New Delhi

Global markets witnessed a lot of turbulence heading to this year. Geopolitical tensions and inflation concerns were at their peak. Cut to 6 months later, and the global markets have witnessed record highs. Asian stocks have breached multiple peaks, with India & Pakistan's stock markets leading the rally. US stocks are also at record highs. But what's driving this rally?

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The surge in tech stocks has bolstered the markets in 2024. While investors are still navigating interest rate dynamics, companies like Nvidia have soared exponentially, rising to over 150 per cent in the year. Reuters data shows that the MSCI's 47-country world stocks index has clocked up 11 per cent since January. Meanwhile, the top tech firms have surged 30 per cent. The magnificent seven alone has surged $8.3 trillion in the last 18 months. This contrasting jump explains the market's triumph.

This comes at a time when major economies have witnessed or are about to witness 'unexpected' elections. Election uncertainties have certainly caused market volatility, which has benefitted short-sellers as well. In Nvidia's recent $430 billion 3-day slump, short-sellers reportedly made $5 billion.

Gold and cryptocurrency shine

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Cocoa prices surged to record highs of $11,000 in the initial months of 2024. Since then, the prices have witnessed a downward trend, declining to a 2-year low.

But what shines is GOLD! The yellow metal has hit record highs in 2024. The demand for safe-haven assets has overall surged in 2024, with investors looking for safer bets amid volatility. 

Cryptocurrencies also made a comeback, with the approval of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). The prices broke multiple record highs as it cruised through the $70,000 mark.