Overall, 2024 was a good year for Wall Street stocks.
They benefited from falling key interest rates and a strong economy compared to other leading industrial nations. The leading index Dow Jones Industrial recorded an annual gain of 12.8 percent. However, compared to the market-wide S&P 500 (+23.3 percent) and the technology-heavy NASDAQ 100 (+24.8 percent), the world’s most popular stock market barometer developed below average in 2024.
The biggest Dow winners and losers of the year at a glance:
1. NVIDIA +171.17% – Last year, the semiconductor company was the “superstar” among the companies that benefited from the artificial intelligence (AI) megatrend. The AI boom has become a goldmine for NVIDIA and its shareholders. With its business figures and, above all, its future prospects, the company exceeded even the most optimistic market expectations. Over the course of the year, Nvidia was in constant competition with Apple for the title of the most valuable company in the world and ultimately emerged second with a market value of 3.29 (Apple: 3.79) trillion US dollars.
2. Walmart +71.93% – The supermarket group benefited from the easing inflationary environment in the USA, which led to higher consumer spending. Accordingly, the retail giant regularly exceeded the forecasts of many experts with its quarterly figures and increased its annual targets several times. Walmart’s business model is becoming less risky and at the same time more lucrative, analysts praised. The stock rushed from record to record in 2024.
3. American Express +58.42% – The credit card company also increased its financial targets several times after surprisingly good business figures, which investors appreciated. The company reported continued robust demand for its premium credit cards, which are primarily used by financially strong customers. In addition, in contrast to its competitors Visa and MasterCard, Amex not only processes card payments, but also earns money by granting the actual loans.
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28. Amgen -9.51% – The shares of the biotech company held up quite well until late autumn due to largely convincing business development. In November, news of study data for the weight-loss drug Maritide caused the share price to crash. The drug did not cause the weight loss expected by experts in obese people. Amgen has invested a lot of money in the development of Maritide in order to secure its share of the multi-billion dollar weight loss market.
29. Nike -30.30% – The sporting goods company struggled with declining sales in 2024 and shocked investors with a gloomy business outlook. Full warehouses and aggressive discounts on outdated lifestyle products caused problems for the company and overshadowed positive impulses from new product lines. Some experts fear that the expected positive turnaround in the product pipeline will take longer than expected.
30. Boeing -32.10% – The aviation group’s securities fell massively at the beginning of 2024, while there was a recovery at the end of the year. The initial bout of weakness resulted from a near-disaster in which part of the cabin, including the window, tore off during a flight. The US aviation authority FAA then imposed a temporary take-off ban for aircraft of the affected Boeing 737-9 Max. This incident, a series of subsequent breakdowns and a week-long strike by the workforce resulted in losses worth billions and severely shook investor confidence.
NEW YORK (dpa-AFX)