Weekly Update: World Markets Decline Further

The Nikkei 225 lost 10.22% for the week, but this was a substantial improvement over the Tuesday close, when the index had lost 16.08% in two days. The Shanghai Composite was the best performer for the second week in a row, down less than one percent.

The chart below illustrates the comparative performance of World Markets since March 9, 2009. The start date is arbitrary: The S&P 500 and Bombay 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.

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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, Bombay, Hang Seng) is readily apparent. However the pattern has been less apparent over the past few months.

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