How did emerging markets perform in 2024?

Emerging markets underperformed their developed counterparts in 2024, but there are signs of recovery. We look at tthe key trends shaping these markets

FOREX graph hologram, aerial night panoramic cityscape of Bangkok
(Image credit: Getty Images)

In a year when US tech stocks made the running, emerging markets (EMs) again underperformed their developed counterparts. But some green shoots are starting to sprout. The benchmark MSCI EM index was up 8% for the year to mid-December – underwhelming compared with the near-19% gain for the equivalent developed-markets index, but the performance gap is smaller than 2023, and much better than the 22% plunge during 2022.

Why have emerging markets underperformed?

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Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.