The global stock market
Winners:
A clear winner this year is the New York Stock Exchange, where the S&P 500 index is up more than 25 percent. Companies in the tech sector have developed strongly and contributed to the index increase. Semiconductor giant Nvidia is up nearly 170 percent since the turn of the year. Tesla and Meta, Facebook's owner, have both almost doubled in value.
Losers:
But not all the world's stock markets have done well. The Paris Stock Exchange's CAC40 index has fallen slightly since the turn of the year. This is explained by the fact that several French companies in the luxury sector, such as LVMH and Kering, have done poorly due to weak demand, including in China. The Copenhagen Stock Exchange is also down this year, following the crash of Novo Nordisk just before Christmas.
Stockholm Stock Exchange
Winners:
Among the biggest winners in Stockholm are Lundin Gold, which has soared nearly 90 percent due to the rising gold price. Another winner is defense conglomerate Saab, which has risen 50 percent with the help of the tense global situation and the fact that more and more countries are now rearming.
Losers:
Intrum, Sinch, and SSAB. This trio of stocks has been a nightmare investment in a stock portfolio in 2024. In SSAB's case, it's about the steel price falling sharply due to the economic downturn. But worst of all has been Intrum, which has plummeted 60 percent.
Commodities
Winners:
For those who are tired of the stock market, there are investments elsewhere that have been successful. The cocoa price has soared in 2024 and is up 200 percent due to production disruptions in West Africa. A similar situation for coffee beans has pushed the price up 75 percent, to the highest level since the 1970s. Another winner is orange juice, where the weather has affected the harvest, contributing to a price increase of 65 percent.
Losers:
Two commodities stand out: wheat and soybeans. The wheat price has fallen due to good harvests in the US, among other places. Soybeans, also known as "The King of Beans", have fallen sharply as a result of large harvests, as well as Brazil - the world's largest producer - seeing its currency lose value. The price of soybeans has fallen 26 percent, while the wheat price is down about 14 percent.
Metals
Winners:
Gold and silver share first place. Both have risen sharply during the year, with gold at the top with an increase of 27 percent. Behind the upswing lies the uncertain geopolitical situation, where gold and silver are seen as "safe" investments. Additionally, many central banks have increased their gold purchases as a safety buffer.
Losers:
The weak development in the electric car industry has in turn caused lithium, used in battery manufacturing, to fall and is down. The worst is steel, which has lost 21 percent due to concerns about low economic growth and lower demand.
Cryptocurrencies
Winners: Actually, all major variants are winners. For the most well-known, bitcoin, the development in recent months has pointed sharply upwards. Hopes that Donald Trump as president in the US will facilitate cryptocurrencies have made bitcoin cross the boundary of one million Swedish kronor in the fall, and soon after the "magical" level of 100,000 dollars. Since the turn of the year, the increase against the Swedish krona is around 140 percent.
