With the exception of Germany’s Dax, all of the major stock markets ended the week higher.
In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was up by 2.6%, it closed at 6375.5; the Dax ended at 7806 slipping by 1.9% over the course of the week; the CAC was up by 0.4% to end the session at 3753.9.
The Dow ended the week higher making 1.5% to end at 15136. The Nasdaq composite index ended at 3479.4, gaining 2.2% over the course of the week.
The Nikkei 225 ended the week’s trading up by 3.2% to end the session at 14109.
Currency markets in review
On the currency markets last week, the Dollar again saw the best of trading. The Dollar was stronger against Sterling last week, closing at 1.4911 to the Pound; a rise of 2% over the week. The Greenback strengthened against the Euro last week climbing by 1.4% to close at 1.2825. The Dollar was stronger against the Japanese currency, closing at 100.93 to the Yen, making a gain of 1.7% during the week.
The Euro strengthened against the Yen ending at 129.5, a gain of 0.35% over the course of the week. It also made ground against Sterling last week rising by 0.61%; the close saw one £ buying €1.1620.
Commodities market review
On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended higher, at $107.7 per barrel (for August delivery); a rise of 5.4% over the course of the week’s trading on fears of unrest in Egypt. The value of gold was higher last week, closing at $1222.8 per ounce, representing a gain of 1.7% over previous week’s value.
The data that supports this article is drawn from Bloomberg, The Financial Times and X-rates.