After 2018, don’t be fooled by quiet start for stock markets

Last year turned out to be an uncertain, volatile and generally difficult one for equity market investors, writes Jim Power.

By year end, the Dow Jones had shed 5.9%, the S&P 500 had shed 6.6%, but the real damage occurred in Europe, where the German Dax lost 18.3% of its value, the Ftse-100 lost 12.5%, and the French market shed almost 11%.