Last week marked the final trading session in April and was a negative affair for the world’s major markets. The oil price strengthened further.
In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was down by 1.09%, it closed at 6241.9 but managed to put on 1.6% over the month; the Dax ended at 10039, down by 3.2% on last week’s close, but it rallied by 2.5% in April; the CAC was down by 3.1% to end the session at 4429, but it also made 2.5% on the month.
The Dow ended the week down by 1.3% to close at 17774, it slipped by 0.11% in April. The Nasdaq composite index ended down by 2.7% over the course of the week at 4775.4 and fell by 2.8% on the month.
The Nikkei 225 ended the week’s trading down by 4.9% to end the session at 16666, but it still recovered by 3.1% over the month.
Currency markets review
On the currency markets last week the Yen enjoyed the best of the trading. The Dollar was weaker against Sterling last week closing at $1.4630 to the Pound, a fall of 1.7% on the week and 3% on the month. The Greenback fell against the Euro last week by 1.8% to close at $1.1446 to the € it fell by 0.58% in April. The Dollar was weaker against the Japanese currency, closing at 106.9 Yen to the Dollar, making a loss of 4.1% during the week and 4.6% over the month.
The Euro was weaker against the Yen ending at 122.4, a loss of 2.4% over the course of the week and 4.1% over April. It made ground against Sterling last week, rising by 0.14%; the close saw one £ buying €1.2782, but it fell back by 2.4% over the month.
The Euro now buys 1.0981 CHF, a loss of 0.05% on the week, but a gain of 0.62% on the month.
Commodities market review
On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended at $47.37 per barrel, a rise of 5% over the course of the week’s trading and a consolidation of 22.5% in April. The value of gold was higher last week, closing at $1293.7 per ounce, a gain of 5% on the week and 5.8% on the month.