Stock markets gain in July

Stock markets around the world did well in July.

	30 June close	29 July close	Percent change
S&P 500	1,191.33	1,234.18	3.6
Nikkei 225	11,584.01	11,899.60	2.7
FTSE 100	5,113.20	5,282.30	3.3
DAX	4,586.28	4,886.50	6.5
CAC 40	4,229.35	4,451.74	5.3
Hang Seng	14,201.06	14,880.98	4.8
Straits Times	2,212.66	2,352.56	4.8
KOSPI	1,008.16	1,111.29	10.2

The S&P 500's gain is the best July gain since 1997, which incidentally was also a post-election year. Not that any of this necessarily means anything with regards to the likely future direction of the market.

I look at last month's performance by the Singapore stock market from both the economic as well as the long-term historical perspective in "Stocks fly in July".