A top-3% fund manager over the past 5 years explains how to ride momentum in markets and find under-the-radar winners overseas

• Instead of attempting to outsmart the market, Ivo Kovachev rides stocks’ momentum.
• Little-known companies in emerging markets are his favorite investments.
• Here’s how Kovachev selects stocks and where he sees the best opportunities now.

Market veteran Ivo Kovachev rises above his peers by following the pack.

While many fund managers aim to buy beaten-down stocks before they rebound, Kovachev goes against the grain by riding momentum in markets. That contrarian-to-the-contrarians approach may seem like a paradox, but it’s worked wonders for Kovachev in recent years.