Ariana Giorgi and Eric Chemi reported on a study by the European Central Bank on the impact the World Cup has on stock market trading:

• When a game is on during market hours, trading volumes fall as financial professionals choose to watch the game instead.
• This effect is especially pronounced in the country where traders have a team on the field.
• Chile’s traders seem to be the most football obsessed. During the 2010 World Cup trading dropped 99% when the Chilean team was playing a match.

See how the other countries compare and read more details about the study over here.

Source: Businessweek