05 March 2026 | 2 min. readingtime
Despite doubts about AI and concerns about possible escalation in the Middle East, February 2026 was another good month for equity investors. Japanese equities and listed real estate were particularly popular. There was one exception: US equities remained out of favour.
Under the motto “everything but America”, most stock markets continued the positive trend since the beginning of this year (and over the past 12 months) unabated last month. The Japanese stock market was a positive outlier, receiving an extra boost after Prime Minister Takaichi's landslide election victory on 8 February. The Nikkei index rose by more than 10% in February, bringing its total increase over the past 12 months to more than 50% (more than 30% in euro terms). In the wake of Japan, many other stock markets in the region also performed reasonably well to well. As a result, the MSCI Asia Pacific index delivered a return of more than 7% in February. Emerging markets in Asia, such as South Korea and Taiwan, also had a good month, helping the MSCI Emerging Markets index to a monthly return of almost 6%. There were also exceptions in the region: the stock markets in India and Hong Kong barely moved in February.
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05 February 2026 | 1 min. readingtime
January saw stellar performances on stock markets in Asia and emerging markets. US equities lagged behind, and the dollar fell in value. European capital market interest rates also fell slightly.
05 January 2026 | 1 min. readingtime
Financial market results were mixed in December. In contrast, sentiment in Europe was clearly positive, while capital market interest rates rose there.
07 November 2025 | 2 min. readingtime
In financial markets, October was broadly similar to September, and indeed to the entirety of 2025 so far. Stock prices rose globally, but most significantly in Japan and emerging markets. Capital market interest rates fell slightly, and as a result, bonds also delivered positive returns.
