2014 has been an interesting year, to say the least.
Neil Shearing, Chief Emerging Markets Economist of Capital Economics believes that Russia is “staring down the barrel of a deep recession” while deriding the sanctions imposed on it by the West. Talking of recession, the Eurozone is an ongoing crisis that will be grabbing headlines in 2015. In the summer of this year, a barrel of Brent crude was changing hands at $115. It can now be obtained for half that price. Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip, China and Japan have been sabre-rattling over islands, and jihadists rose to claim territory in Iraq and Syria.
Despite such global tensions dominating investor mood, the domestic equity market scaled new highs. The growth cycle has moved from slowdown to a recovery mode, though whether or not growth picks up will depend on the government’s reform-based approach.
Most equity funds outperformed their benchmarks and delivered handsome returns, some even upwards of 90% in some cases. Here we list the winners and the losers. The performance numbers are as on December 26, 2014. The portfolios are on November 30, 2014.
The Winners
The Losers