Shanghai’s Stock Index Ends 2018 As The World’s Biggest Loser

SCMP: Shanghai’s stock index ends 2018 as the world’s biggest loser as trade war, slowing Chinese economy weigh on confidence

Shanghai’s stock benchmark ended 2018 as the world’s worst market performer for a second year, falling 24.6 per cent over 12 months as an unprecedented trade war between China and the United States weighed on the Chinese economy and crimped corporate earnings.

The city’s key stock index closed the year at 2,493.90, while the benchmark on the smaller Shenzhen bourse fell 33.2 per cent during the period to 1,267.87. The combined capitalisation of the two exchanges fell by US$2.4 trillion to 43.3 trillion yuan (US$6.3 trillion) during the year, overtaken by Tokyo as Asia’s largest equity market.

“The stock market is often the barometer of a nation’s economic health, and the weakness in China’s A-share market reflects the serious troubles in the Chinese economy,” said Li Wenhui, an analyst for Huatai United Securities.

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WNU Editor: The media's focus has been on the turbulence of the U.S. markets. But the real damage has been in the Chinese markets. To put it bluntly, this trade war with the U.S. is scaring the political and economic elites in China.