May in Figures
May 31, 2013
May was a difficult month for commodity-sensitive currencies and ten-year fixed income securities. The U.S. dollar rose against most currencies between the start and end of May. Abenomics, a Japanese policy strategy to keep long-term interest rates low, boost share prices and counter upward pressure on the yen, was challenged in May, which saw the Nikkei drop 11.9% after the 22nd, the yen end the month 3.3% above its weakest point relative to the dollar,and the 10-year JGB climb as high as 1.0% at one point for the first time in over a year. That level was touched briefly on the 23rd. Other stock markets mostly rose on balance but saw their net gains severely trimmed late in the month. Oil and gold prices fell for another month, a sign of concern that the global economy is developing more weakly than assumed previously.
| 10-Yr Yield | 04/30/13 | 05/31/13 | Chg vs End-Apr |
| U.S. | 1.67% | 2.13 | +46 Basis Points |
| Germany | 1.22% | 1.50% | +28 |
| Japan | 0.61% | 0.85% | +24 |
| U.K. | 1.69% | 2.00% | +31 |
| Canada | 1.69% | 2.06% | +37 |
| Switzerland | 0.66% | 0.72% | +6 |
| 3-month euros | Chg vs End-Apr | ||
| U.S. | 0.28% | 0.27% | -1 Basis Points |
| Euroland | 0.13% | 0.12% | -1 |
| Japan | 0.16% | 0.15% | -1 |
| U.K. | 0.50% | 0.51% | +1 |
| Canada | 1.17% | 1.17% | 0 |
| Swiss | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0 |
| FX | Pct Chg in USD | ||
| EUR/USD | 1.3167 | 1.2993 | +1.3% |
| USD/JPY | 97.44 | 100.39 | +3.0% |
| USD/CHF | 0.9294 | 0.9549 | +2.7% |
| GBP/USD | 1.5535 | 1.5183 | +2.3% |
| AUD/USD | 1.0369 | 0.9575 | +8.3% |
| NZD/USD | 0.8563 | 0.7945 | +7.8% |
| USD/CAD | 1.0072 | 1.0368 | +2.9% |
| USD/CNY | 6.1645 | 6.1345 | -0.5% |
| Equities | Chg vs End-Apr | ||
| S&P 500 | 1598 | 1631 | +2.1% |
| Nasdaq | 3329 | 3456 | +3.8% |
| Djia | 14840 | 15116 | +1.9% |
| Dax | 7914 | 8349 | +5.5% |
| Nikkei | 13861 | 13775 | -0.6% |
| Ftse | 6430 | 6583 | +2.4% |
| Canada TSE | 12457 | 12644 | +1.5% |
| Swiss SMI | 7902 | 7947 | +0.6% |
| Commodities | Chg vs End-Apr | ||
| Oil, $ per barrel | 93.46 | 91.97 | -1.6% |
| Gold, $ per ounce | 1472.2 | 1392.60 | -5.4% |
Copyright Larry Greenberg 2013. All rights reserved. No secondary distribution without express permission.
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