2011 Stock Market Returns By Country
Stock market returns by country were published by Bespoke Investment Group. A quick review tells us all we need to know about the world we live in and where it may be headed.
These three countries posted the best returns so far this year: Venezuela (+79.24), Pakistan (+31.93), Jamaica (+11.37) and Botswana (+9.41). Would you invest your money in the stock markets of these countries? I didn't think so. Let's move on to Europe.
European countries mostly fit into a negative range between -8.69 (UK) to -33.81 (Austria). Maybe you invested in European stock markets. If so, it hasn't been a good year. Eastern Europe probably falls somewhere between those top countries (where you wouldn't invest, right?) and Europe, where you maybe put some money (and lost some of it). Actually, investing in the stock markets of Eastern Europe strikes me as pure speculation, to say the least. Do you have any idea of their history of rule of law? If you do, and you invest there, good luck. Besides, Eastern Europe was negative anyway.
Well, without dragging this out, the Middle East and Asia are negative as well. If interested, you can see all the results here.
Oh, almost forgot, the U.S. is down over 3% (the S&P).
This looks pretty dismal, doesn't it. But would you have known this by reading or listening to the major media? All I've been hearing is about how this number or that indicator has "exceeded" expectations. I also keep reading about how the next meeting of European leaders holds some sort of "promise" of a happy resolution to their crisis.
These same people - the major media that is - neglected to report (in any clear, substantive way) the senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which gives the government the right to imprison American citizens without the right of Habeas Corpus. The last time that right was suspended (officially) was the Civil War, under Abraham Lincoln. After the war ended, the right - a cornerstone of our liberties as established by the U.S. Constitution - was restored.
So maybe my feeling a bit perplexed these days isn't just that Christmas is coming and my mind isn't focused on my work so well. Maybe it's that things really are starting to fray at the edges - or worse.
Well, this is no time to dwell on such things. Christmas indeed arrives in just a few days. So let's suspend all this worry and concern and just celebrate this great Christmas Season. There will be plenty of time to get back to the pressing concerns of the day when the New Year rolls in.
Meanwhile, do yourself a favor and make up your mind to wean yourself off the major media, if you haven't already done so. You'll thank me someday if you do.
These three countries posted the best returns so far this year: Venezuela (+79.24), Pakistan (+31.93), Jamaica (+11.37) and Botswana (+9.41). Would you invest your money in the stock markets of these countries? I didn't think so. Let's move on to Europe.
European countries mostly fit into a negative range between -8.69 (UK) to -33.81 (Austria). Maybe you invested in European stock markets. If so, it hasn't been a good year. Eastern Europe probably falls somewhere between those top countries (where you wouldn't invest, right?) and Europe, where you maybe put some money (and lost some of it). Actually, investing in the stock markets of Eastern Europe strikes me as pure speculation, to say the least. Do you have any idea of their history of rule of law? If you do, and you invest there, good luck. Besides, Eastern Europe was negative anyway.
Well, without dragging this out, the Middle East and Asia are negative as well. If interested, you can see all the results here.
Oh, almost forgot, the U.S. is down over 3% (the S&P).
This looks pretty dismal, doesn't it. But would you have known this by reading or listening to the major media? All I've been hearing is about how this number or that indicator has "exceeded" expectations. I also keep reading about how the next meeting of European leaders holds some sort of "promise" of a happy resolution to their crisis.
These same people - the major media that is - neglected to report (in any clear, substantive way) the senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which gives the government the right to imprison American citizens without the right of Habeas Corpus. The last time that right was suspended (officially) was the Civil War, under Abraham Lincoln. After the war ended, the right - a cornerstone of our liberties as established by the U.S. Constitution - was restored.
So maybe my feeling a bit perplexed these days isn't just that Christmas is coming and my mind isn't focused on my work so well. Maybe it's that things really are starting to fray at the edges - or worse.
Well, this is no time to dwell on such things. Christmas indeed arrives in just a few days. So let's suspend all this worry and concern and just celebrate this great Christmas Season. There will be plenty of time to get back to the pressing concerns of the day when the New Year rolls in.
Meanwhile, do yourself a favor and make up your mind to wean yourself off the major media, if you haven't already done so. You'll thank me someday if you do.
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