Investment Markets in May 2015 Highlights A sharp rise in bond yields in the first half of May led to increased volatility in equity markets. European sovereign bond yields fell back at month end as the ECB said that growth indicators in the Eurozone warranted acceleration of its bond buying programme over the summer. US equities made further gains. Japanese …
Market Commentary April 2015
Investment Markets in April 2015 Highlights Equity markets fell in euro terms in April on foot of weaker economic data in the US and China and weakness in most of the major traded currencies against the euro. Bonds were also weaker in April with euro-denominated bonds falling due to marginally better German inflation numbers. US Treasuries saw a rise in …
Market Commentary – December 2014 and Outlook for 2015
Markets weakened in local currency terms in December but US and Japanese markets gained in Euro terms as the Euro weakened further. Equity market performances diverged in 2014 as European markets underperformed the US as the Eurozone economy lagged the recovery in the American labour and housing markets. US stockmarkets gained over 11% in 2014 with the 13% gain in …
Investment Markets in February 2014
Following equity market weakness in January, February saw a strong recovery buoyed by expectations that US economic data will rebound in coming months as the effect of the extreme winter weather abates. Also the measured tones of new US Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen offered near term monetary policy clarity to markets. Yellen strongly reiterated the policy position of a …
Market Commentary – December 2013 and 2014 Outlook
Investment Markets were mixed in December with weakness in the US Dollar, Sterling and Yen versus the Euro eroding gains in share prices leaving the FTSE World Index up just 0.1%. It was, however, a very strong year for equities with international shares ending the year up 15% in Euro terms while the key US market ended the year in …