Financial Markets Daily Report19 April 2021
Investors closed the week with an optimistic tone. Positive corporate earnings releases and Q1 activity data in China (GDP rose by 0.6% qoq and 18.3% yoy, due to base effects) contributed to the improvement in sentiment.
- Investors closed the week with an optimistic tone. Positive corporate earnings releases and Q1 activity data in China (GDP rose by 0.6% qoq and 18.3% yoy, due to base effects) contributed to the improvement in sentiment.
- In this context, stock indices rose across the board and U.S. stocks closed at a new record high. In fixed-income markets, yields on sovereign bonds edged up in the euro area and peripheral spreads narrowed. The yield on the 10Y Treasury remained unchanged at 1.58%.
- Elsewhere, the U.S. dollar weakened against most advanced economies' currencies and the euro fluctuated slightly below $1.20. The price of the barrel of Brent fell modestly.
- This week the focus will be on the ECB meeting (Thu.), in which we do not expect any major changes in the monetary policy stance, and on April's preliminary PMI indicators for the main advanced economies (Fri.).