World Markets Weekend Update: The Rally Shifts (Mostly) Into Reverse
Doug Short | Apr 19, 2015 04:10AM ET
Six of the eight indexes on our world watch list traded lower this week, with Germany's DAX down 5.57%. The best performing of the six losers was the S&P 500, down only 0.99%. The big positive outlier was China's Shanghai Composite, up a jaw-dropping 6.27% for the week and now up 32.54% in 2015. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was a less conspicuous outlier with a 1.40% weekly gain.
The Shanghai Composite looks to be in bubble mode, up 87% its interim trough in late October. But announced regulatory changes after the market closed on Friday may send the index reeling when the market opens on Monday. See the commentary at Investors.com .
Here is an overlay of the eight for a sense of their comparative performance so far in 2015.
Here is a table of the 2015 data performance, sorted from high to low, along with the interim highs for the eight indexes. All eight indexes are in the green, with the top five gains ranging 12.62% to 32.54%. Not bad for the first three-and-a-half months of the year. At the bottom of the list, the S&P 500 is up 1.08%.
A Closer Look at the Last Four Weeks
The tables below provide a concise overview of performance comparisons over the past four weeks (through year's end) for these eight major indexes. I've also included the average for each week so that we can evaluate the performance of a specific index relative to the overall mean and better understand weekly volatility. The colors for each index name help us visualize the comparative performance over time.
Get The News You Want
The chart below illustrates the comparative performance of World Markets since March 9, 2009. The start date is arbitrary: The S&P 500, CAC 40 and BSE SENSEX hit their lows on March 9th, the Nikkei 225 on March 10th, the DAX on March 6th, the FTSE on March 3rd, the Shanghai Composite on November 4, 2008, and the Hang Seng even earlier on October 27, 2008. However, by aligning on the same day and measuring the percent change, we get a better sense of the relative performance than if we align the lows.
A Longer Look Back
Here is the same chart starting from the turn of 21st century. The relative over-performance of the emerging markets (Shanghai, Mumbai SENSEX and Hang Seng) up to their 2007 peaks is evident, and the SENSEX remains by far the top performer. The Shanghai, in contrast, formed a perfect Eiffel Tower from late 2006 to late 2009.
Check back next week for a new update.
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