Indian stocks best performers across the world in 2009 so far

Indian stocks have emerged as the best performers among those in the emerging and the developed markets across the globe so far this giving investors the highest return of nearly 60 per cent. According to an analysis of MSCI Barra indices, a measure of returns from various stock markets across the world for foreign investors, Indian stocks have outperformed their global peers, including in the US, the UK and China in 2009 so far. Indian stocks have provided a return of 59.30 per cent year-to-date, against 34.37 per cent gains provided by MSCI Barra's emerging market index, covering all developing nations. Indian stocks have even outperformed all the developed world markets covered by MSCI Barra, as the markets in the US and the UK gave returns of just 2.33 per cent and 10.17 per cent, respectively, so far this year. Among the emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations, the Brazilian market was the closest competitor with gains of 56.89 per cent till June 26 this year. The Chinese and the Russian markets have given returns of 36.77 per cent and 41.61 per cent, respectively, in the year so far. The 30-share benchmark index of Indian stocks, Sensex, gained over 5,000 points in the year so far to settle at 14,764.64 points on June 26 compared to 9,600 levels on December 31, 2008.