gold and oil
December and 2019 in Figures
January 2, 2020
Equities performed spectacularly in 2019 as a whole and rose in December, too. Ten-year sovereign debt yields rose in December but fell in 2019. Three 25-basis point cuts were made in the federal funds target last year, reversing all by one of the four hikes done in 2018. Elsewhere, there was only a 10-basis point […] More
November 2019 in Figures
December 2, 2019
Share prices and 10-year sovereign debt yields climbed last month in most of the economies featured below. The dollar strengthened between 0.9% and 1.9% relative to the euro, yen, Swiss franc, loonie and Australian dollar but ended November with minimal net change against the kiwi, yuan or sterling. Central bank policy rates were not changed […] More
August in Figures
August 31, 2019
The most discussed financial market development of August is actually not depicted in the standard month in figures table below, and that was the inversion of the U.S. yield curve, which has been a pretty reliable leading indicator of a recession beginning 18-24 months later. Between the end of July and August 30th, the U.S. […] More
July 2019 in Figures
July 31, 2019
Even though only the Fed among major central banks cut interest rates in July, long-term interest rates declined in Europe but changed hardly at all over the course of the month in the United States, Canada, or Japan. The Fed’s 25-basis point interest rate cut announced on the final day of the month was its […] More
May 2019 in Figures
June 1, 2019
The month of May exemplified the global interdependence national financial markets, and the unifying force was rising risk aversion. Whereas equities had climbed broadly in April, all the ones shown below dropped just about as sharply in May. Likewise, climbing 10-year sovereign debt yields in April were reversed last month, and except in the case […] More
April in Figures
May 1, 2019
The first-quarter rebound in share prices continued in April at pretty much the same pace of climb but with British stocks lagging somewhat. Central bank interest rates were not changed during the month in the U.S., Euroland, Great Britain, Japan, or Switzerland. U.S. President Trump sustained his tweeting campaign, urging the Fed to cut rates […] More
March and First Quarter 2019 in Figures
March 30, 2019
The table below documents changes in key market variables during March and the first quarter of 2019. Sharply reduced sovereign debt yields in both time intervals amidst slowing global growth and lessening inflation were a driving force behind other markets as well. Equities benefited but not nearly as much in March when the U.S. yield […] More
December and 2017 in Figures
January 1, 2019
Ten-year sovereign debt yields fell last month, resulting in end-2017 to end-2018 declines in Germany, Switzerland, Canada and Japan but end of year to end of year increases in both the United States and Great Britain. The Fed tightened its fed funds target rate four times by a total of one full percentage point last […] More
May in Figures
May 31, 2018
The dollar rose over 3% in May against the euro and sterling and by about 1% against the yuan and Canadian dollar but slipped fractionally relative to the yen, loonie and Australian dollar. Ten-year sovereign debt yields had risen in April but declined in May. Share prices rose in the U.K., Canada and United States, […] More
January 2018 in Figures
January 31, 2018
The euro ranged from a low of $1.1914 to a high of $1.2583 in January, averaging $1.2195 in the month and closing 3.4% stronger than its end-2017 level. Against the yen, the dollar ranged between JPY 113.41 and JPY 108.28 during the month, with a mean value of JPY 110.92 and a 3.1% net drop […] More
