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The likelihood of a Greek exit from the euro-zone economy — and the common euro currency — has substantially increased.
One of the most obvious signs of this is the fact that Greek citizens have been pulling their cash from the country’s banks en masse. In just one recent day, the country’s population removed a whopping 800 million euros from the Greek financial system!
And while some pundits aren’t willing to go so far as to call it a full-scale run on the banks yet, they will at least admit it’s “a jog.”
In addition to the simple fact that it’s a vote of no-confidence, all this money coming out of Greek banks only exacerbates underlying weakness in the country’s system.
While some monetary relief from the so-called “troika” — the European Union, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund — has already been set aside for Greece because of the bailout agreement reached in March … there are now questions as to whether all of that money will be released, or whether it will even help very much.
Reason: Greece is scheduled to hold Parliamentary elections on June 17 and there is a good chance the country will vote for a governing coalition that opposes the kinds of austerity measures necessary for more bailout money.
Plus, the troika is scheduled to return to Athens by the end of June to certify that these already-agreed-to measures ARE in place.
So it’s quite possible that Greece could be facing a complete cash crunch by early July.
And let’s not forget that Greece is just one of the many troubled countries in Europe right now.
But Does That Mean There Aren’t Solid
Companies Across the Atlantic? No Way!
Given all the issues in Europe — and the very real possibility of a shock that shakes the region right down to its common currency — the last thing you probably want to consider is investing any money there.
But as I’ve pointed out many times before, those are precisely the times when you SHOULD take another look at what’s available!
For that reason, I recently put together a stock screen of dividend-paying European firms for my Income Superstars subscribers.
All of the companies below are currently paying dividends worth an annual yield of at least 1 percent a year.
In addition, all of them are available for purchase through your regular brokerage account as American Depositary Receipts …
Click the table for a larger view.
As you can see, the list is quite diverse and contains many names that U.S. citizens are very familiar with. That’s exactly why, despite the woes in Europe, a lot of these stocks are worth considering — after all, they boast truly global businesses.
I have also included a number of different ways of looking at their current valuations — everything from basic P/E ratios to how far away they are from previous 52-week highs.
I’ve recommended a few of these companies in the past, and I just told my dad to buy another one for his IRA account as well.
[Editor’s note: You can get that hot-off-the-press recommendation, and all the other instructions Nilus has given for his father’s $100,000 retirement account, plus advanced notice of all future recommendations by taking a risk-free trial to his Income Superstars newsletter. Just click here for all the details.]
And overall, I think A LOT more of these companies are worth investigating further — especially if you’re looking for above-average income and a contrarian way to play Europe. So happy hunting!
Best wishes,
Nilus
