Coronavirus: the best and worst stocks across the globe

The information in this article is based on company share price return in the first half (H1) 2020. We’ve looked at these companies by sector, and some sectors have performed better than others according to the geographic location. We’ve also looked at the overall sector performance in terms of average share price return for each index.¹

To finish, we analysed the sectors that could perform the best and worst in H2 2020 and beyond, based on the sectors that historically perform well during a recession, and those that historically perform well immediately after.

Global best and worst stocks in H1 2020

Below, you’ll see tables showing the best and worst performing companies according to share price return in H1 2020.

Best performing global stocks in H1 2020

Worst performing global stocks in H1 2020

Select a country from the list below to learn more about its best and worst performing stocks during the Covid-19 pandemic. Scroll to the end of each section to get the data for the best and worst performing sectors in that country.

• UK
• US
• Australia
• Singapore
• Japan
• France
• Spain

UK stocks: best and worst performers

For UK stocks, we looked at the performance of the constituents of the FTSE All-Share index. The FTSE All-Share contains around 600 of the more than 2000 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, including all constituents of the FTSE 100, 250 and Small Cap indices.

Performance of FTSE stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the FTSE All-Share were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the FTSE All-Share in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for FTSE All-Share stocks

Using the wider list of companies on the FTSE All-Share,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was healthcare, and the worst was energy.

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US stocks: best and worst performers

For US stocks, we looked at the performance of companies listed on the S&P 500. The S&P 500 is an index that tracks the performance of the 500 largest companies listed on the numerous stock exchanges in the US.

Performance of S&P 500 stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the S&P 500 were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the S&P 500 in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for S&P 500 stocks

Considering the wider list of constituent companies on the S&P 500,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was healthcare, and the worst was energy.

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Australian stocks: best and worst performers

For Australian stocks, we looked at the performance of the companies listed on the ASX 200. The ASX 200 measures the performance of the 200 largest companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Performance of ASX 200 stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the ASX 200 were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the ASX 200 in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for ASX 200 stocks

Across the wider list of ASX 200 constituents,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was information technology, and the worst was energy.

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Singapore stocks: best and worst performers

For companies in Singapore, we chose to look at the share price performance of the constituents of the Straits Times Index (STI). This index tracks the performance of the top 30 companies listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Performance of STI stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the STI were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the STI in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for STI stocks

Considering data for the wider list of STI constituents,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was real estate, and the worst was industrials. To be clear, at the time of writing (25 August 2020) the STI did not include any companies from the energy, healthcare, materials or utilities sectors, so those categories have not been included in the table below.

Returns marked by an asterisk are representative of only one company in that sector, because there were no other companies in that category listed on the STI at the time of writing.

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Japanese stocks: best and worst performers

For Japanese stocks, we looked at the constituents of the Topix index – which tracks the performance of domestic Japanese companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Performance of Topix stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the Topix were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the Topix in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for Topix stocks

Using data for the wider list of Topix constituents,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was consumer staples, and the worst was real estate.

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French stocks: best and worst performers

For French stocks, we looked at the performance of the constituents of the CAC 40. This index tracks the performance of the 40 most significant companies of the 100 listed on Euronext Paris.

Performance of CAC 40 stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the CAC 40 were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the CAC 40 in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for CAC 40 stocks

Looking at the wider list of companies on the CAC 40,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was healthcare, and the worst was real estate. Values marked by an asterisk are representative of only one company, because there was only one company in that sector listed on the CAC 40 at the time of writing.

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Spanish stocks: best and worst performers

For Spanish stocks, we looked at the IBEX 35 which is comprised of the 35 most liquid Spanish companies traded on the Bolsa de Madrid – Spain’s main stock exchange.

Performance of IBEX 35 stocks in H1 2020

From 31 December 2019 to 30 June 2020, the 10 best performing stocks on the IBEX 35 were:

The 10 worst performing stocks on the IBEX 35 in the same period were:

Sector performance on average share price return for IBEX 35 stocks

For the wider list of companies on the IBEX 35,¹ the best performing sector on the index in terms of average share price return in H1 2020 was consumer staples, and the worst was energy. Values marked by an asterisk are representative of only one company, since there was only one company in that sector listed on the IBEX 35 at the time of writing.

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What next for stocks?

If we look at the business cycle, it might help to explain what might happen to stocks going forward. There are four stages of the business cycle: the early cycle, the mid cycle, the late cycle and recession.

Currently, many countries are already in or are about to be in recession. This is a period of economic contraction, and it often follows the late cycle in which economic activity reaches its peak. The stocks that historically perform well during a recession are those of utility, healthcare and consumer staples companies.

These opportunities can be considered ‘defensive stocks’, which are usually more resistant to the negative effects of recession. They are also considered to be less cyclical than other opportunities like shares in real estate, information technology, industrials, and communication services companies.

Alternatively, stocks that typically perform badly during a recession present an opportunity to go short and profit from share prices declining.

Looking ahead, stocks that have historically performed well post-recession are those that experience gains during the ‘early cycle’ stage of the business cycle. These include financials, real estate, consumer discretionary, industrials, materials and information technology.

Please note that the business cycle is a hypothesis – it is not always certain which stocks will perform well during or after a recession, and the economic situation brought about by Covid-19 is unprecedented in recent memory.

As previously mentioned with strong stocks during a recession, stocks that typically perform badly post-recession could also present an opportunity to go short and profit from share prices declining.

You can trade these stocks with CFDs, or you can trade options on many of the indices that we've listed here.

Footnotes

¹ For this article, trusts and other companies that fall into multiple sectors were not included for sector average share price return comparisons.