AGEM Index up 35.7 year-on-year in December

The AGEM Index increased by 5.39 points in December 2019 to 546.04 points, a 1.0 percent gain from November 2019 and 35.7 percent up year-on-year. 

The growth was driven largely by Aristocrat Leisure Limited, which accounted for 7.30 points of the AGEM Index's monthly gain. A stronger Australian dollar accounted for Aristocrat's index gain as the company's stock price declined slightly.

Crane Co. experienced a 4.0 percent stock price gain from $83.07 to $86.38, which led to an index contribution of 3.28 points. Overall, most AGEM Index companies reported decreases in stock price during the month, with five trending positively and eight moving negatively.

The major stock indices performed well as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 experienced monthly growth of 1.7 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively. The NASDAQ also experienced a strong gain of 3.5 percent.

The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) produces the monthly AGEM Index that comprises 13 global gaming suppliers throughout the world. A total of nine suppliers are based in the United States and are listed on the NYSE, Nasdaq or OTC market, while two trade on the Australian exchange, one on the Tokyo exchange, and another trades on the Taiwan OTC exchange.

The index is computed based on the month-end stock price (adjusted for dividends and splits) of each company and weighted based on approximation of market capitalization. Market capitalizations for manufacturers trading on foreign exchanges have been converted to US dollar-equivalents as of month-end for comparability purposes. The AGEM Index is based on a 100-point value as of January 2005.