stocks
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
October in Figures
October 31, 2013
Share prices strengthened in October with the notable exception of Japan. Long-term interest rates subsided further, while short-term rates remained steady and well below the long rates. The dollar closed narrowly mixed, and gold posted a minuscule dip. Oil prices fell around 6% and swung back below $100 per barrel. 10-Yr Yield 09/30/13 10/31/13 Chg […] More
September and the Third Quarter in Figures
September 30, 2013
The dollar traded lower in September except against the yen. Share prices advanced pretty strongly, and bond yields settled back, spurred by the Fed’s surprise decision not to taper just yet. The prices of gold and oil fell. During the third quarter, equities climbed, but the dollar eased against the currencies covered in this feature. […] More
August in Figures
August 31, 2013
August was a difficult month for equities and for U.S. and European sovereign debt. Central bank leaders failed to convince markets that a change in quantitative monetary easing wouldn’t constitute a shift in overall monetary policy for the simple reason that it isn’t so. Dollar/yen experienced only a minuscule net change in August, and JGB […] More
June in Figures
June 28, 2013
It’s been quite a month and quite a quarter for world financial markets. Long-term interest rates rose sharply in the quarter, but note that Abenomics succeeded in preventing JGB yields from climbing further in June even as rates elsewhere continued their ascent. The Australian and New Zealand dollars were especially weak in both the quarter […] More
May in Figures
May 31, 2013
May was a difficult month for commodity-sensitive currencies and ten-year fixed income securities. The U.S. dollar rose against most currencies between the start and end of May. Abenomics, a Japanese policy strategy to keep long-term interest rates low, boost share prices and counter upward pressure on the yen, was challenged in May, which saw the […] More
April in Figures
April 30, 2013
The yen weakened additionally in April, but the dollar failed to catapult above the key JPY 100 level. The dollar fell against European currencies, most commodity-sensitive currencies and the Chinese yuan. A more aggressive-than-anticipated Bank of Japan stimulus announced shortly after the start of the month was meant in large part to depress longer-term interest […] More
February in Figures
February 28, 2013
During February, commodity prices and sovereign debt yields fell, while the dollar advanced pretty much across the board. Three-month deposit rates stayed very low and edged marginally downward in some cases. Equities rose on balance but not as much as in January. The biggest stock market increases were in Japan and Switzerland, matching up with […] More
January in Figures
January 31, 2013
The euro strengthened against most currencies in January including the Swiss franc and sterling but especially versus the yen. Shifts in Japanese macroeconomic policies and the weakness of the yen gave a big lift to Japanese equities. Other stock markets also improved, but those in Germany and Canada rose by comparatively less. A notable exception […] More
October in Figures
November 3, 2012
The 10-year minus 3-month yield curve flattened last month. Ahead of the election in early November, U.S. equities performed worse than stocks in other countries. The yen and Canadian dollar underperformed other major currencies, and the yuan strengthened for a second straight month. Oil and gold prices each declined in October. 10-Yr Yield 09/28/12 10/31/12 […] More
