World Equity Markets Head South

September 2008 was not a happy time in the world of emerging market equities.

A research note from Howard Silverblatt, senior Standard & Poor’s index analyst, indicated, in fact, that September was the worst month for emerging markets since August 1998.

For September, emerging markets lost 18.76% while developed markets fell 14.8%. The U.S. continued to perform better than other markets with a 9.29% loss over the month.

Meanwhile, during the quarter, emerging markets fell 27.98% and developed markets gave back 21.62%. The U.S. was down 8.85%, while Russia was off 45.52%.

In general, all 52 world equity markets were down for the month, resulting in a $4.1-trillion loss in equity during September, a $5.8-trillion loss for the 3rd quarter, and a $10.5 trillion year-to-date loss.

The S&P report said year-to-date, all 26 developed markets lost ground, while 25 of the 26 emerging markets fell. Jordan is the only country up for the year, returning 0.96%.

«