John Welling
Director, Global Equity Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices
The U.S. Dollar’s Outperformance Makes Its Impact on Indices, Too
U.S. dollar strength has led to parity in EUR-USD exchange rates in recent days, with the value of the euro equaling 99 U.S. pennies at its low. While 114 U.S. pennies were still required to equal the British pound sterling, “cable”—the GBP-USD rate—has reached its lowest since 1985. In Asia, the Japanese yen has suffered…
Steep Declines for Islamic Benchmarks in Q2, Lagging Conventional Indices YTD
Global equities fell 15.7% during Q2, as measured by the S&P Global BMI, accumulating losses of 20.4% YTD. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, continued to underperform their conventional counterparts YTD in part due to continued weakness in the Information Technology sector, which fell 30.1%…
Global Islamic Indices Lagged in Q1 2022 in a Reversal from 2021
Global equities fell during the first quarter of the year, declining 5.5% as measured by the S&P Global BMI amid heightened volatility, surging inflation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, underperformed their conventional counterparts during the quarter, as the Information Technology…
Global Islamic Indices Advanced 20% YTD, Outperforming Conventional Benchmarks in 2021
Global equities gained in the last quarter of the year, climbing 5.8% as measured by the S&P Global BMI. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, outperformed their conventional counterparts by approximately 2.5% in the quarter due largely to their overweight in the U.S. Information Technology…
S&P China 500 Fell 10.5% in Q3, Pushed Lower by Consumer and Tech Stocks
The S&P China 500 declined 10.5% during Q3 2021, succumbing to dramatic losses across consumer- and technology-driven companies. Performance also continued to lag the broader S&P Emerging BMI and S&P Developed BMI, which fell 6.2% and 0.4%, respectively. China’s Underperformance versus Regional Peers The index likewise trailed regional benchmarks YTD—the S&P China 500 was down…
- Categories Equities
- Tags asian equities, China, China sectors, Chinese equities, S&P China 500
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- Equities
Global Islamic Benchmarks Near Flat in Q3 2021, Narrowly Trailed Conventional Benchmarks YTD
Global equities retreated, declining 1% during Q3 2021, as measured by the S&P Global BMI. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, declined similarly, each losing 0.8% during the period. While the quarterly figures narrowly favored the Islamic indices, their YTD performance lagged, in part due…
Global Islamic Indices Continued Advance in H1 2021, but Lagged Conventional Counterparts
Global equities continued to rise during the second quarter, gaining 7.2% as measured by the S&P Global BMI, raising the YTD tally to 12.8%. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, somewhat underperformed their conventional counterparts YTD, in part due to continued strength in the Financials…
Global Islamic Indices Advanced in Q1 2021, but Lagged Conventional Counterparts
Global equities continued to rise during Q1 2021, gaining 2.5%, as measured by the S&P Global BMI. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, underperformed their conventional counterparts in Q1, in part due to the strong performance of the Financials sector, which gained nearly 12% during…
Accessing the Growth of the “New China” Economy
As China’s economy matures, consumption and service-related industries are becoming structurally more important. Because the country’s stock market continues to have significant exposure to “old economy” sectors, many market participants are seeking alternative index solutions to participate more directly in China’s fastest growing areas. Launched in September 2016, the S&P New China Sectors Index provides…
Global Islamic Indices Advanced 28% YTD, Outperforming Conventional Benchmarks up to 12%
Global equities enjoyed substantial gains in the last quarter of 2020, gaining 15.9%, as measured by the S&P Global BMI. Shariah-compliant benchmarks, including the S&P Global BMI Shariah and Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) World Index, slightly underperformed their conventional counterparts in Q4 2020 due to the strong performance of the conventional Financials sector, which…