World stocks suffer losses in 2022

Dollar triumphs and on track for best annual performance in seven years

SINGAPORE/LONDON:

World stocks were steady and US stock index futures indicated a lower open on Wall Street on the last trading day of 2022, but equities are on course for a 20% drop over a year marred by high inflation and war in Europe.

The dollar, a beneficiary of rising US interest rates, was on track for its best annual performance in seven years. The Federal Reserve and other central banks have been raising rates to fight inflation in the face of supply chain issues and an energy crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic and oil producer Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This has been very much a Fed-driven equity market throughout the year,” said David Bizer, Managing Partner at investment manager Global Customised Wealth. “The market has been trying to anticipate when the Fed is going to hike, how fast and how far.”

S&P 500 futures weakened 0.3% after US stocks jumped 1-2.5% on Thursday, buoyed by data showing rising US jobless claims. The data suggested Fed hikes might be starting to cool demand for labour. Markets anticipate the fed funds rate peaking near 5% in the middle of next year, from the current 4.25-4.5%. The Fed has raised rates by a total of 425 basis points since March.

The Dow Jones index is heading for an 8.5% drop on the year, while the S&P 500 is eyeing a 19% fall. European stocks fell 0.6% as surging Covid-19 cases in China stoked concerns over global economic growth, and were on course for their worst annual performance since 2018. Britain’s FTSE 100, which houses several exporters, was down 0.4% but was bound for a 1.5% rise in 2022. MSCI’s world equity index was heading for a 20% fall, its largest annual drop since the global financial crisis of 2008, when it slid more than 40%.

MSCI’s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5%, but is set to end the year down 19%, its worst performance since 2008. Japan’s Nikkei was unchanged on the day, down 11% on the year. China’s blue-chip CSI 300 Index was up 0.4% on the day but down 22% on the year, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.2% on the day but fell 16% in 2022.

Chinese leaders have pledged to step up policy adjustments to cushion the impact on businesses and consumers from a surge in Covid-19 infections. China’s health system has been under stress due to soaring cases since the country started dismantling its “zero-Covid” policy at the start of the month, with Spain and Malaysia on Friday joining countries imposing or considering imposing curbs on travellers from China.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major currencies, fell 0.4% to a two-week low.