On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, this is a year of record-breaking events.

A big meeting was held on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to conclude the one-year transaction.

The closing price of the Nikkei Stock Average was the highest in 31 years since 1989, and securities officials hoped that the stock price would continue to rise next year.

This year's big meeting was held with the number of attendees reduced to one-fifteenth of the average year in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

First, Akira Kiyota, CEO of Japan Exchange Group, which owns the Tokyo Stock Exchange, said, "In a nutshell, it was a year of being swayed by the new coronavirus. However, the market has recovered in a V shape, and if you look at it throughout the year. It was a solid market development, "he recalled.

After that, the presidents of newly listed companies rang the bell of the exchange and wished for the stock price to rise next year, and closed the year's transaction with the usual tejime.

This year's Tokyo stock market fell sharply in March due to the spread of the new coronavirus, but it was at the level before it plummeted in September due to the spread of infection, partly due to the support of large-scale monetary easing and economic measures. I got it back.

The closing price of the Nikkei Stock Average on the 30th was the highest in 31 years since 1989, and was the third highest in history.

In addition, the annual stock price fluctuation range comparing the highest and lowest stock prices of this year was more than 11,000 yen, which was the second highest in history, making it a record-breaking year.

V-shaped recovery after a big drop

The Nikkei Stock Average, which was the highest price in 31 years at the end of the year.

Although it fell sharply for a while due to the spread of the new coronavirus, it recovered in a V shape after that, and some market participants compared the price movement to a roller coaster.

This year's Nikkei Stock Average started from the 23,000 yen level.

Initially, investors were not strongly aware of the effects of the new coronavirus, and the stock price rose to the 24,000 yen level in mid-January.

However, when the infection of the new coronavirus spread and the movement of people and goods was restricted worldwide, pessimism about the future of the world economy spread at once in the financial markets.

When the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than $ 1,000 on the New York stock market on February 24, it also fell by more than 780 yen at the closing price on the Tokyo market on the 25th.

Since the beginning of March, there have been days when the price has dropped by more than 1,000 yen in one day, and in the middle of the week, the price has dropped by more than 3,300 yen.

The weekly decline exceeded the so-called Black Monday weekly decline in 1987, the largest ever.

The closing price of 16,552.83 yen on March 19 is the lowest price of this year.

Under these circumstances, central banks in each country have become more vulnerable and are embarking on large-scale monetary easing one after another.

At an extraordinary meeting in March, the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors cut the policy rate by 1% and introduced a virtually zero interest rate policy.

Immediately afterwards, the Bank of Japan also held a monetary policy meeting ahead of schedule for the first time, and decided to supply a large amount of funds to the financial markets, such as doubling the purchase amount of ETFs = exchange-traded funds that make many stocks together.

In addition, the financial markets will gradually regain their composure as the governments of each country clarify their stance of supporting the economy through huge fiscal stimulus.

The Nikkei Stock Average recovered to the 20,000 yen level at the closing price on April 30.

In mid-June, there was a phase in which the price dropped by more than 700 yen a day due to concerns about the second wave of infection with the new coronavirus, but the stock price was expected to further advance in the development of vaccines in Europe and the United States. The upward trend was strengthened, and on September 3, it rose to 23,465.53 yen.

In just over half a year, it regained its pre-slump in stock prices.

In November, Democratic Party Biden is expected to win the US presidential election, hitting a 29-year high on the 6th.

After that, when the get the prospect to the establishment of the bill of the United States of additional economic measures, investors had increased its further take the risk.

On the 29th, the Nikkei Stock Average rose by more than 700 yen in one day to 27,568.15 yen, the highest price after the end of the so-called bubble economy, and the highest price in 30 years and 4 months.

Comparing the lowest price in March with the highest price on the 29th, the price range is more than 11,015 yen, which is the second largest in history since 1990.

People in the city

I heard about the Nikkei Stock Average, which was the highest in 31 years at the end of the year, in front of a securities company in Yaesu, Tokyo.

A 72-year-old man said, "I'm glad that the stock price has managed to return to this point since the fall in early spring. However, the performance of Japanese companies has also fallen considerably, so if the problem of the new coronavirus persists, the stock price will also change. I'm worried that it might have an impact, "he said.

A 34-year-old office worker said, "I honestly didn't think it would go up to this point. The new coronavirus makes me feel obstructed, and the stock price moves in the opposite direction, which makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm wondering if it will go down quite a bit next year. "

A 29-year-old office worker said, "I don't feel that my actual life is proportional to the stock price I see in the news, so it feels like a completely different story. However, for a while, it sank a lot. I hope it will jump further next year. "

Expert "Next year's stock price may enter a downturn if disappointing"

Regarding the stock price of this year, Hideo Kumano, chief economist of Daiichi Seimei Keizai Kenkyusho, said, "It is no exaggeration to say that it started in Corona and ended in Corona. It is said that it is like a roller coaster, but the ups and downs are so intense. I haven't seen price movements for years, "he recalled.

He pointed out that "the current stock market strongly incorporates the expectation that the economy will normalize if it anticipates the effects of vaccines and spreads widely throughout the world, and the real economy and stock prices are far apart." I am.

Mr. Kumano pointed out three points to note when looking at stock prices next year: "vaccine," "President-elect Biden of the United States," and "profit of Japanese companies."

Mr. Kumano said, "In the first half of the year, whether vaccination will proceed smoothly and the effect can be confirmed, and the contents of the economic policy indicated by President-elect Biden will be watched. In the second half, the profits of Japanese companies The point is whether the market is heading for recovery as expected. "

He added, "If it is confirmed that none of the contents are what we expected, the view that expectations have come too far ahead may become stronger, and stock prices may enter a downturn."