June 19 Update: World Beaters in FX and Stock Markets

The World Cup has now entered matchday 2.

Already there's been plenty of drama and excitement witnessed at the football stadiums across the US, Canada and Mexico, from the 3 red cards in the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa, to Lionel Messi becoming the joint World Cup all-time scorer after his hattrick in Argentina's 3-1 win against Algeria.

Beyond football, our attentions are still very much on financial markets, specifically foreign exchange (FX/forex) and stock markets worldwide.

FX Markets: World beaters

Of the 48 nations represented at the World Cup, these are the best-performing currencies since the world's biggest sporting event began:

^{(% performance vs. US dollar since June 10th)}

1. Egyptian Pound: +3.8%
2. Colombian Peso: +3.2%
3. Ghana Cedi: +2.7%
4. Uruguayan Peso: +1.3%
5. South African Rand: +0.8%

However, on a year-to-date basis, the same currencies from our top-5 list published on June 11th still reign supreme, for now:

1. Colombian Peso: +9.8%
2. Paraguay Guarani: +7.6%
3. Brazilian Real: +6%
4. Australian Dollar: +5.1%
5. Norwegian Krone: +3.5%

Still, eagle-eyed readers of Market Pulse reports would notice a major reshuffling among the top 5 year-to-date gainers against the US dollar.

There's even now a new "world champion*" in the forex markets since our previous ranking a week ago (published June 11th).

^{*biggest year-to-date gainer out of the 48 countries at the World Cup, versus the US dollar}

US Dollar set to weigh down global currencies in 2H26 on "hawkish" Fed

This week, New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh vowed that the US Federal Reserve - the world's most influential central bank - will restore price stability, as 9 Fed officials (half of the 18 who shared forecasts) expected a rate hike by end-2026.

As traders and investors now digest the prospects of US interest rates moving higher in the second half of 2026, global currencies may find it tough to preserve its year-to-date gains against the US dollar.

^{NOTE: A currency tends to strengthen at the thought of its country's interest rates moving higher, and vice versa.}

READ MORE (published June 18): Here's why the US dollar is expected to strengthen in the months ahead.

How have Bybit's stock indexes performed recently?

These are the biggest gainers between June 10th - on the eve of the World Cup, through June 18th:

^{(measured in USD terms, closing prices):}

1. Japan - Nikkei225: +10% (year-to-date: +36.7%)
2. US - NAS100: +6.7% (year-to-date: +20.4%)
3. Spain - ES35: +6.1% (year-to-date: +9.52%)
4. South Africa - SA40: +5.9% (year-to-date: -0.2%)
5. US - SP500: +3.2% (year-to-date: +9.6%)

Looking across the Bybit universe, it's been a notable week featuring new record highs for the likes of:

• Nikkei225: June 19th ATH (+36.7% year-to-date)
• EU50: June 19th ATH (+6.5% year-to-date)
• TWINDEX: June 18th ATH (+72% year-to-date)
• ES35: June 18th ATH (+9.5% year-to-date)
• SGP20: June 18th ATH (+7.1% year-to-date)
• DJ30: June 17th ATH (+7.3% year-to-date)
• US2000: June 15th ATH (+20% year-to-date)
• NETH25: June 15th ATH (+11% year-to-date)

NOTES:

• ATH = all-time high
• year-to-date figures in % performances listed above: 31 Dec 2025 - 18 June 2026 (closing prices)
• US markets are closed today (Friday, June 19)

Traders and investors worldwide have had plenty to contend with of late - from the persistence of the AI trade, to the prospects of higher US interest rates weighing down risk assets (stocks, cryptos, etc.), and of course the ever-shifting geopolitical landscape.

Still, what's clearer is that there remains plenty of trading opportunities across various major asset classes, beyond FX and stock indexes.

Amid the World Cup proceedings, football aficionados worldwide would do well to also pay attention to global financial markets so they don't miss out on potential trading and investing opportunities in the weeks ahead.

DISCLAIMER:

This article is provided for general information and reflects the author’s views only. It does not constitute investment advice, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments or digital assets. Your ability to access or use any products or services mentioned may be subject to the laws and regulatory requirements of your jurisdiction.