Winners and losers in global markets in 2016: U.S. stocks lead the way
For investors, 2016 was a year to bet big on America — and ignore almost everything else.
Global markets are closing out the year with U.S. stocks as the best-performing investments, except for a few outliers. Likewise, the dollar remains king of the world’s currencies, a boon for American purchasing power.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest winners, losers and laggards in financial markets as 2016 ends.
Winner: U.S. stocks
Earning double-digit returns this year was as simple as sitting tight with a diversified American stock portfolio — basically, the same strategy that has worked most of the time since this bull market began in March 2009.
The blue-chip-dominated Standard & Poor’s 500 index, the benchmark for many retirement…
