Global Listed Stocks Market Cap Surpasses $100 Trillion... 'First Time Ever'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] The market capitalization of listed stocks traded on the global stock market has surpassed 100 trillion dollars.

According to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 20th, based on data from the financial information provider 'Quick Fact Set,' the global market capitalization of listed stocks reached 100.1872 trillion dollars (approximately 11 quadrillion won) as of the 18th.

This represents a 17% increase compared to the end of last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of the 18th, the global market capitalization of listed stocks exceeded the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s estimate of this year's global nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP, 83 trillion dollars) by more than 20%.

At the beginning of the year, due to the global spread of COVID-19, the market experienced a sharp decline, and in March, the market capitalization fell to 59 trillion dollars. However, the trend reversed sharply upward as governments and central banks around the world implemented large-scale fiscal policies and monetary easing to expand liquidity supply.

Additionally, expectations for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines contributed to the market capitalization soaring to unprecedented heights.

By industry, since the end of last year, the market capitalization of technology services such as software surged 57%, ranking first among major industries in terms of growth rate.

Durable consumer goods, including automobiles and games, which benefited from growing expectations for electric vehicles (EVs), followed with a 47% increase in market capitalization.

The market capitalization of healthcare-related stocks also increased by 28%, placing them among the top performers.

On the other hand, the energy sector recorded the largest decline in market capitalization, down 17%. The energy sector faced negative factors such as forecasts of weak demand for petroleum products due to reduced human mobility and logistics caused by COVID-19, and a trend emphasizing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles.

Furthermore, the financial sector's market capitalization decreased by 5% due to reduced profitability amid the global low-interest-rate trend resulting from large-scale monetary easing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.