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 Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index dropped around 8,000 points in the four weeks from February 12 to March 11, 2020, but has since recovered and peaked at 44,910.65 points as of November 24, 2024. In February 2020 - just prior to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the DJIA index stood at a little over 29,000 points. U.S. markets suffer as virus spreads The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a turbulent period for stock markets – the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also recorded dramatic drops. At the start of February, some analysts remained optimistic that the outbreak would ease. However, the increased spread of the virus started to hit investor confidence, prompting a record plunge in the stock markets. The Dow dropped by more than 3,500 points in the week from February 21 to February 28, which was a fall of 12.4 percent – its worst percentage loss in a week since October 2008. Stock markets offer valuable economic insights The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a stock market index that monitors the share prices of the 30 largest companies in the United States. By studying the performance of the listed companies, analysts can gauge the strength of the domestic economy. If investors are confident in a company’s future, they will buy its stocks. The uncertainty of the coronavirus sparked fears of an economic crisis, and many traders decided that investment during the pandemic was too risky.

VIX data for US and Europe

As of January 29, 2025, the FTSE index stood at ******** points - well above its average value of around ***** points in the past few years.On the 12th of March 2020, amid the escalating crisis surrounding the coronavirus and fears of a global recession, the FTSE 100 suffered the second largest one day crash in its history and the biggest since the 1987 market crash. On the 23rd of March, the FTSE index saw its lowest value this year to date at ******** but has since began a tentative recovery. With the continuation of the pandemic, the FTSE 100 index was making a tentative recovery between late March 2020 and early June 2020. Since then the FSTE 100 index had plateaued towards the end of July, before starting a tentative upward trend in November. FTSE 100 The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, otherwise known as the FTSE 100 Index is a share index of the 100 largest companies trading on the London Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. At the end of March 2024, the largest company trading on the LSE was Shell. The largest ever initial public offering (IPO) on the LSE was Glencore International plc. European stock exchanges While nearly every country in Europe has a stock exchange, only five are considered major, and have a market capital of over one trillion U.S dollars. European stock exchanges make up two of the top ten major stock markets in the world. Europe’s biggest stock exchange is the Euronext which combines seven markets based in Belgium, France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal.

The three most concentrated industries in the U.S. as of 2017, in terms of the market share controlled by the top four firms in the industry, were information services, transportation and warehousing, and the utilities sector. Despite fears of growing market concentration in the U.S., none of these industries have a market share for their top four firms of greater than 30 percent. Industries which benefit from economies of scale and network effects tend to be the most concentrated in terms of market share, while industries which are more localized such as construction or accommodation and food services come towards the bottom of the list.

Australia's main stock market index, the ASX200, fell to 8675 points on July 23, 2025, losing 0.03% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 1.39% and is up 8.93% 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.

The total market capitalization of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) took a large hit during the early months of 2020, due mostly part to a mass sell-off of shares caused by the fears surrounding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Between December 2019 and March 2020, the total value of market capitalization decreased by more than *** billion British pounds (GBP). The overall number of companies currently trading has also been falling. The number of daily trades spiked in March 2020 and then decreased as well. As of February 2025, the total market value of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange stood at over **** trillion British pounds. European stock exchanges While almost every country has a stock Exchange, in Europe only five exchanges are considered major, with total market capital amounting to over *** trillion euros. The London Stock Exchange is the second largest in Europe and tenth largest worldwide. As of January 2025, Europe’s largest stock exchange, Euronext had a total market capital of listed companies valued at approximately **** trillion U.S. dollars.

Credit card processors and money transferring companies have witnessed substantial growth fueled by an expanding adoption of electronic payments. Recent trends show a remarkable increase in electronic transactions, with more businesses embracing a credit card-friendly approach. This has directly contributed to burgeoning revenue streams for providers. The heightened use of debit and credit cards, along with solid economic growth that has bolstered consumer spending and per capita disposable income, underpin this upward trajectory. Additionally, digitization trends, accelerated by the push towards e-commerce, have further cemented the integration of cards in everyday transactions, demonstrating the industry's resilience and adaptability to evolving market demands. Shifting economic conditions have significantly impacted revenue volatility for credit card processors and money transfer services. Initially, the pandemic reduced consumer spending, leading to a decreased demand for these services in 2020. Despite this, e-commerce sales surged, permitting some stability in revenue. As the US economy reopened, consumer spending increased, leading to substantial revenue growth in 2021. However, rampant inflation in 2022 dampened e-commerce performance, yet high wage growth kept revenue positive. This inflation also caused consumers to bolster their use of credit cards to cover rising expenses, raising profit. More recently, recessionary fears, spurred by higher interest rates, further constrained consumer spending and corporate expenditures, slowing growth. Despite these challenges, strong e-commerce activities have kept the industry resilient. Overall, revenue for credit card processing and money transferring companies has swelled at a CAGR of 6.9% over the past five years, reaching $147.7 billion in 2025. This includes a 2.7% rise in revenue in that year. Looking forward, economic growth is expected to alleviate recessionary fears and reinvigorate consumer spending. This, coupled with falling interest rates, should enhance market conditions and foster stronger revenue growth trajectories for providers. Increasing emphasis on security through biometric authentication and AI-driven solutions promises to elevate user confidence, making digital payment methods even more attractive. As cash use dwindles, the reliance on digital payment forms will surge, creating opportunities for both established players and emerging entrants. Larger providers will likely wield their financial clout to innovate and expand market reach, while smaller entities may need to differentiate and innovate to sustain competitive advantages. Overall, revenue for credit card processors and money transferrers is forecast to expand at a CAGR of 3.1% over the next five years, reaching $171.9 billion in 2030.

In 2023, Uber Eats generated approximately 12.2 billion U.S. dollars in global revenue, surpassing food delivery competitors Delivery Hero and DoorDash, whose worldwide revenue amounted to about 11 billion and 8.6 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Online food delivery boom The tremendous popularity that online food delivery garnered among consumers during the pandemic made many eager to invest in the booming sector. In 2021, the value of online food delivery funding worldwide reached a record-breaking 19.1 billion U.S. dollars. That is nearly double the amount of funding the sector received in the previous year. As of January 2023, Delivery Hero had received the largest amount of funding among the leading food delivery companies at nearly ten billion dollars. In comparison, Just Eat Takeaway and DoorDash received 2.8 billion and 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in funding, respectively. Recession fears As global markets battled an impending recession in 2022, investment and growth in the online food delivery sector came to a grinding halt. In Europe, venture capital investment in food delivery experienced a dramatic decline: nearing seven billion U.S. dollars at the height of the pandemic in 2021, funding dropped to less than 2.5 billion in the following year. The food delivery sector’s recession woes also included several waves of mass layoffs that affected even the biggest players in the industry. As of January 2023, more than 2,300 Gopuff employees lost their jobs. DoorDash announced 1,250 layoffs in November 2022.