Below is a snapshot of year-to-date country stock market returns through the first quarter of 2020, all in local currency. Of the 72 countries shown, the average year-to-date change is -23.91%, with only one of 72 in the green. A total of 68 out of 72 countries are down more than 10%, while 53 of 72 are down more than 20%.
Investors in the Ukraine are the only ones in the world that can say their stock market is in the black year-to-date. It’s up 0.30%.
On the downside, Argentina and Greece have fallen the most at -40%+, while another 14 are down 30%+. Three of the four BRIC countries are down at least 30% — Brazil, Russia, and India. China is the only BRIC country not down 30%, and in fact, it is one of the best-performing countries year-to-date with a decline of only 10%.
Looking at the major G7 countries, Europe has been hit the hardest with France, Italy, Germany, and the UK all down more than 27.5%. The US is the top-performing G7 with a decline of 20%, while Japan is down 23.6% and Canada is down 21.6%. Start a two-week free trial to Bespoke Premium to see our list of “Stocks for the COVID Economy.”