Stockmarkets shrug off turbulence
Stockmarkets have hit their first bout of turbulence of the year, but most are clinging onto January’s gains.

The rampage of the Reddit bulls has made more conventional investors take cover. America’s S&P 500 had its worst week since October, closing down 1.9% last Friday. Perhaps most tellingly, the CBOE VIX volatility index, the stockmarket’s “fear gauge”, registered its biggest weekly gain since June last year. The index had stayed beneath 25 for most of the period since Biden’s election victory, but finished last week at 32.4.
For many institutional investors, the spectacle of “retail investors piling into particular stocks” and pushing prices to absurd levels brings back uncomfortable memories of the dotcom bubble, says Rupert Thompson of Kingswood. The drama helped global shares lose almost 4% last week, erasing their gains for the year so far.
The “skirmishes” between hedge funds and Reddit’s “vengeful legions” may have seized the headlines, but financially speaking the whole thing is a rounding error, says Cormac Mullen on Bloomberg. The shares being shorted in the likes of GameStop and other hedge-fund targets amount to “less than 0.001% of the $43trn stockmarket”, according to figures from Barclays. Yet with US equity valuations so high, anything that makes people forget their “greed and fear” and consider “prudence” is salutary.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Markets have hit their first bout of turbulence of the year, but most are clinging onto January’s gains. China’s CSI 300 is up by 4.4% so far this year, while America’s S&P 500 has climbed more than 3.5%. The major laggard has been Europe, where Germany’s DAX has gained just 0.7% for the year. After a strong start the FTSE 100 is marginally down. Therein lies opportunity: British stocks, as MoneyWeek often points out, are trading at a discount to their global peers, and are worth scooping up.
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
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.
-
8 of the best properties for sale with communal gardens
The best properties for sale with access to communal gardens – from an apartment in a listed building opposite London’s Hyde Park, to a wing of a mansion with access to 180 acres of parkland in Henley-upon-Thames
-
The five insurance policies you should have
Some insurance cover will be more important than others. We look at five insurance policies you may need to have to make sure you aren’t caught out in an emergency
-
The British railway industry is in rude health – here's why investors should jump aboard
The railway industry has bounced back from the devastating impact of the pandemic and is entering a new phase of development – and profitability
-
Infrastructure investing: a haven of stable growth amid market turmoil
From booming construction in emerging markets to digital and green transitions, the infrastructure sector offers security, returns and long-term opportunities
-
The costly myth of “sell in May”
Opinion May 2025's strong returns for US stocks have once again shown that putting too much weight on seasonal patterns will only make investors poorer, says Max King
-
Who’s driving Tesla?
As Elon Musk steps back from government with his eyes on the stars, investors ask if he’s still behind the wheel at his electric-car maker.
-
Investment opportunities in the world of Coca-Cola
There is far more to Coca-Cola than just one giant firm. The companies that bottle and distribute the ubiquitous soft drink are promising investments in their own right.
-
Streaming services are the new magic money tree for investors – but for how long?
Opinion Streaming services are in full bloom and laden with profits, but beware – winter is coming, warns Matthew Lynn
-
'Pension funds shouldn't be pushed into private equity sector'
Opinion The private-equity party is over, so don't push pension funds into the sector, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
-
Greg Abel: Warren Buffett’s heir takes the throne
Greg Abel is considered a safe pair of hands as he takes centre stage at Berkshire Hathaway. But he arrives after one of the hardest acts to follow in investment history, Warren Buffett. Can he thrive?