Unfortunately, many important commodities have suffered big price declines in recent years, with copper, iron ore, and other base metals reflecting the sluggishness in expansionary efforts in infrastructure and construction. Whether it's historically high levels of inflation in areas of Latin America, totalitarian politics in China, or the threat of economic sanctions against Russia, emerging-market investors face much different challenges than those who stick with developed economies. Without fully understanding the unique attributes of each country's own economic and political currents, investors leave themselves vulnerable to unanticipated problems that could hamper emerging-market-tracking ETFs.