March and 1Q13 in Figures
March 30, 2013
Short-term interest rates remained ultra-low in the first quarter of 2013. The Federal Reserve retained an aggressive program of quantitative easing, while the Bank of Japan prepared to undertake an even more forceful monetary stimulus under new leadership. A number of key equity markets performed very well, especially Japan’s where the Nikkei-225 index jumped almost 20% in the quarter. Bond yields were mixed. So was the dollar, which appreciated against both the euro and yen but fell versus the New Zealand and Australian dollars. Sterling stabilized against the greenback in March following a sharp tumble in the first two months of 2013. Crude oil prices climbed significantly in March, whereas gold prices fell by nearly 5% in the first quarter.
| 10-Yr Yield | 03/29/13 | Chg vs End-Feb | Chg vs End-2012 |
| U.S. | 1.85% | -3 Basis Points | +9 Basis Points |
| Germany | 1.29% | -14 | -3 |
| Japan | 0.55% | -11 | -24 |
| U.K. | 1.77% | -20 | -6 |
| Canada | 1.87% | +4 | +8 |
| Switzerland | 0.72% | +1 | +27 |
| 3-month euros | Chg vs End-Feb | Chg vs End-2012 | |
| U.S. | 0.28% | -1 Basis Point | -3 Basis Points |
| Euroland | 0.13% | o | 0 |
| Japan | 0.16% | 0 | -2 |
| U.K. | 0.51% | 0 | -1 |
| Canada | 1.18% | -1 | -6 |
| Swiss | 0.02% | 0 | +1 |
| FX | Pct Chg in USD | Pct Chg in USD | |
| EUR/USD | 1.2819 | +1.9% | +2.9% |
| USD/JPY | 94.19 | +1.6% | +8.6% |
| USD/CHF | 0.9491 | +1.3% | +3.7% |
| GBP/USD | 1.5192 | -0.2% | +6.9% |
| AUD/USD | 1.0408 | -1.8% | -0.1% |
| NZD/USD | 0.8437 | -2.3% | -1.8% |
| USD/CAD | 1.0175 | -1.3% | +2.5% |
| USD/CNY | 6.2105 | -0.2% | -0.3% |
| Equities | Chg vs End-Feb | Chg vs End-2012 | |
| S&P 500 | 1569 | +3.6% | +10.0% |
| Nasdaq | 3268 | +3.4% | +8.2% |
| Djia | 14579 | +3.7% | +11.3% |
| Dax | 7795 | +0.7% | +2.4% |
| Nikkei | 12398 | +7.3% | +19.3% |
| Ftse | 6412 | +0.8% | +8.7% |
| Canada TSE | 12750 | -0.6% | +2.5% |
| Swiss SMI | 7814 | +2.9% | +14.5% |
| Commodities | Pct Change | Pct Change | |
| Oil, $ per barrel | 97.25 | +5.9% | +5.9% |
| Gold, $ per ounce | 1595.70 | +1.1% | -4.7% |
Copyright Larry Greenberg 2013. All rights reserved. No secondary distribution without express permission.
Tags: bonds, equities, foreign exchange, gold, Oil
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