The Stoxx 600 hit 16-month lows and is about to record the worst half since the 2008 crash.
European stocks started the session colored red, refreshing their February 2021 “benchmark” lows, fueled by fears of a possible recession, fueled by statements by US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in the US Senate.
The Stoxx 600 lost 1.25% to 400.68 points. Of the 20 sectors included in the index, energy and mining companies are suffering losses due to falling prices for oil and other raw materials. The European benchmark par excellence has already lost 19% since its peak in January, so it is one step away from a bear market.
The benchmark is even set to record the worst half since the 2008 financial crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine and hawkish central bank monetary policy to curb inflation, the world’s biggest monetary crisis, according to a Bloomberg report. tightening of the movement since the 2000s.
However, some strategists believe that part of the losses can be won back. The Stoxx 600 should end the year at 467 points, up 14% from Tuesday, according to Bloomberg’s mid-month forecast of 15.
“Now there are interesting opportunities in the medium term. The situation remains the same, but it seems that the market is starting to learn to live with it as it looks for a fund,” defended Diego Fernandez, investment director of A&G Banca Privada. in Madrid, according to Bloomberg.
In other European markets, the focus is on London, which lost 1.02% on the day of celebrations of the sixth anniversary of the Brexit referendum in 2016. After this event, the British FTSE index has already fallen by 8.7%, but now everything can change. that the London benchmark is doing better than some of its peers this year.
Madrid loses 1.29%, Frankfurt 1.40%, Paris 1.29% and Amsterdam 1.25%. Milan fell 1.43%, while Portugal posted the most timid drop in the block (0.76%).
