London, Friday, 8 October 2021 -
Global Markets Weekly roundup
U.S.
Gains for most of the major benchmarks
Dow Jones
Friday’s Close: 34,746.25
Week’s Change: 419.79
% Change YTD: 13.53%
S&P 500
Friday’s Close: 4391.34
Week’s Change: 34.30
% Change YTD: 16.91%
Nasdaq Composite
Friday’s Close: 14,579.54
Week’s Change: 12.84
% Change YTD: 13.12%
Although the week started on a down note, global stock markets have been moving in an upward trend, while all eyes will be on the US Federal Reserve's meeting minutes and inflation data next week.
Investors’ concerns summarised
Debt ceiling rise as President Biden stated that he could not guarantee that the U.S. would avoid a default
Facebook and its related services going offline
Spike in oil prices
Rising tensions between China and Taiwan
U.S. efforts to force China to meet several commitments under the Phase One trade deal
Energy stocks led the gains amid natural gas price record high prices in Europe and as leading oil exporters decided to keep production at current levels, resulting to a seven-year high crude oil prices on Monday.
Real Estate sector fell behind with modest losses.
The highly anticipated monthly payrolls report was released on Friday. Markets reacted mixed. The Labor Department reported that nonfarm payrolls grew by 194,000 in September, well below consensus expectations of around 500,000.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note briefly approached 1.62%, its highest level since early June.
Europe
Despite the volatility, stocks in Europe ended higher.
STOXX 600: +0.97%
DAX: +0.33%
CAC: +0.65%
FTSE MIB: +1.70%
FTSE 100: +0.97%
Core Eurozone bond yields up due to inflation concerns deriving from the surge in natural gas prices.
Further rise due to U.S. Treasury yields, following Senate’s vote to raise the U.S. debt ceiling temporarily to avoid a government default.
Peripheral Eurozone bond yields and UK gilt yields followed core markets. Concerns about high inflation proving more persistent than expected, according to Bank of England’s Chief Economist, Huw Pill, further sent gilt yields up.
Meanwhile, problems related to natural gas supply remain at the centre of the agenda in Europe, while natural gas prices surge to record highs, amid global fuel shortages. Cost increase for households and limitation to industrial production is now a realistic threat.
Natural gas futures, which rose to €162 ($191) during the week, increased inflation pressures and brought with it questions about the security of the energy supply.
Poland’s central bank increases rates; Germany industrial output falls
Poland’s central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates for the first time in almost a decade to quell a surge in inflation, boosting its key rate 40 basis points to 0.5%. The move follows hikes in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.
German industrial production in August fell the most in 17 months due to supply chain disruptions, particularly in the auto industry.
Japan
Worries about global inflation, old prices and the Chinese property market, sent Japan’s stock market lower for the third consecutive week. The expected policies of newly inaugurated Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida also contributed to the slump, as investors are concerned that he might introduce a capital gains tax increase, perceived as a setback towards the efforts to make Japan a more shareholder-friendly country.
Nikkei 225: -2.51%
TOPIX: -1.23%
10-year Government bond yield: +0.08%
China
Chinese stocks rose on Friday.
CSI 300: +1.31%
Shanghai Composite: +0.67%
10-year Government bond yield: +2.92% - up 3 basis points
RMB/USD: 6.4490
(Written and edited by: The Decision Maker)