April 2021 in Figures
April 30, 2021
The month of April experienced significant further appreciation of U.S. equities and the price of oil. The Canadian and British stock markets kept pace with America’s to a certain extent, but the Swiss and Japanese lost ground. The dollar fell against a broad spectrum of other currencies, and the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield premium relative to other sovereign debt assets narrowed. None of the central bank rates highlighted in this feature changed policy interest rates during April. Inflation accelerated, but central bankers around the world agreed the development would prove temporary. Investors were less convinced and worry that it may be too late if monetary officials wait for clear real-time evidence to the contrary before they begin to taper down their very stimulative policy stances. In spite of the skepticism, the price of gold only rose a little more than 3.0%.
| 10-Yr Yield | 03/31/21 | 04/30/21 | April Change |
| U.S. | 1.74% | 1.62% | -12 Basis Points |
| Germany | -0.29% | -0.20% | +9 |
| Japan | 0.08% | 0.08% | 0 |
| U.K. | 0.84% | 0.84% | 0 |
| Canada | 1.56% | 1.54% | -2 |
| Switzerland | -0.33% | -0.25% | +8 |
| CB Policy Rate | 03/31/21 | 04/30/21 | April Change |
| Fed funds target | 0.00/0.25% | 0.00/0.25% | 0 Basis Points |
| ECB deposit rate | -0.50% | -0.50% | 0 |
| BOJ policy rate | -0.10% | -0.10% | 0 |
| BOE Bank Rate | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0 |
| Swiss 3M Libor | -1.25/-0.25% | -1.25/-0.25% | 0 |
| FX | 03/31/21 | 04/30/21 | April Chg in $ |
| EUR/USD | 1.1725 | 1.2023 | -2.5% |
| USD/JPY | 110.75 | 109.34 | -1.3% |
| USD/CHF | 0.9454 | 0.9131 | -3.4% |
| GBP/USD | 1.3783 | 1.3815 | -0.2% |
| AUD/USD | 0.7590 | 0.7814 | -2.9% |
| NZD/USD | 0.6982 | 0.7163 | -2.5% |
| USD/CAD | 1.2567 | 1.2294 | -2.2% |
| USD/CNY | 6.5527 | 6.4745 | -1.2% |
| Equities | 03/31/21 | 04/30/21 | April Change |
| S&P 500 | 3973 | 4187 | +5.4% |
| Nasdaq | 13247 | 13963 | +5.4% |
| Djia | 32982 | 33875 | +2.7% |
| Dax | 15008 | 15131 | +0.8% |
| Nikkei | 29179 | 28813 | -1.3% |
| Ftse | 6714 | 6970 | +3.8% |
| Canada TSE | 18701 | 19108 | +2.2% |
| Swiss SMI | 11647 | 11022 | -5.4% |
| Commodities | 03/31/21 | 04/30/21 | April Change |
| Oil, $ per barrel | 59.16 | 63.58 | +7.5% |
| Gold, $ per ounce | 1713.90 | 1767.30 | +3.1% |
Copyright Larry Greenberg 2021. All rights reserved. No secondary distribution without express permission.
Tags: 10-year bond yields, central bank rates, equities, foreign exchange rates, oil and gold price movements
ShareThis
