Friday really marked the final trading session for August from the perspective of these summaries.
In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was down by 1.2%, it closed at 6412.9 and ended the month 3.5% lower; the Dax ended at 8301.2 falling 3.7% over the course of the week and by 3.6% over August; the CAC was down by 3.3% to end the session at 3933.8, it weakened by 2.8% over the course of the month.
The Dow ended the week lower shedding 1.3% to end at 14810.3, it fell 5.4% over the month. The Nasdaq composite index ended at 3589.9, falling by 1.9% over the course of the week and slipping by 2.7% over the course of August.
The Nikkei 225 ended the week’s trading down by 2% to end the session at 13389, it lost 7.5% over the month.
Currency Markets Review
On the currency markets last week, the Yen saw the best of trading. The Dollar was stronger against Sterling last week, closing at $1.5469 to the Pound; a gain of 0.67% over the week, but still weakened by 1.3% in August. The Greenback strengthened against the Euro last week by 1.4% to close at $1.3198 to the € and by 0.53% over the month. The Dollar was weaker against the Japanese currency, closing at 98.20 Yen to the Dollar, making a loss of 0.41% during the week and slipping by 0.83% during the month.
The Euro fell against the Yen ending at 129.6, a loss of 1.8% over the course of the week and 1.4% on the month. It lost ground against Sterling last week falling by 0.77%; the close saw one £ buying €1.1721, representing a loss of 1.8% over the month.
Commodities Market Review
On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended higher, at $114 per barrel (for October delivery); a rise of 2.7% over the course of the week’s trading and 4.6% during August. The value of gold was higher last week, closing at $1394.8 per ounce, representing a gain of 1.3% over the previous week’s value and 6.5% on the month.