Political stability isn't just about election cycles—it's about regulatory consistency. When evaluating emerging market opportunities, I've learned that understanding local business culture matters as much as GDP growth rates.

Currency volatility patterns often correlate with commodity cycles more than interest rate differentials. This relationship becomes particularly important when timing market entry and exit strategies.

Geographic diversification alone won't protect against sector-specific downturns. Consider diversifying across business models, revenue streams, and market capitalizations within the same geographic region.

Time-based diversification through dollar-cost averaging works differently in volatile markets. Adjusting contribution timing based on volatility indexes can improve long-term returns significantly.