International stock exchanges begin 2026 with clear signs of a change in the center of gravity of the global financial market.
After years in which Wall Street set the pace, the first data of the year indicate that The United States is no longer the only driver of stock market gains.
At the end of 2025, many analysts predicted that, after a long appreciation phase, markets would continue to rise, but with more moderate gains and greater volatility.
The dominant recommendation was to diversification between sectors, asset classes and regions — a strategy that proved to be the right one in the first weeks of the new year, highlights the .
Since the end of December, the North American index S&P 500 it presents slight drop. In contrast, the MSCI World ex USA accumulates appreciation of around 6%, while the MSCI Asia rises approximately 10%, reinforcing Asia’s protagonism.
A Asia can answer for approx. 60% of world economic growth in 2026according to the International Monetary Fund, driven by the weight of its technologies in the artificial intelligence revolution and by pro-market reforms in countries such as Japan and South Korea.
O Nikkei 225, main index of the Tokyo stock exchange, is already advancing more than 9% since January, surpassing 56 thousand points — one of the best starts to a year in decades. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s victory in early elections consolidated an expansionist agenda that could strengthen domestic demand and stabilize the bond market.
In China, the CSI 300 benefited from fiscal stimulus and structural reforms. After climbing 17% in 2025, analysts project new appreciation in 2026, confirming the growing Asian centrality in global markets.
