The winners and losers as the financial quarter comes to an end

The winners and losers as the financial quarter comes to an end

It has been the worst quarter for world stock markets since the final three months of 2008.. That is no surprise when the coronavirus has blighted economies - and corporate earnings - everywhere.. The Stoxx 600, the most widely-used pan-European stock index, is down by more than 23% since the beginning of the year - representing its worst quarterly performance since 2002.. Several sessions in March this year have gone into the record books, most notably the rout on Thursday 12 March, in which the index fell by 10.87% in a single day - the second-worst one-day fall in history after 'Black Tuesday'.. The price of copper has fallen by just over 20% since the beginning of the year, its worst quarterly performance since 2011, while aluminium has fallen by 15%.. The single worst performer in the index during the quarter was Carnival Corporation, the cruise operator and owner of P&O Cruises, which has lost almost three-quarters of its value during the quarter.. A clutch of Footsie stocks have also seen their share price fall partly because of a decision to cancel or suspend dividend payments to conserve cash..