By: Dr. Mike Campbell
Last week marked the final trading session for April, as far as these summaries are concerned and it was another mixed affair for the world’s major markets.
In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was flat, making just 0.09% and it closed at 5777.1; it made 0.93% over the month; the Dax ended the week at 6801.3, climbing 0.76% over the week and ending April 0.38% to the good; the CAC put on 2.4% last week to end the session at 3266.3, but it ended the month down by 1.6%.
The Dow ended the week higher to the tune of 1.5 % at 13228 and it put on 1.3% over the month. The Nasdaq composite index ended the week at 3069.2 climbing 2.3% over the course of the week; it fell back by 0.37% in April.
The Nikkei closed down over the course of the week’s trading, falling 0.42% to end the trading session at 9520.9; it shed 1.7% during the course of the month.
Currency Markets Review
On the currency markets last week, the Yen saw the best of trading. The Dollar was weaker against Sterling, falling 0.7% and closing at 1.62259 to the Pound; it fell by 2.3% over the course of April. The Greenback also weakened against the Euro last week, dipping 0.28% to close at 1.3229 and shed 1.2% over the course of the month. The Dollar lost some ground against the Japanese currency, closing at 80.6939 to the Yen, a fall of 1.3% on the week and 1.9% in April.
The Euro weakened against the Yen ending at 106.75, a fall of 0.98% over the course of the week and 0.29% on the month. The Euro was weaker against Sterling over the course of the week, falling by 0.42%; the close saw one £ buying 1.22654, it ended the month down by 1.1%.
Commodities Market Review
On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended higher, closing at $119.8 per barrel (for June delivery); a gain of 0.9% over the course of the week’s trading, but easing by 2.9% over the month. The value of gold was also higher last week, closing at $1664 per ounce, representing a gain of 1.3% over last week’s value and a hike of 2% in April.