international economy Archives

The past 12 months have been an exciting and interesting time for all the stock exchanges around the world. Amid a global pandemic and political changes in dozens of developed nations, nearly all the key indicators showed surprising strength and durability, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S & P 500. The Dow took a temporary hit at the beginning of 2020 when COVID struck, but since then has come roaring back.

It not only made up all those lost points but has tacked on about 4,000 more, currently hovering close to the 35,000 mark. The S&P 500 did almost the same thing, falling rapidly from mid-February to mid-March of last year, only to recoup all the loss and rise even higher, now sitting near the 4,300 mark. Here’s what the rest of 2021 could have in store for anyone interested in taking part in the global securities markets.

What’s the Purpose of the Stock Market?

Before examining what the rest of the year has in store for corporations and investors, it’s important to recall the two reasons the securities markets came into existence. Even after more than a century of daily buying, selling, and deal-making, those two purposes still underpin the existence of all the major global exchanges. The first purpose is to allow organizations, also known as listed firms, the chance to acquire capital so they can go about their daily operations, grow, and prosper. Second to that, but no less vital, is that the exchanges give ordinary investors the ability to benefit by owning a piece of any entity that is listed on the trading board.

Businesses Raise Money as Needed

For example, a new business might not have enough luck raising the funds it needs via private sources, loans, and angel investors. When that happens, it has the chance to apply to appear on the exchange’s board and accept direct capital inflow from the public, through a network of brokers.

Private Citizens Can Earn a Living

For individuals who want to own a portion of any listed entity, shares are available for sale. There’s no limit on investing timelines or amounts, as long as the purchase is legally made through a licensed agent. Many stock market enthusiasts who want to earn regular income learn how to day trade and take part in daily sessions. By definition, day traders close out all their positions each day, never holding equity shares overnight.

Corporate Earnings Estimates

After the COVID pandemic restrictions eased up and the global economy began getting back to normal in early 2021, many corporations unexpectedly exceeded earnings expectations. As is the case with share prices, earnings can sometimes travel for a while on built-up momentum. But even though most of the prognosticators and Sunday morning TV shows were expecting to see 2020’s momentum die down heading into the new year, it was not as significant as expected. Then, dozens of major companies began reporting record earnings early in the second quarter of 2021, which means there’s likely a new wave of enthusiasm and optimism coming out of the pandemic.

Overall Direction and New Leaders

Since March of 2020, the overall direction of the equity markets has been generally upward. Even in the doldrums of the later part of last year, the general trajectory of share prices was up, a megatrend that has continued to this day. What new leaders are emerging? Some of the biggest winners of the past six months have included companies in sectors like pharmaceuticals, healthcare, retail, and home improvement. Now that the economy is focused more on home delivery, online commerce, and working from home, merchants who have plugged into those major trends are enjoying broad-based success.

Low Risk, Not No Risk

Even the most diversified portfolio of blue-chip stocks still comes with risk. It’s essential for newcomers to the marketplace to understand that low risk is not the same thing as no risk. Anyone who puts their money on the line for the purposes of earning a profit from stocks, bonds, forex, options, commodities, or anything else, faces the ups and downs of the international economy. However, for prudent traders, there are multiple ways to minimize risk, keep an eye on account balances, and take part in one of the most exciting financial enterprises on earth: the international securities exchanges.

As the Coronavirus pandemic has altered our ways of living and working – potentially for good – it has sent shockwaves through areas of UK business previously thought untouchable.

The thriving food and hospitality sector has steadily grown over recent years but faces an uncertain future as social distancing becomes a new norm of everyday life.

Of course, some industries have enjoyed something of a boon during the lockdown as their products, services, and expertise have come to the fore, or been adapted to suit the needs of the population.

How have businesses altered their offering?

Many eateries have kept afloat by switching their sit-down service to take-out or delivery, while robotic delivery of food and drink in Milton Keynes could offer a glimpse into the future of the industry, long after Covid-19’s grip on our daily lives has subsided.

The airline industry has been similarly decimated as planes have been grounded but swapping passengers for cargo has allowed some to maintain business.

Land-based delivery services have thrived, especially those connected to online shopping, like our trips to the high street or retail centers have been curtailed by the lockdown.

This has not come without the need for a change to regular services, however, with health and safety now more paramount, businesses have needed to be agile in swiftly adapting sanitary and sterile methods of delivery especially when dealing with at-risk customers.

Can businesses help in the fight against Coronavirus?

Some of the biggest swings in business have seen entities completely change their line of work in a bid to help fight the virus.

Producing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gowns, and gloves, has become a priority for many textile companies.

In the bid to build more hospital equipment, Formula 1 teams used their engineering might take on the task. World champion outfit Mercedes produced a ventilator which was used in a trial by the NHS and made the plans freely available for other manufacturers to build their own versions.

As the need for clear public communication has risen, printing business instant print was marked as NHS supply chain critical, producing an adapted product range including posters, signage, floor stickers and more to be used in a host of healthcare settings.

Will UK businesses recover after Coronavirus?

This is a tricky question to answer, as to how our daily lives will look once the pandemic subsides remains a grey area.

As scientific exploration into the virus continues, the threat of a ‘second wave’ of illnesses sweeping the world is set to make the resumption of our previous ways of life something that is implemented slowly, if indeed some things we used to take for granted ever do return to our daily routines.

Work settings may change, infrastructure will likely have to be adapted to suit a more socially distant population. How crowds gathering in shops, restaurants, bars, concerts, sporting events and more will be managed is almost impossible to predict as simply containing the virus still remains the highest priority.

As some countries begin to tentatively emerge from lockdown and try to get to grips with a ‘new normal’, the world will look to the likes of Australia and New Zealand for cues, while China has also looked to restore many of the social liberties that were taken away when the virus began to spread in its Hubei province.

If your business has been impacted by the Coronavirus, perhaps some of the examples above can help guide you through the rocky times or inspire a change of direction that may bring greater success once the pandemic passes.

What’s In Store For the 2021 Stock Market?