Nearly every viable emerging-market country has a site devoted to its market or investments.

FORBES: Emerging Markets

Emerging markets overall declined less than those in the United States and while the iShares MSCI Emerging Market Index ( EEM) pulled back 3.7% from its recent highs, some of the emerging-market country ETFs held up much better.

FORBES: The Week Ahead: Stocks to Rally Despite the Short Week

The drop in the Egyptian markets also shows the risks of investing in a country-specific emerging market ETF.

FORBES: Don't Pay Extra For Egyptian And Japanese ETFs

Emerging-market investors also point out that Ecuador is a small country, in terms of both population and importance to financial markets.

ECONOMIST: In emerging markets, the bond-market dogs lose their bite

IMF, a 30% fall in the American stockmarket, combined with a 15% fall in other rich-country stockmarkets, would mean a further 1% reduction in emerging-market growth in each of the next five years, as world trade slowed.

ECONOMIST: Uncertain prospects | The

Much like small-cap stocks (which suffer from a lack of brand name, too), emerging market and foreign developed country stocks can give your portfolio the extra gas it needs.

FORBES: You Don't Need To Understand Your Investments

Investors in emerging-market bonds came to a similar view, acting as if the risks posed by a bond issued by developing-country governments were barely higher than that posed by an American Treasury bond (see article).

ECONOMIST: A week on the wild side