How the world's stock markets performed in 2000

HOW THE WORLD'S STOCK MARKETS PERFORMED IN 2000 Merrill Lynch Ranks Them: Best & Worst STOCKHOLM, December 28 - 2000 was a tumultuous year for stock markets around the world. Only six of the globe's top 38 stock markets indices posted gains over the past 12 months, according to a ranking by leading global financial services firm, Merrill Lynch. (NYSE: MER). China's Shanghai B index posted the greatest rise for the year, gaining 136.6%. In second place was Ireland's bourse with an 11.7% jump, then Switzerland with a 5.5% increase, Canada was up 4.2% and Italy rose 3.2%, while Israel posted an 1.5% increase. All other major markets were in negative territory. Korea was the weakest market with a loss of almost 51%. Thailand and Taiwan also fell by more than 40% for the year. In the US, the S&P 500 declined by 10.5%, the worst performance since 1977. The NASDAQ Composite index lost 38.7% over the calendar year, the worse performance in its 28 year history. "This downturn among the majority of the world's major stock markets is in sharp contrast to 1999, when most of the globe's bourses rose," noted Walter Murphy, senior international market analyst at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Murphy said today: "2000 was the most difficult year for global stock markets since 1990 and reflected the overbought nature of most markets at the beginning of the year along with the deterioration of the technology sector and earning pressures as the year developed." MERRILL LYNCH IPCG WORLD STOCK MARKET PERFORMANCE 200 199 Country % % 0 9 Increas Increas e e Ran Ran 2000 year 1999 k k year 1 (22 China 136.6 32 ) 2 (37 Ireland 11.7 0 ) 3 (36 Switzerland 5.4 6 ) 4 (24 Canada 4.2 30 ) 5 (28 Italy 3.2 22 ) 6 (10 Israel 1.5 66 ) 7 (32 Australia - 0.3 12 ) 8 (17 Poland - 1.4 41 ) 9 (14 France - 2.9 51 ) 10 (13 South Africa - 3.6 57 ) 11 (27 Czech Republic - 5.8 24 ) 12 Russia - 5.9 155 (3) 13 (16 Chile - 5.9 43 ) 14 (26 The - 6.6 25 ) Netherlands 15 (15 Norway - 8.4 49 ) 16 (18 Germany -10.2 39 ) 17 (38 Belgium -10.3 - 5 ) 18 (29 United States -10.5 20 ) (S&P) 19 (34 Austria -11.7 7 ) 20 (30 United Kingdom -12.0 17 ) 21 Finland -12.4 162 (2) 22 Hong Kong -13.1 69 (9) 23 (31 Spain -13.3 16 ) 24 (10 Sweden -13.4 66 ) 25 Brazil -13.4 152 (4) 26 (34 New Zealand -14.8 7 ) 27 (18 Malaysia -16.3 39 ) 28 Mexico -23.0 80 (6) 29 (12 India -23.6 64 ) 30 Singapore -23.7 78 (7) 31 (25 Argentina -23.7 28 ) 32 (20 Japan -26.0 37 ) 33 (33 The -31.5 9 ) Philippines 34 Turkey -38.0 485 (1) 35 Indonesia -38.5 70 (8) 36 (22 Taiwan -44.1 32 ) 37 (21 Thailand -45.0 35 ) 38 Korea -50.9 83 (5) Source: Merrill Lynch As for 2001, Mr. Murphy said: "Our expectation is that, while the first half of 2001 may be weak as the difficulties of 2000 run their course, next year should finish on a strong footing." Merrill Lynch suggests investors prepare for whatever the market may hold in 2001 by obtaining both global and local advice, to make the best of their own investment situation. "Markets react to both local and international stimuli and accordingly investors need to be well informed on both," said Winthrop H. Smith, Jr., chairman of Merrill Lynch International and president of the firm's International Private Client Group. "This listing demonstrates the importance of developing an internationally diversified investment portfolio," said Mr. Smith. "For instance, if all of your investments are in one market class, such as domestic shares, that's automatically an overweight position. Even if those domestic shares are in a range of industries, there is still considerable country risk inherent in such a portfolio. Diversification can help in this respect." Merrill Lynch is the world's pre-eminent private wealth management and advisory firm. With a global presence, its financial consultants combine world-class global resources and technology with local expertise and experience to add true value to their clients' wealth management. This individual-focused approach provides each client with personalized service, innovative products and customized solutions. As the number of high-net worth individuals grows, so too does IPCG's ability to address their total wealth management needs, whether offshore, onshore or online. Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies with offices in 44 countries and total client assets of $1.8 trillion. As an investment bank, it is the top global underwriter and market maker of debt and equity securities and a leading strategic adviser to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Through Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, the company is one of the world's largest managers of financial assets. Further information about Merrill Lynch is available at www.ml.com. Note: The Merrill Lynch IPCG World Stock Market Performance ranking is based on the major index for each country surveyed in local currency (i.e. S&P for the U.S., FTSE for England, Dax for Germany and the All Ordinaries for Australia, etc.). Inclusion in the table does not necessarily mean that Merrill Lynch recommends investing in a market. For information contact: Media Relations Guy McKanna gmckanna@exchange.ml.com (212) 449-3987 or (917) 859-3558 ------------------------------------------------------------ Denna information skickades av BIT http://www.bit.se Följande filer finns att ladda ned: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/12/28/20001228BIT00400/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/12/28/20001228BIT00400/bit0002.pdf