Here are how major markets in Europe and the Americas did in August

Flat month for most indexes

It was good to be in Brazil in August. The Bovespa was the top performing index in Europe or the Americas with a 7.31% that was only trimmed to 6.54% in US dollars.

Otherwise, UK stocks or the Nasdaq were good -- but not spectacular -- bets. Germany was a laggard.

So far this year, Italian stocks have been the best performer after factoring in FX changes, with a 27.5% gain in USD terms.