April in Figures
May 2, 2010
Among economies surveyed in this regular feature, only in Canada, where the central bank has readied investors for monetary tightening as soon as early June, were interest rates under upward pressure. Japanese bond yields fell marginally in spite of intensifying chatter about their vulnerability in the face of enormous debt. The dollar was mixed during the month, climbing strongly against the Swissy and euro, changing less than 1% against the Canadian, British and Australian currencies, and dropping sharply against the kiwi for a second consecutive month. The German Dax and Japanese Nikkei each slid 0.3%. Swiss and British equities lost more significant ground, while North American stocks booked gains despite stumbling at the end of April. Commodity prices continued to be lifted by strong emerging market demand.
| 10-Yr Yield | 03/31/10 | 04/30/10 | Chg vs End-March |
| U.S. | 3.83% | 3.66% | -17 Basis Points |
| Germany | 3.09% | 3.02% | -7 |
| Japan | 1.40% | +1.29% | -11 |
| U.K. | 3.93% | 3.85% | -8 |
| Canada | 3.36% | 3.64% | +28 |
| Switzerland | 1.90% | 1.83% | -7 |
| 3-month euros | |||
| U.S. | 0.29% | 0.33% | +6 Basis Points |
| Euroland | 0.58% | +0.61% | +3 |
| Japan | 0.24% | +0.24% | 0 |
| U.K. | 0.65% | +0.68% | +3 |
| Canada | 0.41% | 0.51% | +10 |
| Swiss | 0.25% | 0.25% | 0 |
| FX | Pct Chg in US$ | ||
| EUR/$ | 1.3510 | 1.3309 | +1.5% |
| $/JPY | 93.46 | 93.97 | +0.5% |
| $/CHF | 1.0543 | 1.0764 | +2.1% |
| GBP/$ | 1.5180 | 1.5297 | -0.8% |
| AUD/$ | 0.9173 | 0.9242 | -0.7% |
| NZ$/$ | 0.7105 | 0.7269 | -2.3% |
| $/CAD | 1.0156 | 1.0167 | +0.1% |
| Equities | Pct Change | ||
| Nasdaq | 2398 | 2461 | +2.6% |
| Djia | 10857 | 11009 | +1.4% |
| Dax | 6154 | 6136 | -0.3% |
| Nikkei | 11090 | 11057 | -0.3% |
| Ftse | 5680 | 5553 | -2.2% |
| Canada TSE | 12038 | 12196 | +1.3% |
| Swiss SMI | 6873 | 6617 | -3.7% |
| Commodities | Pct Change | ||
| Oil, $ per brl | 83.76 | 86.17 | +2.9% |
| Gold, $ per oz | 1113.25 | 1179.20 | +5.8% |
Copyright Larry Greenberg 2010. All rights reserved. No secondary distribution without express permission.
Tags: bonds, commodities, Dollar, stocks
ShareThis
