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World Markets Review
World Markets Review for first quarter 2021

Global stocks rose as investors looked forward to a strong economic recovery from the 2020 downturn. A powerful rotation into cyclical and value-oriented stocks drove markets higher, led by sectors that lagged during the prior year. Conversely, some high-profile technology stocks slipped amid concerns about relatively high valuations and rising interest rates.


Energy and financial stocks posted the largest gains as government stimulus measures and the widespread rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations combined to boost the global economic outlook. Value stocks outpaced growth stocks by a wide margin. Meanwhile, consumer staples, health care and utilities stocks were essentially flat for the quarter.


Bond markets declined amid fears of potentially higher inflation sparked by extraordinary new stimulus measures in the U.S., including a $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill. Bond yields moved sharply higher around the world even as central bankers vowed to keep interest rates low and maintain large-scale bond-buying programs.



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Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index represents the U.S. investment-grade fixed-rate bond market.

Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index represents the global investment-grade fixed income markets.

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Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 actively traded industrial and service-oriented blue chip stocks.

J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified and related country-specific indexes track total returns for U.S. dollar-denominated debt instruments issued by emerging market sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities: Brady bonds, loans, eurobonds.

J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets (GBI-EM) Global Diversified and related country-specific indexes cover the universe of regularly traded, liquid fixed-rate, domestic currency emerging market government bonds to which international investors can gain exposure.

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MSCI Europe Index is designed to measure developed equity market results across 15 developed countries in Europe.

MSCI Pacific Index is designed to measure the equity market performance of the developed markets in the Pacific region. It consists of Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.

MSCI World Index is designed to measure equity market results of developed markets. The index consists of more than 20 developed-market country indexes, including the United States.

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