Many of the big winners included in the S&P 500 index from 2020 are companies firmly rooted in the technology sector. The obvious big winner is Tesla, whose share price increased by 7.5 times for a variety of reasons. While the increase in Tesla stocks (arguably) does not have a direct connection to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a look at many of the other companies in this list indicates a clear link. Online retailers such as Amazon and Etsy saw large increases in their stock price, along with companies who provide crucial parts of infrastructure necessary for online shopping such as PayPal and FedEx. Given the closure of brick and mortar stores in many parts of the world due to the pandemic, the causation here is evident. Similarly, computer chip manufactures NVIDIA and AMD saw returns of 100 percent or more, likely due both to the shift to remote working necessitated by the pandemic, as well as the global increase in playing video games resulting from the unavailability of many other activities.

As of November 14, 2021, all S&P 500 sector indices had recovered to levels above those of January 2020, prior to full economic effects of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic taking hold. However, different sectors recovered at different rates to sit at widely different levels above their pre-pandemic levels. This suggests that the effect of the coronavirus on financial markets in the United States is directly affected by how the virus has impacted various parts of the underlying economy. Which industry performed the best during the coronavirus pandemic? Companies operating in the information technology (IT) sector have been the clear winners from the pandemic, with the IT S&P 500 sector index sitting at almost ** percent above early 2020 levels as of November 2021. This is perhaps not surprising given this industry includes some of the companies who benefitted the most from the pandemic such as ************** and *******. The reason for these companies’ success is clear – as shops were shuttered and social gatherings heavily restricted due to the pandemic, online services such shopping and video streaming were in high demand. The success of the IT sector is also reflected in the performance of global share markets during the coronavirus pandemic, with tech-heavy NASDAQ being the best performing major market worldwide. Which industry performed the worst during the pandemic? Conversely, energy companies fared the worst during the pandemic, with the S&P 500 sector index value sitting below its early 2020 value as late as July 2021. Since then it has somewhat recovered, and was around ** percent above January 2020 levels as of October 2021. This reflects the fact that many oil companies were among the share prices suffering the largest declines over 2020. A primary driver for this was falling demand for fuel in line with the reduction in tourism and commuting caused by lockdowns all over the world. However, as increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates throughout 2021 led to lockdowns being lifted and global tourism reopening, demand has again risen - reflected by the recent increase in the S&P 500 energy index.

Analysis of ‘MasterCard Stock Data - Latest and Updated’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://www.kaggle.com/kalilurrahman/mastercard-stock-data-latest-and-updated on 12 November 2021.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Mastercard_2019_logo.svg/195px-Mastercard_2019_logo.svg.png" alt="Mastercard">

Mastercard Inc. (stylized as MasterCard from 1979 to 2016 and MasterCard since 2016) is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in the Mastercard International Global Headquarters in Purchase, New York. The Global Operations Headquarters is located in O'Fallon, Missouri, a municipality of St. Charles County, Missouri. Throughout the world, its principal business is to process payments between the banks of merchants and the card-issuing banks or credit unions of the purchasers who use the "Mastercard" brand debit, credit, and prepaid cards to make purchases. Mastercard Worldwide has been a publicly traded company since 2006. Prior to its initial public offering, Mastercard Worldwide was a cooperative owned by the more than 25,000 financial institutions that issue its branded cards.

Mastercard, originally known as Interbank from 1966 to 1969 and Master Charge from 1969 to 1979, was created by an alliance of several regional bank card associations in response to the BankAmericard issued by Bank of America, which later became the Visa credit card issued by Visa Inc.

Mastercard is one of the best performing stocks of the decade of 2011-2020

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

The main stock market index of United States, the US500, rose to 6327 points on July 23, 2025, gaining 0.27% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 3.85% and is up 16.57% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from United States. United States Stock Market Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

The latest closing stock price for Microsoft as of June 18, 2025 is 480.24. An investor who bought $1,000 worth of Microsoft stock at the IPO in 1986 would have $8,056,718 today, roughly 8,057 times their original investment - a 25.94% compound annual growth rate over 39 years. The all-time high Microsoft stock closing price was 480.24 on June 18, 2025. The Microsoft 52-week high stock price is 481.00, which is 0.2% above the current share price. The Microsoft 52-week low stock price is 344.79, which is 28.2% below the current share price. The average Microsoft stock price for the last 52 weeks is 422.77. For more information on how our historical price data is adjusted see the Stock Price Adjustment Guide.

While the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused all major stock market indices to fall sharply in March 2020, both the extent of the decline at this time, and the shape of the subsequent recovery, have varied greatly. For example, on March 15, 2020, major European markets and traditional stocks in the United States had shed around 40 percent of their value compared to January 5, 2020. However, Asian markets and the NASDAQ Composite Index only shed around 20 to 25 percent of their value. A similar story can be seen with the post-coronavirus recovery. As of November 14, 2021 the NASDAQ composite index value was around 65 percent higher than in January 2020, while most other markets were only between 20 and 40 percent higher.

Why did the NASDAQ recover the quickest?

Based in New York City, the NASDAQ is famously considered a proxy for the technology industry as many of the world’s largest technology industries choose to list there. And it just so happens that technology was the sector to perform the best during the coronavirus pandemic. Accordingly, many of the largest companies who benefitted the most from the pandemic such as Amazon, PayPal and Netflix, are listed on the NADSAQ, helping it to recover the fastest of the major stock exchanges worldwide.

Which markets suffered the most?

The energy sector was the worst hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, oil companies share prices suffered large declines over 2020 as demand for oil plummeted while workers found themselves no longer needing to commute, and the tourism industry ground to a halt. In addition, overall share prices in two major stock exchanges – the London Stock Exchange (as represented by the FTSE 100 index) and Hong Kong (as represented by the Hang Seng index) – have notably recovered slower than other major exchanges. However, in both these, the underlying issue behind the slower recovery likely has more to do with political events unrelated to the coronavirus than it does with the pandemic – namely Brexit and general political unrest, respectively.

In the first quarter of 2020, global stock indices posted substantial losses that were triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19. The period from March 6 to 18 was particularly dramatic, with several stock indices losing more than ** percent of their value. Worldwide panic hits markets From the United States to the United Kingdom, stock market indices suffered steep falls as the coronavirus pandemic created economic uncertainty. The Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 are two indices that track company performance in the United States, and both lost value as lockdowns were introduced in the country. European markets also recorded significant slumps, which triggered panic selling among investors. The FTSE 100 – the leading share index of companies in the UK – plunged by as much as ** percent in the opening weeks of March 2020. Is it time to invest in tech stocks? The S&P 500 is regarded as the best representation of the U.S. economy because it includes more companies from the leading industries. However, helped in no small part by its focus on tech companies, the Nasdaq 100 has risen in popularity and seen remarkable growth in recent years. Global demand for digital technologies has increased further due to the coronavirus, with remote working and online shopping becoming part of the new normal. As a result, more investors are likely to switch to the tech stocks listed on the Nasdaq 100.

Russia's main stock market index, the MOEX, rose to 2826 points on July 22, 2025, gaining 0.14% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 2.39%, though it remains 6.64% lower than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Russia. Russia Stock Market Index MOEX CFD - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Amazon.com, Inc. was the best performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index in the fourth quarter of 2024. Over that period, its stock price rose more than **** percent. In 2020, most companies lost value in the first quarter as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but had largely recovered by the mid-year point. What is the DJIA? The DJIA is an index of 30 leading companies in the United States. Founded it 1885, it is one of the most indicators of sentiments on the financial markets. Many analysts follow indices such as the DJIA or the S&P 500 on a monthly or daily basis to have a better idea of how the stock market is doing at a given moment. The benefit of tracking markets The business cycle refers to the idea that the economy goes through a cyclic process of expansion and contraction. Stock market indices such as the DJIA can provide information on the timing of the next contraction, or recession. Investors try to use this and other data to predict the performance of sectors, or even single stocks. Of course, there is always a risk of choosing the stocks which don’t perform well.

United Kingdom's main stock market index, the GB100, rose to 9138 points on July 24, 2025, gaining 0.85% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 4.81% and is up 11.63% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from United Kingdom. United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Canada's main stock market index, the TSX, rose to 27416 points on July 23, 2025, gaining 0.19% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 2.61% and is up 21.10% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Canada. Canada Stock Market Index (TSX) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Nigeria's main stock market index, the NSE-All Share, rose to 133063 points on July 24, 2025, gaining 0.38% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 9.74% and is up 32.85% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Nigeria. Nigeria Stock Market NSE - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

The value of the DJIA index amounted to ****** at the end of June 2025, up from ********* at the end of March 2020. Global panic about the coronavirus epidemic caused the drop in March 2020, which was the worst drop since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Dow Jones Industrial Average index – additional information The Dow Jones Industrial Average index is a price-weighted average of 30 of the largest American publicly traded companies on New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and includes companies like Goldman Sachs, IBM and Walt Disney. This index is considered to be a barometer of the state of the American economy. DJIA index was created in 1986 by Charles Dow. Along with the NASDAQ 100 and S&P 500 indices, it is amongst the most well-known and used stock indexes in the world. The year that the 2018 financial crisis unfolded was one of the worst years of the Dow. It was also in 2008 that some of the largest ever recorded losses of the Dow Jones Index based on single-day points were registered. On September 29, 2008, for instance, the Dow had a loss of ****** points, one of the largest single-day losses of all times. The best years in the history of the index still are 1915, when the index value increased by ***** percent in one year, and 1933, year when the index registered a growth of ***** percent.

Malaysia's main stock market index, the FKLCI, rose to 1525 points on July 23, 2025, gaining 0.35% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 0.69%, though it remains 5.95% lower than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Malaysia. Malaysia Stock Market (FBM KLCI) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Australia's main stock market index, the ASX200, fell to 8703 points on July 24, 2025, losing 0.39% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 1.68% and is up 10.71% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Australia. Australia Stock Market Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Silver fell to 39.18 USD/t.oz on July 23, 2025, down 0.31% from the previous day. Over the past month, Silver's price has risen 9.07%, and is up 35.61% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Silver - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

As of April 2025, the Hang Seng Index at the Hong Kong Exchange amounted to ********* points. After the outbreak of COVID-19, the index dropped as part of a broader Pan-Asian trend. However, by the end of 2020, when the pandemic situation stabilized in many countries and news about a vaccine rollout came out, the Hang Seng Index recovered and recorded significant increases every month. Index composition The Hang Seng Index is the most prominent indicator of stock performance on the Hong Kong Exchange. By including the 50 largest companies, the index represents the market movements of more than half of the bourse’s market capitalization. In addition to that, the Hang Seng Index has numerous smaller indices which mirror smaller industries or market sections. The Hang Seng Composite Index One example of a sub-index is the Hang Seng Composite Index. It reflects the performance of the top 95 percentile of the total market capitalization. The financial industry accounted for the largest share of companies included in the index, followed by the information technology sector. Prominent companies represented in the index are Tencent, AIA, and Meituan.

The price of Tesla shares traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange remained rather stable between July 2010 and January 2020. With the beginning of 2020, the price of Tesla share increased dramatically and stood at ****** U.S. dollars per share in November 2021. Since then, the price of Tesla share fluctuated significantly and reached its peak at ****** U.S. dollars per share in December 2024, before falling dramatically in February 2025. Why did Tesla's stock value go up in 2020? Despite the effects of the pandemic, Tesla share prices experienced a massive increase in 2020. Tesla kept increasing its output levels throughout the year, except for the second quarter, and released its new vehicle Tesla Model Y. Additionally, when the company was added to the S&P 500 index in August 2020, it instilled further trust in investors. In 2020, Tesla was the top-performing stock on the S&P 500 index, and two years later, in 2024, it ranked among the ten largest companies on the index by market capitalization. Steady growth in the last decade Founded in 2003, Tesla primarily focuses on designing and producing electric vehicles, as well as energy generation and storage systems. Since then, Tesla's revenue has steadily increased, reaching nearly ** million U.S. dollars in 2024. Most of the revenue came from automotive sales in 2024. Tesla's first electric car, the Roadster, was sold between 2008 and 2012. Currently, the company offers four primary electric vehicles: Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X.

The S&P/ASX 200 index, the most prominent index of stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), lost over one fifth of its value between the end of February and the end of March 2020, owing to the economic impact of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It has since recovered, and surpassed its pre-corona level in April 2021. Despite fluctuations, it reached its highest value in January 2025 at 8532.3 during this period.The S&P/ASX 200 index is considered the benchmark index for the Australian share market and contains the 200 largest companies listed on the ASX.

In 2023, Attijariwafa Bank was the largest company and financial institution in Morocco based on market capitalization. Its outstanding shares had a market value of around 15.63 billion U.S. dollars. The following leading enterprise in Morocco was the telecommunication company, Maroc Telecom, which had a market capitalization of roughly 11.2 billion U.S. dollars, while Managem, a Moroccan mining company, was valued at 6.2 billion U.S. dollars. Morocco’s titans of industry: Attijariwafa Bank and Maroc Telecom Attijariwafa Bank was the largest company in Morocco in 2023. The financial institution showed a remarkable increase in net income from 2020 to 2023. Furthermore, Attijariwafa Bank had 4,788 bank branches in Morocco and numerous branches in several African regions. In its turn, Maroc Telecom was the second-largest company and preeminent telecommunications firm in Morocco and holds most telecommunication towers in the nation. In 2021, the annual revenue of Maroc Telecom stood at 35.8 billion Moroccan dirhams (around 3.55 billion U.S. dollars). However, it represented a decrease from the previous year, when the company recorded a peak revenue of 36.7 billion Moroccan dirhams (3.64 billion U.S. dollars). Expanding the perspective to the African continent Taking a step back to compare Africa’s leading companies of 2023, both Attijariwafa Bank and Maroc Telecom made it to the list, ranking 14th and 19th, respectively. In 2020, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, large companies in Africa primarily sought financial solutions from commercial banks. According to a survey, 60 percent of the companies surveyed reported using commercial banks as their primary funding source.