The Manual of Ideas'  Instablog

There is no better way of learning a new language than by going to the country where it's spoken. Similarly, if you are looking to expand your horizons and learn about European investment opportunities, there is no better way than by tackling as many European company annual reports as you can muster.

You will not only learn about individual companies, some of which may be global competitors to U.S. companies in which you may already have an investment, but you will also start learning the accounting language "spoken" by European companies. Rather than read a dry textbook on the differences between U.S. and European accounting standards, you can ease into those differences by reading annual reports.

The following links will take you to a FREE service that provides annual reports, in electronic and print format, for many companies trading on stock exchanges in Europe. Grouping your company reading list by stock exchange may be useful, as you'll be able to navigate the European investment landscape by major region or country.

AIM (London; smaller companies) | Bovespa | Dublin | Euronext Amsterdam | Euronext Brussels | Euronext Lisbon | Euronext Paris | Frankfurt | ISEQ (Irish) | Italy | Lisbon | London | Milan | NASDAQ EUROPE | OMX Copenhagen | OMX Helsinki | OMX Iceland | OMX Stockholm | Oslo | Oslo Bors | PLUS (London; small and mid cap companies) | Prague | Vienna | Warsaw | Zurich

An even better way to structure your tour of the European investment landscape may be by industry:

Aerospace & Defence | Agriculture, Paper & Packaging | Automotive | Banks, Financial Services & Insurance | Biotechnology | Building & Construction | Business & Support Services | Chemicals | Closed End Funds & Investment Companies | Computers, Technology & Internet | Consumer & Retail Products | Electronics & Engineering | Food Manufacturing & Products | Healthcare & Pharmaceutical | Industrial & Manufacturing | Leisure & Entertainment | Metals & Mining | Oil, Gas & Energy | Publishing & Media | Real Estate | Telecommunications | Transportation | Utilities

Or you can simply go through one list of all European companies for which free annual reports are available. Several companies on the list are well-known corporations that are worth reading about regardless of your interest in Europe in particular. These companies include: Agfa-Gevaert | AstraZeneca | British American Tobacco | Christian Dior | Deutsche Bank | Euro Disney | J Sainsbury | London Stock Exchange | Old Mutual | Park Plaza Hotels | Raiffeisen International Bank | Royal Dutch Shell | WPP Group

Join European Value Report as the acclaimed research team of The Manual of Ideas uncovers the best European investments each month.

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