If you’re a frequent StreetAuthority.com reader, then you know in the past few weeks I’ve told you a lot about the benefits of owning international high-yield stocks… even during a rough time in the market.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting you should drop everything and put every dollar you have into international high-yielders like the 9.4% dividend-payer I’m going to tell you about in a moment.

Truth is, the size and scope of the U.S. market makes it a great place to search for income investments.

But at this point, the size and number of the yields abroad is frankly too large to ignore.

As I’ve shown you in recent issues, 96% of the world’s highest yields aren’t being paid by U.S. companies. More than 400 profitable companies based outside the United States pay dividend yields of 12% or more — versus only about 18 companies here at home.

The difference is striking. As of the start of August, the average yield for all stocks in the S&P 500 was just 2.0%, Germany’s average yield was 3.6%… Brazil’s average yield was 4.1%… the United Kingdom yielded 3.4%… Australia yielded 4.5%… New Zealand paid 4.4%.

Let me give you an example…

In the past few years, dozens of high-yielding funds that focus on international dividend payers have come to market.

These funds scour the globe in search of the highest yields. Then they combine them all into a nice neat package for U.S. investors. That makes it incredibly easy to access high-yielding international securities. You can buy shares of these funds directly on the New York Stock Exchange, just like shares of any other stock.

Take the AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund (NYSE: AWF), for instance. I own shares of this in my portfolio for my High-Yield International advisory. It invests in hundreds of bonds around the world.

Many of these securities are difficult — if not impossible — for average investors to buy. But AWF gives you an opportunity to buy a basket of them without leaving the United States.

The fund owns government bonds from Brazil that pay 12.5% annually. It owns bonds from Russia’s Gazprom — the world’s largest natural-gas explorer — that pay 9.25%.

But not all of its holdings are from abroad. It also balances out that exposure with bonds from U.S. companies — like Caesars Entertainment notes paying 11.25%.

But focusing heavily on overseas bonds — where yields are higher — allows AWF to throw off a spectacular stream of income.

This diversified fund pays $0.10 per share every month, giving it a yield of 9.4% at recent prices. And in the past five years, the fund has returned an annualized gain of 11.4%.

Like many securities around the world, AWF has sold off with the broader market. I think this makes a pretty compelling entry point for more aggressive investors. Many of its holdings are low-grade bonds, which yield higher, but see more volatility than traditional bonds.

Action to Take –> As time goes on, I think investors will continue to expand their horizons to international high-yielders, thanks to strong yields available from securities like AWF and the sheer number of high-yielders that trade abroad.

If you’d like to learn more, I have more details — including several names and ticker symbols — in a presentation on the high yields available abroad. Visit this link to watch now. In the presentation, I’ve even included more about the 412 stocks I’ve found abroad paying yields of more than 12%. Visit this link to watch.