Israel’s stock market was the 35 best in the world for investors, a CNN study said. According to the study, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was number 35 in terms of profitability for investors. Israel came in one spot ahead of the United States, which, when averaging out the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, and NASDAQ, was 36th in profitability.

The number put Israel in a good spot among the stable stock markets in the world, the study said. Although there were several stock markets where investors could earn far more than in Tel Aviv, those markets were far more volatile and dangerous, and smart investors could just as easily lose their shirts as make money on them.

Most of the markets that showed high profitability and volatility were heavily influenced by outside events. The top stock market in the world was in Caracas, Venezuela, which advanced 219% this year. However, analysts said that the market there was very skewed because of intervention by the government of President Hugo Chavez, and investors could have difficulties extracting money from the market. The second best performing market was Cairo’s, which rose 55% in 2012, where the political situation is very unstable.