The global investment market has experienced significant volatility and uncertainty in 2024. A host of ongoing events including geopolitical tensions such as the conflict in Ukraine alongside U.S. and China competition, have created widespread disruptions to supply chains, energy markets, and overall investor confidence. Soaring inflation rates have prompted central banks around the world to aggressively raise interest rates. Adding to the turbulence of the stock market with dramatic swings, major indexes have fluctuated as investors struggle with concerns about corporate earnings, the real estate market, and the trajectory of the broader economy. Compounding these issues, the cryptocurrency market has also been rocked by tumultuous values and the collapse of prominent digital assets in 2023. Following overlapping crises, financial analysts and everyday investors are monitoring developments, trying to navigate the current investment landscape.
Largest stock exchange operators worldwide as of March 2024, by market capitalization of listed companies (in trillion U.S. dollars)
By far the two largest stock exchanges in the world are the NYSE and the NASDAQ – both located in New York. City. Taken together, the value of the shares listed on these two exchanges had a combined market capitalization of over 53 trillion U.S. dollars – more than the next eight-largest stock market operators combined. The next largest stock exchange was the Euronext located in Europe, followed by five major Asian stock exchange operators.
Stock exchangesAnnualized real return on equities, bonds and bills worldwide excluded the United States from 1900 to 2023
Further details: Visit original statistic Annualized real return on equities, bonds and bills worldwide excluded the United States from 1900 to 2023
The two most prominent financial instruments are equities and bonds. Equities (or shares) are the ownership of a portion of a company, which can then be traded. The value of this portion may fluctuate depending on the company’s performance and market conditions, making equities a potentially risky investment. Bonds differ in being a low-risk, fixed price investment where a company or government receives an amount of money to be repaid after a certain period, along with regular interest payments.
Exchange traded fundsShare of professional investors increasing their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments worldwide in 2023
Further details: Visit original statistic Share of professional investors increasing their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments worldwide in 2023
Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) reflects the environmental and social impact of an investment. Two main factors are driving the growth of ESG investments. First, is concern over the climate crisis, with many investors worrying that consumer sentiment will turn against companies who are not environmentally responsible. Second, is changing attitudes toward many social issues, such as worker conditions, community investment and support for diversity and inclusion.
Worldwide ESG investmentLargest stock exchange operators worldwide in September 2023, by value of electronic order book share trading (in billion U.S. dollars)
While the two largest stock markets in the U.S. – the NYSE and the NASDAQ – have far larger market capitalizations than any other stock exchange, looking at trading volumes narrows the gap significantly. While still the two largest stock exchanges with 2.18 and 1.84 billion U.S. dollars of stock traded in 2023 , the third-placed Shenzhen Stock exchange is not far behind at 1.14 billion U.S. dollars. Based on trading volumes, U.S. markets top the list, followed by East Asia, then Europe.
Dow Jones Industrial AverageYield on ten-year government bonds of selected countries worldwide as of June 2023
Further details: Visit original statistic Yield on ten-year government bonds of selected countries worldwide as of June 2023
In addition to stocks, investors often choose to trade bonds on financial markets. Bonds offer a low risk, stable return, with the issuer paying periodical interest then the original amount upon ‘maturity’. For this reason, bonds are often traded before maturing effectively allowing investors to lock in a secure interest rate. If investors expect interest rates to fall, it makes sense to purchase existing bonds, but if rates rise, then investors lose out as new bonds issued have a higher return.
International bond market
The primary goal of investing in financial instruments and is the efficient allocation of monetary resources within a capitalist economy. Such investment on an open market allow people with excess financial resources to give these funds to businesses or individuals who need them, with the promise of some kind of return for their investment. A variety of different financial instruments are used to achieve this, such as shares, bonds, currencies and derivatives (which effectively bet on the future price of a commodity or financial asset).
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