As of July 31,2009 the S&P; 500 Index and the Dow Jones Composite Index are up 10.97% and 2.47% respectively . But many of the ADR indices are gone up much higher. The Year-To-Date (YTD) performance of some of ADR indices are as follows:

BNY Mellon ADR Index: 21.44%
BNY Mellon Asia ADR Index: 27.54%
BNY Mellon Dev Mkts ADR Index: 16.65%
BNY Mellon Emg Mkts ADR Index: 43.22%
BNY Mellon Europe ADR Index: 15.59%
BNY Mellon Lat. Amer. ADR Index: 53.96%

So far this year, the developed markets are lagging the performance of emerging markets.

The Top Performing Latin American ADRs for the Month of July are listed below:

Gafisa S.A.(GFA) – Up 55.21%
Gruma S.A.B. de C.V. (GMK) – Up 44.50%
Votorantim Celulose e Papel S.A. (VCP) – Up 39.50%
Nortel Inversora S.A. (NTL) – Up 36.42%
Aracruz Celulose S.A. (ARA) – Up 34.50%
GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL) – Up 30.69%
TIM Participacoes S.A. (TIM) – Up 26.33%
Desarrolladora Homex S.A.B. de C.V.(HXM) -Up 26.32%
Telemig Celular Participacoes S.A.(TMB)- Up 22.18%
Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao(CBD) – Up 21.68%

The Top Performing Asian ADRs for the Month of July are listed below:

Woori Finance Holdings Co. Ltd.(WF) – Up 45.21%
Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJI) – Up 43.49%
China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (CEA) – Up 43.02%
WNS (Holdings) Ltd. (WNS) – Up 41.67%
Patni Computer Systems Ltd. (PTI) – Up 39.14%
SINOPEC Shanghai Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (SHI) – Up 32.72%
Shinhan Financial Group Co. Ltd. (SHG) – Up 32.36%
CNinsure Inc. (CISG) – Up 31.39%
KB Financial Group Inc. (KB) – Up 28.82%
China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. (ZNH) – Up 27.18%

Note: ADRs under $5 per share are not included in the list above.

Many of the top performers for July have also performed very well year-to-date. For example Korean Bank Kookmin is up 62.90% YTD. Last month alone KB went up 28.82%. The above picks can be starting point for investors looking to gain exposure to the Latin American and Asian markets. However many of the emerging markets have soared already this year. The main indices of China and India may experience pullbacks as some folks consider them to be over-priced relative to earnings and growth.