commodities
March and the First Quarter in Figures
April 1, 2016
March was unlike January and February. Ten-year sovereign bond yields edged a little higher last month but recorded substantial declines in the quarter. Equities likewise performed well in March, but quarterly changes in share prices ranged from modest gains in the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials to double-digit net losses in the Japanese and […] More
February in Figures
March 1, 2016
In February, most 10-year sovereign debt yields fell significantly further. Short-term money market rates edged up in the United States but fell in the eurozone and Japan. The dollar rose against sterling but fell, especially relative to the yen, versus other currencies examined in this monthly feature. Equities for the most part lost further ground especially […] More
September and the Third Quarter in Figures
October 1, 2015
The dollar and yen strengthened in September, while equities and commodities fell globally. Sovereign debt yields dropped sharply in the United States, Britain and Germany but only marginally in Japan, Canada, and Switzerland. The third quarter equity performance was the worst in several years, and WTI crude oil collapsed 24.2%. The dollar in 3Q advances sharply […] More
August in Review
September 1, 2015
A possible global bear market in equities took shape increasingly as August unfolded. Currency markets were dominated by the fall-out of the Chinese yuan devaluation, namely a decline of the dollar against the yen and euro and generally weak commodity-sensitive currencies. A significant rise of 16 basis points occurred in the 10-year German bund yield, […] More
July in Figures
August 1, 2015
In July, oil plunged slightly more than 20%, sovereign debt yields fell, the dollar strengthened, and equities were volatile. All the share price indices shown in the table below closed higher, except the Toronto exchange. But emerging market equities especially in China, had rough going during the months. Oil was not the only commodity to […] More
March and the First Quarter in Figures
March 31, 2015
Sovereign debt yields fell significantly during the first quarter of 2015. In Switzerland’s case, so did short-term interest rates. The dollar extended its rise against the euro, sterling, and commodity-sensitive monies, was steady against the yen and yuan, and fell against the Swiss franc despite a 1.9% rise in March against that currency. Dollar strength […] More
October in Review
November 2, 2014
Most long-term interest rates declined in October. Little change in three-month interest rates masked a widening polarization of monetary policies, as the Fed ended quantitative easing, the Bank of Japan augmented quantitative stimulus, and ECB officials remained publicly divided over whether to stimulate further and how to do so. The dollar strengthened most sharply against […] More
August in Figures
August 30, 2014
Long-term interest rates fell substantially in August. Stock markets, with the notable exception of Japan, recorded gains, and the U.S. performance was the best in a half year. The dollar rose against the euro, Swissie, sterling, yen and kiwi but fell marginally against the loonie, yuan and Australian dollar. Short-term interest rates were narrowly mixed […] More
July in Figures
July 31, 2014
Like an Olympic bicycle racing event, most of the financial market action in July happened at the end of the race. For the month as a whole, the dollar mostly rose, while share prices, commodities and bond yields mostly fell. None of the dollar’s year-to-date movements exceeded +/- 4.0%. 10-Yr Yield 07/02/14 Chg vs End-2Q […] More
February in Figures
February 28, 2014
February was a very different month from January in several market respects. In January, the dollar mostly rose, while equities declined for the most part. Both trends reversed in February. Net movement in ten-year sovereign debt yields this past month were insignificant is size in contrast to their substantial declines in January. West Texas Intermediate […] More
