SEATTLE, WA — (Marketwire) — 05/04/12 — Country constituents within the Russell Developed Europe Index have demonstrated a wide range of performances year-to-date as of April 30th, stretching from +20.0% for Denmark to (-16.5%) for Spain, as elections approach later this week in France, Greece and the United Kingdom.
Year-to-date performance for the constituents of the Russell Developed Europe Index through April 30th, 2012:
The United Kingdom, where the London Mayoral, local government and other elections are being held on Thursday, returned +9.6% year-to-date as of April 30th, more than two percent above the Russell Developed Europe Index for the same time period.
France, which will see the second and final round of the presidential election this weekend, returned +4.2% year-to-date as of April 30th, more than three percentage points below the Russell Developed Europe Index for the same time period.
Greece, which is preparing for parliamentary elections this weekend, returned +8.6% year-to-date as of April 30th, more than a percentage point above the Russell Developed Europe Index for the same time period.
“Despite attempts by the ECB to solve problems within the Eurozone, concerns still remain over countries such as Spain and Portugal and even the UK as it slipped back into recession as governments- struggle to strike a balance between austerity and producing economic growth,” said James Barber, portfolio manager at Russell Investments. “With markets in the UK, Greece and France up to date this year, we will watch with interest to see how they respond to the election results or whether this has already been priced in. The various political and economic pressures on markets lead to such volatility and uncertainty that investors may benefit from multi asset portfolios using a range of asset classes and strategies.”
Nothing contained in this material is intended to constitute legal, tax, securities or investment advice, nor an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investments, nor a solicitation of any type. The general information contained in this publication should not be acted upon without obtaining specific legal, tax and investment advice from a licensed professional.
Investments that are allocated across multiple types of securities may be exposed to a variety of risks based on the asset classes, investment styles market sectors, and size of companies preferred by the investment managers. Investors should consider how the combined risks impact their total investment portfolio and understand that different risks can lead to varying financial consequences, including loss of principal.
Diversification does not assure a profit and does not protect against loss in declining markets.
Opinions expressed by Mr. Barber reflect market performance and observations as of April 30, 2012 and are subject to change at anytime based on market or other conditions without notice. Please remember that past performance does not guarantee future performance.
The Russell Global Index includes more than 10,000 securities in 48 countries and covers 98% of the investable global market. All securities in the index are classified according to size, region, country and sector. Daily Returns for the main components are available here:
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