returns, and predictable maturity timelines.

These ETFs work by purchasing a portfolio of debentures and corporate bonds that mature around the same year as the fund (e.g., 2026, 2027, 2028). This way, the investor can ‘lock in’ a rate and have a predictable return expectation.

The U.S. investment landscape is vast and full of opportunities for investors with different profiles and strategies. To maximize returns and manage risks, it is essential to rely on qualified professionals and trusted institutions. Count on Bradesco Investments to support your international journey.

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By Guilherme Arruda, Fixed Income Analyst

Source: Summary of information available through several online sources (Bloomberg, S&P Research, Company’s Investor Relation and others)

This document is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any securities or financial products in the United States or Brazil. The investment options described herein are subject to the laws and regulations of their respective jurisdictions, including but not limited to those enforced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM) in Brazil.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments carry inherent risks, including the potential loss of principal. Market conditions, economic factors, and geopolitical events can impact the value of investments, and there is no guarantee that any strategy or product will achieve its intended results.

Retail investors, especially those based in Brazil investing in U.S. securities, should be aware that foreign investments may involve additional risks such as currency fluctuations, differences in regulatory environments, and tax implications. Investment products available in the U.S. may differ significantly from those offered in Brazil in terms of structure, liquidity, investor protections, and disclosure requirements.

Before making any investment decisions, clients are strongly encouraged to consult with qualified financial, legal, and tax professionals to ensure that the chosen investments align with their individual goals, risk tolerance, and regulatory obligations.

While this material provides a comparative overview of investment segments and products available in the U.S. it is not intended to serve as financial, legal, or tax advice. Investors should consult with qualified professionals to understand the risks, regulatory requirements, and tax implications associated with cross-border investments.

Exploring Investment Products in the U.S.