Last Friday marked the final trading session for June and the end of the second quarter of the year. The markets rallied on the outcome of an EU summit meeting which also buoyed the Euro.
In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was up by 1.04%, it closed at 5571.2 a rally of 5.9% on the week, but it ended Q2 down by 2.7%; the Dax ended the week at 6416.3, climbing by 2.4% over the week, making 6.1% in June but sliding by 5.3% in Q2; the CAC was up by 3.4% to end the session at 3196.7; it made 8.3% on the month, but still lost 3.7% over the quarter.
The Dow ended the week higher to the tune of 1.9 % at 12880.1 it made 6.3% in June, but fell back by 1.4% over Q2. The Nasdaq composite index ended the week at 2935.1 climbing 1.5% over the course of the week and rising by 6.8% over the month, but it lost 4.7% over the quarter.
The Nikkei closed up over the course of the week’s trading, making 2.4% to end the trading session at 9006.8; it put on 6.7% in June, but fell back by 7% over the quarter.
Currency Markets Review
On the currency markets last week, the Yen saw the best of trading. The Dollar was flat against Sterling, shedding 0.08% and closing at 1.56049 to the Pound; it fell by 2% over the month, but ended the quarter worth 1.6% more. The Greenback was weaker against the Euro last week, falling by 0.41% to close at 1.2590; it strengthened by 2.2% in June, but ended Q2 3.7% lower. The Dollar also lost ground against the Japanese currency, closing at 79.5314 to the Yen, a loss of 0.95% on the week; it rose by 1.8% during the month, but still ended the quarter down by 3.3% against the Japanese currency.
The Euro weakened against the Yen ending at 100.13, a loss of 0.55% over the course of the week; it recovered by 4% over the month but ended the quarter down by 6.9%. The Euro was stronger against Sterling over the course of the week, climbing by 0.32%; the close saw one £ buying 1.23946; it gained 0.22 in June, but ended Q2 2.2% weaker.
Commodities Market Review
On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended higher, closing at $97.8 per barrel (for August delivery); a rise of 7.9% over the course of the week’s trading. It ended June down by 0.6% but has fallen by a whopping 20.8% this quarter. The value of gold was higher last week, closing at $1598.5 per ounce, representing a gain of 2.1% over last week’s value. Gold fell by 0.47% in June and has weakened by 2% over Q2.