Investing is simple. Or it should be. You take a certain amount of money. You want to do something with it that will allow it to grow. Then, in a few years time, if you choose, you can claim it back, preferably at a sizeable profit. Alternatively, you can leave it where it is, with a view to allowing it to grow some more. And if returns are sufficiently favourable you might even choose to increase your investment.

With the crash of the major American banks, many lost out on stocks, shares and other forms of corporate investment. Investments that had once been worth premium sums, shrunk to virtually nothing in a matter of days – a dramatic fall from which many investors are still licking their wounds and attempting to recover.

As with all major economic changes, the decline of one type of investment has led to the creation of another. Though emerging markets investments existed long before the present financial crisis, they have never been looked on quite so favourably as they are right now.

It can be complicated to attempt to define what counts as an emerging market and what doesn’t. Few would attempt to dispute the emerging market status of major players such as China, India and Brazil, all of whom currently boast the world’s fastest growing economies. It is only natural that the Western world, tired of dwelling on its own stagnant economic problems, should want a slice of the action.

In the past, it has been shown that emerging markets investments have proved more volatile than developed markets investments. That said, their returns are also, on average, slightly higher – a statistic that is proving highly persuasive with the current crop of investors.

For a detailed explanation of how investments in emerging markets can work and the many different shapes and forms they might take, Legal and General have compiled an easy to use webpage – an accessory page to their main site – that offers users clear and concise explanations of this kind of investment opportunity. The page outlines the risks involved and makes detailed comparisons with other sorts of investments as well as providing a comprehensive FAQ section.