April in Figures
April 29, 2017
In April, ten-year sovereign debt yields fell a little more sharply in the United States than other economies, but the dollar was mixed, falling against the euro, sterling, and Swiss franc but not the yen. The dollar advanced solidly against commodity-sensitive currencies, and West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped back below the $50 per barrel threshold.
Comex gold, which had appreciated 8.5% during the first quarter of 2017, climbed by a further 1.5% on balance during April. 1Q17 had been a very good period for equities with the notable exception of Japan’s market. Most stock markets continued to rise in April, and this time the Nikkei participated. An exception in April was a 1.6% drop in the Toronto Stock Exchange, which was hit after U.S. President Trump imposed tariffs of up to 24% on a slew of Canadian imports.
| 10-Yr Yield | 03/31/17 | 04/28/17 | Chg vs End-1Q |
| U.S. | 2.39% | 2.28% | -11 Basis Points |
| Germany | 0.32% | 0.31% | -1 |
| Japan | 0.06% | 0.00% | -6 |
| U.K. | 1.14% | 1.08% | -6 |
| Canada | 1.62% | 1.54% | -8 |
| Switzerland | -0.15% | -0.17% | -2 |
| 3-month rates | 03/31/17 | 04/28/17 | Chg v End-Mar |
| U.S. | 1.15% | 1.17% | +2 Basis Points |
| Euroland | -0.36% | -0.36% | 0 |
| Japan | +0.01% | +0.01% | 0 |
| U.K. | 0.34% | 0.32% | -2 |
| Swiss | -0.73% | -0.73% | 0 |
| FX | 03/31/17 | 04/28/17 | Pct Chg in $ |
| EUR/USD | 1.0666 | 1.0895 | -2.1% |
| USD/JPY | 111.32 | 111.49 | +0.2% |
| USD/CHF | 1.0019 | 0.9946 | -0.7% |
| GBP/USD | 1.2532 | 1.2951 | -3.2% |
| AUD/USD | 0.7641 | 0.7488 | +2.0% |
| NZD/USD | 0.7014 | 0.6866 | +2.2% |
| USD/CAD | 1.3300 | 1.3653 | +2.7% |
| USD/CNY | 6.8872 | 6.8835 | +0.1% |
| Equities | 03/31/17 | 04/28/17 | Chg vs End-1Q |
| S&P 500 | 2365 | 2384 | +0.8% |
| Nasdaq | 5912 | 6048 | +2.3% |
| Djia | 20663 | 20941 | +1.3% |
| Dax | 12313 | 12438 | +1.0% |
| Nikkei | 18909 | 19197 | +1.5% |
| Ftse | 7323 | 7204% | -1.6% |
| Canada TSE | 15581 | 15586 | 0.0% |
| Swiss SMI | 8659 | 8813 | +1.8% |
| Commodities | 03/31/17 | 04/28/17 | Chg v End-Mar |
| Oil, $ per barrel | 50.60 | 49.33 | -2.6% |
| Gold, $ per ounce | 1247.30 | 1266.1 | +1.5% |
Copyright Larry Greenberg 2017. All rights reserved. No secondary distribution without express permission.
Tags: commodities, foreign exchange, sovereign debt yields, stocks
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