Global equity market performance year-to-date as of April 9th showed Japan and the U.S. leading other global markets as reflected by the Russell Indexes. The Russell Japan Index returned 14.5% year-to-date, followed by the Russell 1000® Index of large-cap U.S. stocks which returned 11.9% year-to-date. Asia ex-Japan, emerging markets and European markets all trailed the U.S. & Japan, as reflected by the year-to-date performance of the Russell Asia ex-Japan Index (-1.1%), Russell Emerging Markets Index (-1.3%) and the Russell Eurozone Index (1.0%) year-to-date as of April 9th.
"We have seen a persistent strong rally in the U.S. and Japan equity markets this year, with Japan further aided by a falling Yen. The U.S. economy continued to slowly expand and there is rising investor optimism in Japan helped by a new Prime Minister and a new Bank of Japan governor," said Wouter Sturkenboom, investment strategist at Russell Investments Europe. "In Asia ex-Japan, Europe and emerging markets it is a different story. All these markets have lagged year-to-date in part due to weak economic sentiment and renewed concerns about debt issues and short sighted political solutions. This divergence in global equity market performance year-to-date helps underscore the need for investors to be cautious and follow a diversified multi-asset approach."
| Russell Index Year-to-Date Returns | ||
| Index | 2013 Year-to-Date Return as of April 9th | |
| Russell Japan Index | 14.5% | |
| Russell 1000® Index | 11.9% | |
| Russell Eurozone Index | 1.0% | |
| Russell Asia ex-Japan Index | -1.1% | |
| Russell Emerging Markets Index | -1.3% | |
Source: Russell Investments. Returns are denominated in euros.
