currencies

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

May in Figures

May 31, 2014

Stock markets in May took a more optimistic view of growth prospects than did bond investors, making May the unusual month in which both asset classes improved.  Short-term interest rates remained anchored at very low levels.  The euro lost strength on speculation that the ECB will ease policy significantly in June.  From a monthly high […] 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

January in Figures

January 31, 2014

Risk aversion reared its head again in January.  Stocks fell.  Bond prices rose, sending long-term yields downward.  Commodity-sensitive and major European currencies declined, while the yen went up against the the euro as well as the dollar.  Gold, in contrast to its 28.2% plunge in 2012, rose 3.2% in the first month of 2014. 10-Yr […] More

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