The markets that have prospered amid the August crisis

Politicians and traders have cut short their holidays to address the sharp falls in markets seen since the start of the month - but should they have stayed on the beach?

Those investors with the chutzpah - or even the ability - to have invested in equities listed in the Caribbean would have been rewarded with rising markets at a time when major indices posted falls of 10% or more. Data from MSCI shows its indices in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago are two of just three to have risen over the course of the month so far, posting gains of 2.2% and 0.5% respectively. But August’s leading index is unlikely to have been on the minds of those at home or abroad: the near 2.3% rise in the MSCI Zimbabwe index seen since the start of the month puts it at the top o...