Despite the strong recovery recorded in December, 2016 ended negatively for the markets. To say it is the report of Assosim on the annual data relating to the transactions carried out by its Associates, according to which the value traded on the equity and bond markets collapsed: MTA (-22,50%), MOT (-22,28%), EUROTLX (-17,80% ), HIMTF (-26,58%), while the main stock indexes recorded a decline: the FTSE Italia Mib Storico decreased by 7,60%, the FTSE Mib by 10,20%.
In contrast to the general decline are the FTSE Italia Star, which grows by 4,20%, or the countervalues of the ETFPlus market, which rise by 3,25% against, however, an increase of 41,57% in 2015 or contracts traded on the IDEM market recorded positive changes in all Equity segments, continuing to benefit from the high volatility.
The total value of trades on the Borsa Italiana stock market, equal in absolute value to 624 billion eurosand, as mentioned, decreased by 22,50% compared to the same period of 2015, while the number of contracts traded, equal to 75 million, increased by 6,14%.
Macroeconomic trend and prospects
The political events that occurred during the year weighed heavily on the markets. The first half of 2016 was characterized by heightened volatility caused by fears of a slowdown in the Chinese economy and by the outcome of the referendum in the United Kingdom.
The second semester, on the other hand, will be remembered for the rejection of the Italian constitutional referendum, with all that followed, and for Trump's victory in the US elections. Despite the fears on the eve, these last two appointments did not have negative consequences on the performance of the financial markets, which, on the contrary, recorded a recovery in the last part of the year.
As regards the prospects for 2017, the economic policy proposals of the newly elected President Trump will influence the performance of the financial markets and, consequently, will also condition the monetary policy choices of the Fed and the other Central Banks.
