By investing internationally, you gain exposure to industries, companies, and growth drivers that simply don't exist locally.

The good news is that ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) make that process easy, allowing investors to access world-class businesses without leaving the local market.

With that in mind, here are three ASX ETFs that offer different ways to invest in some of the best stocks in the world.

Vanguard MSCI International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

The first ASX ETF to consider is the Vanguard MSCI International Shares ETF.

Rather than trying to pick which country or sector will outperform, this fund takes a broad, all-weather approach. It invests across developed markets, giving exposure to thousands of companies spanning the US, Europe, and Asia.

Holdings include businesses such as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Nestle (SWX: NESN).

What makes the Vanguard MSCI International Shares ETF appealing is not any single stock, but the way it captures global economic progress as a whole. As industries rise and fall, and new leaders emerge, the index naturally evolves. This makes this fund a useful foundation for investors who want global exposure without having to constantly adjust their portfolio.

Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF (ASX: QLTY)

Another way to invest in the world's best stocks is through a quality lens, which is exactly what the Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF aims to do.

This fund focuses on businesses with strong profitability, robust balance sheets, and consistent earnings. Instead of spreading exposure as widely as possible, it narrows the field to stocks that have demonstrated an ability to perform through different market conditions.

Holdings include stocks such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Tokyo Electron, and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). These are businesses that often benefit from pricing power, brand strength, or structural advantages.

This fund was recently recommended to clients by Betashares.

VanEck MSCI International Value ETF (ASX: VLUE)

A final ASX ETF to consider is the VanEck MSCI International Value ETF, which takes a different approach to global investing.

Rather than focusing on growth or quality, it looks for international companies trading at relatively attractive valuations based on fundamentals such as earnings, cash flow, and book value. This often leads to exposure in areas that are out of favour but not necessarily broken.

Holdings include companies such as Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), and Toyota Motor Corporation (FRA: TOM). These businesses may not dominate headlines, but they play important roles in the global economy.

VanEck recently recommended this fund to clients.

The post Want to invest in the best stocks in the world? Try these ASX ETFs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

And that brings us to today. Yesterday, Berkshire filed its 10F report for the quarter ending 31 March 2021. Although that's a while ago now (and an eternity in the investing world), it's still a great opportunity to get a look inside Buffett's head and see what he's been up to.

So let's dig in.

Buffett's buys

So according to reporting in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Berkshire did make some substantial moves over the March quarter. These were mostly selling though. His largest sells were in bank shares, particularly Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE: WFC), which the AFR notes Buffett has held for more than three decades now. At the height of Berkshire's Wells Fargo investment, the company owned more than 10% of the US$198 billion bank. But as of 31 march, Berkshire only owned ~675,000 shares, worth roughly US$32.34 million on the most recent pricing.

Berkshire also offloaded shares of another US bank in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), as well as a smaller, but total, stake in Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF).

Another sector that Berkshire and Buffett seem less enamoured with than in the past is oil. In the quarter ending 31 December 2020, Berkshire has a US$4.1 billion position in the oil giant Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX). But Berkshire has been selling off this position as well. As of 31 March, Berkshire had just US$2.5 billion worth of Chevron stock left. Perhaps the recent bull run in oil prices has served its purpose for Buffett.

Other shares that Buffett and Berkshire trimmed over the quarter include AbbVie Inc (NYSE: ABBV), Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (NYSE: BMY), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM).

In their place, Berkshire has added to its stake in supermarket chain Kroger Co (NYSE: KR), almost doubling its investment over the quarter to 51 million shares (worth US$1.91 billion on today's prices). It has also topped up on communications giant Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), and services company Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MMC). It also initiated a position in insurance broker Aon PLC (NYSE: AON).

Berkshire's stakes in its largest holdings in Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC) remain unchanged for the quarter.

The post Here are the shares that Warren Buffett has been buying (and selling) lately appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

However, zooming out and it becomes clear that today's moves are just some sugar on what has been a very unpleasant sandwich investors have had to endure over the past year. Even after today's gains, Integrated Research shares are still down more than 50% from the company's 52-week high of $4.92 that we saw back in August last year. They are also at a similar level to what you could have purchased them for back in 2015.

So who is this company? And why are Integrated Research shares doing so well today?

A well-integrated company?

Integrated Research is a company that trades in IT solutions. It writes and sells software platforms that assist business clients in simplifying and optimising their digital operations and data. It does so through three product offerings: IR Collaborate, IR Infrastructure and IR Transact. All three of these products are available through Integrated Research's Prognosis platform.

The company can boast some A-list clients, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia's (ASX: CBA) BankWest, the US telco Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ), Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and the US pharmacy chain Walgreens of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ: WBA).

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies have been very popular with ASX investors in recent years. But, as we touched on earlier, things haven't been going Integrated Research's way over the past year or two. the company was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic last year. Business closures and purchasing deferrals have resulted in revenue and profit writedowns for the company. A sharply rising Aussie dollar over the past year or so also hasn't helped.

In fact, it was only last month that Integrated Research gave us a half-year earnings update for the six months to 31 December 2020. In this update, Integrated Research told investors that revenues were down 56% on the prior corresponding period. While net profits after tax had collapsed 99% to $129,000.

Why are Integrated Research shares up today then?

At first glance, it's not entirely obvious why Integrated Research shares are rising so enthusiastically. The last piece of official news out of the company came back on 22 March. That was a notice that Integrated Research's chair Paul Brandling had resigned from the company effective 20 March. He has been replaced as chair by Peter Lloyd.

The only clue we have to today's massive share price movement is trading data from the ASX. ASX data shows that trading volume today is, at the time of writing, sitting at 448,000 shares. That's well above the company's 5-day average of ~190,000 shares, and well exceeding Friday's number of 142,000 shares. This could be indicating that a large fund manager or other institutional investor has been initiating a large positioning in the company.

Whatever the cause, it has been an indisputably good day for Integrated Research shareholders. On the current share price, the company has a market capitalisation of $408.15 million.

The post ASX stock of the day: Integrated Research (ASX:IRI) shares up 7% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.