Fine Wine outperforms other indices in ’15

Fine Wine failed to make positive gains in 2015 but it did manage to outperform gold, copper, FTSE 100 and the S&P 500.

The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 ended last year a tantalising, frustrating 0.1% behind where it closed in 2014.

Nonetheless, it escaped the “considerable pressure” put on other financial markets in the second half of 2015 by the economic wobbles of Greater China.

As the accompanying chart shows, the FTSE 100 began to struggle post-May, ending the year down 4.9% and although the S&P 500 rallied in October it sank back before the end of the year to close around 0.73% below 2014. Gold declined steadily throughout the year (down 11.2%) while the bottom seemingly dropped out of the copper market.

Liv-ex commented: “Looking at an industrial commodity such as copper — considered by many as a proxy for China GDP growth — the Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 was relatively robust, especially when considering copper hit a six-year low in 2015 and closed down around 27.9% by the year-end.”

Although what exactly is next on the cards for fine wine is difficult to call (despite our predictions here), the year has stepped off on the right foot.

Furthermore, with Bordeaux’s share of the market back to pre-2005 levels Liv-ex suggests that fine wine may prove largely immune to further Chinese struggles having already suffered “the trauma of a China exit” in 2011.