ETF Performance Report – December 2008
December 31st at 3:06pm by Tom Lydon
The most tumultuous year for the markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs) has come to a quiet, but positive, close.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 2008 with a two-day winning streak, but was still down for the year by 33.8%. It was the Dow’s worst annual performance since 1931, when the Great Depression was in full force. The S&P 500 this year lost 38.5%, while the Nasdaq fell 40.5%.
For the month of December, the Dow was up 7.7%, S&P 500 closed up 10.7% and the Nasdaq rose 12.8%.
European markets gained about 20% this month. Asia rose about 16%, and Latin America gained about 14.9%. The top sector for the month was gold miners, which rose 50.6%. The weakest sector was oil, which lost 18.9%.
