It is reported that there is only one trading day left in the first half of 2021, and global stock markets are on track to record their second best performance since the same period in 1998. If the MSCI global index's rise of about 12 per cent as of June 29 is sustained, it will be second only to the 15 per cent rise in the first half of 2019. The global benchmark stock index closed at an all-time high on June 28, rebounding nearly 90 per cent from its March 2020 low.