FOREX NEWS & BLOG

The Global Investing Shock of the Year: Winners, Losers, and What You Can Do Next

The Global Investing Shock of the Year: Winners, Losers, and What You Can Do Next

Best Global Stock Markets, last 365 days (till 07 July 2025)

In this detailed Q&A, we break down the latest global market performance, highlighting top-performing indices, currencies, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, along with those lagging behind, to guide your investment decisions. Not all financial instruments, stocks, crypto coins and even indices, are covered, but the main ones, as well as the notable winners and losers, are probably covered here.

Which global stock markets have performed best in the last year?

  • Israel’s TA-35 Index: Increased by 48.31%, boosted by strong domestic economic growth and investor confidence.

  • Hong Kong’s Hang Seng: Rose 36.11%, driven by China’s economic reopening and supportive government policies.

  • Germany’s DAX: Gained 30.48%, reflecting robust industrial activity and resilience in Europe’s largest economy.

  • South Africa Top 40: Up 21.13%, benefiting from commodity price recovery and improved economic outlook.

Which markets underperformed significantly?

  • Japan’s Nikkei 225: Declined by 3.84%, impacted by slower economic recovery and weak domestic demand.

  • Saudi Arabia’s TASI: Fell by 2.80%, due to volatility in oil prices and regional geopolitical tensions.

  • France’s CAC 40: Virtually flat (+0.04%), constrained by sluggish industrial output and political uncertainties.

What’s happening in currency markets?

  • Euro (EUR/USD) strengthened by 8.73%, driven by monetary policy shifts, U.S. dollar moderation, and better-than-expected European economic data.

  • Japanese Yen (USD/JPY) gained 9.09%, reflecting increased demand for safe-haven currencies amidst global uncertainty and favorable monetary policy adjustments.

Why has gold surged while oil prices collapsed?

  • Gold: Increased by 39.63%, benefiting from heightened geopolitical tensions, inflation concerns, and increased investor demand for safe-haven assets.

  • Oil (WTI Crude): Fell 18.80%, impacted by concerns about slowing global economic growth, excess production, and weaker-than-anticipated demand.

Which cryptocurrency was the standout performer?

  • Bitcoin: Grew 93.22%, driven by institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and increased mainstream acceptance despite broader market volatility.

Why did Ethereum underperform Bitcoin?

  • Ethereum decreased by 13.49% annually, impacted by regulatory concerns and competition from alternative platforms, although it posted exceptional recent performance over Bitcoin, rising significantly over the last three months due to optimism around future network upgrades.

What about major U.S. stocks like NVIDIA and Tesla

  • NVIDIA: Increased by 24.23%, with significant recent gains driven by booming demand in artificial intelligence and strong semiconductor sector growth.

  • Tesla: Gained 17.67% over the year but faced a decline of 24.65% year-to-date, reflecting concerns around profitability and increased competition in the electric vehicle market.

What does the volatility in U.S. Treasury yields signal?

  • Treasury yields rose modestly by 1.84% over the year but decreased by 4.11% year-to-date, reflecting investor uncertainty about future Federal Reserve interest rate actions, inflation prospects, and broader economic growth outlook.

How should global investors interpret these trends?

  • Strong equity markets in Israel, Germany, and Hong Kong indicate regions investors may explore for continued momentum.

  • Gold’s performance underscores the importance of portfolio diversification into traditional safe-haven assets.

  • Bitcoin’s resilience highlights sustained institutional support, positioning it as a viable diversification option.

  • Oil’s downturn and Treasury volatility signal potential caution regarding growth-sensitive assets amid global economic uncertainties.

Regional stock market insights explained:

  • Israel: Economic strength, technological innovation, and investor confidence supported significant market growth.

  • Hong Kong: Benefited from China’s economic reopening and supportive governmental economic policies.

  • Germany: Solid industrial and export growth amid stable economic fundamentals boosted investor sentiment.

  • South Africa: Rising commodity prices and improved economic sentiment attracted investor interest.

  • Japan: Economic recovery remained tepid with sluggish domestic demand impacting stock market performance.

  • Saudi Arabia: Oil price volatility and geopolitical tensions weighed heavily on market performance.

  • France: Minimal growth reflecting industrial challenges, policy uncertainty, and weaker domestic economic data.

What’s the investor takeaway?

One thing you can be not surprised about next year’s biggest winners — you’ll probably be, again, surprised. Who imagined that Israel’s stock market would be the big global winner so far, outside of Bitcoin? And who knows what crypto will be like in 365 days? So, as ForexLive.com evolves to investingLive.com this summer, you can evolve as well and consider diversifying across regions and asset classes, balancing high-growth opportunities such as Bitcoin and select equities with safe-haven assets like gold, especially amid global uncertainties. Carefully assess regional economic conditions, monetary policy shifts, and geopolitical risks to enhance your portfolio performance.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Investors should conduct their own research or consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

This article was written by Itai Levitan at www.forexlive.com.

Feed from Forexlive.com

MoneyMaker FX EA Trading Robot

read more
Heads up: RBA monetary policy decision coming up later at 0430 GMT

Heads up: RBA monetary policy decision coming up later at 0430 GMT

This will be the third rate cut delivered by the RBA this year, unless they are going to do the unexpected today. But in all likelihood, they should announce another 25 bps rate cut in taking the cash rate to 3.60%. As things stand, markets are pricing in ~92% odds of that happening. So, therein lies the balance of risks to any reaction for the Australian dollar.

Looking further out to year-end, traders are pricing in ~74 bps of rate cuts in total. And that’s roughly three more rate cuts, including the one today.

Going back to the RBA decision, just be wary that not all economists are of the view that a rate cut today is a given. There is a small number of outliers with Citi and BofA the two notable names in that camp.

But with the central bank expected to deliver a rate cut, the statement language is not likely to differ all too much from May. A couple of key wordings to be mindful of:

  • Maintaining low and stable inflation is the priority
  • The risks to inflation have become more balanced
  • Inflation is in the target band and upside risks appear to have diminished
  • Will be attentive to the data and the evolving assessment of risks to guide decisions
  • Focused on mandate to deliver price stability, full employment and will do what is necessary to achieve that

We’ll have to see which parts they’ll be keeping, if not all of them this time around.

This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.

Feed from Forexlive.com

MoneyMaker FX EA Trading Robot

read more
Weekly Economic Calendar for 07.07.2025–13.07.2025

Weekly Economic Calendar for 07.07.2025–13.07.2025

Following the Fed meeting in June, the US dollar continues to face headwinds, while US stock indices have hit new all-time highs. This week, market participants will review the minutes of the Fed’s June meeting to better assess the prospects for the US central bank’s monetary policy. Additionally, in the upcoming week of 07.07.2025–13.07.2025, market participants will focus on the release of crucial macroeconomic statistics from the Eurozone, the US, China, Germany, Canada, as well as on the results of the meetings of the central banks of Australia and New Zealand. Note: During the coming week, new events may be added to… Read full author’s opinion and review in blog of #LiteFinance

Feed from Litefinance.com

MoneyMaker FX EA Trading Robot

read more
RBA leaves cash rate unchanged at 3.85% in latest policy decision

RBA leaves cash rate unchanged at 3.85% in latest policy decision

  • Prior 3.85%
  • Inflation has continued to moderate
  • With the cash rate 50 bps lower than five months ago and wider economic conditions evolving broadly as expected, RBA judges that it could wait for a little more information to confirm that inflation remains on track to reach 2.5% on a sustainable basis
  • The outlook remains uncertain
  • Various indicators suggest that labour market conditions remain tight
  • There are uncertainties about the outlook for domestic economic activity
  • There are also uncertainties regarding the lags in the effect of recent monetary policy easing
  • Maintaining price stability and full employment is the priority
  • The risks to inflation have become more balanced and the labour market remains strong
  • Will be attentive to the data and the evolving assessment of risks to guide its decisions
  • Focused on mandate to deliver price stability, full employment and will do what is necessary to achieve that
  • Full statement

The only real surprise is the rate decision itself. For the most part, the policy language remains the same as it was in May. And that includes the key phrasing of “maintaining price stability and full employment is the priority”. Besides that, the rest of the guidance paragraph is also much retained as they also continue to note that the risks to inflation are now “more balanced”.

So, the standout is only the fact that they decided to push back against market pricing and stand their ground in wanting to wait for more information. One can definitely respect that as too often do central banks get bullied by markets into policy decisions these days. *coughs in Fedspeak*

AUD/USD has shot higher, erasing losses from yesterday with moving up from 0.6513 to 0.6540 currently. The immediate high touched 0.6556 as traders need to do some repricing here. Coming into the meeting decision, traders priced in ~92% odds of a rate cut with ~74 bps of rate cuts by year-end.

This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.

Feed from Forexlive.com

MoneyMaker FX EA Trading Robot

read more