"Closed-end funds are a terrific way to gain diversified exposure to high-yielding foreign stocks," says global expert Nick Lanyi.

In his High-Yield International, he explains, "My latest closed-end fund pick, First Trust/Aberdeen Emerging Opportunity Fund (NYSE: FEO), gets income any which way it can from the world's fastest-growing economies." Here's his review.

"For U.S. investors looking to broaden their horizons, closed-end funds offer an easy way to gain exposure to a diverse mix of foreign stocks without venturing beyond U.S.-based stock exchanges.

"Not only that, they often provide access to stocks that don't trade in the U.S. -- including companies that only institutional investors (such as a fund manager) can buy.

"But these funds offer a bonus that mutual funds don't: in some cases you can purchase them at a discount to their net asset value (NAV) -- the underlying value of the fund's portfolio.

"That's because closed-end funds trade on the major stock exchanges, just like stocks. Their prices are determined by investor sentiment and supply and demand, in addition to the value of the investments they hold.

"Led by Brett Diment, the management team at Aberdeen Asset Management -- which specializes in emerging markets -- has assembled a portfolio that exposes investors to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world: Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Turkey, Argentina and Venezuela are among the fund's top holdings.