Prospects for the second half

AROUND the world, major stock markets appear to be off their lows from the year’s first half. The big question – is this a fundamentally-backed sustainable rebound or simply a continuation of the volatility most of these markets have witnessed over the year?

The shaky end of the first half of the year was caused by a worsening euro debt crisis, a patchy set of economic data from industrialised countries and concerns about growth slowing down in China. Those concerns have not abetted and global investors are wondering if the stimulus-led economic recovery is set for another challenging time.