Last week marked the final trading session for September for the purposes of these summaries.
In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was almost flat, rising by 0.08%, it closed at 6109 and made 1.1% on the month; the Dax ended at 9688.5, down by 2.3% on last week’s close and falling by 3.5% in September; the CAC was down by 1.2% to end the session at 4480.7, slipping by 0.94% on the month.
The Dow ended the week down by 0.43% to close at 16315, but it gained 1.3% in September. The Nasdaq composite index ended up down by 2.9% over the course of the week at 4686.5 to stand virtually unchanged from the start of the month.
The Nikkei 225 ended the week’s trading down by 1.1% to end the session at 17881, but making 0.5% during September.
Currency markets review
On the currency markets last week, the Dollar enjoyed the best of the trading. The Dollar was stronger against Sterling last week closing at $1.517 to the Pound, a rise of 2.6%, ending the month up by 0.16%. The Greenback rose against the Euro last week by 1.4% to close at $1.1194 to the €, making 0.69% over the month. The Dollar was stronger against the Japanese currency, closing at 120.7 Yen to the Dollar, making a gain of 0.75% during the week and 1.4% in September.
The Euro was weaker against the Yen ending at 135.2, a loss of 0.70% over the course of the week, but it recovered by 2.1% over the month. It made ground against Sterling last week, rising by 1.2%; the close saw one £ buying €1.3552 and making 0.85% during the month.
The Euro now buys 1.092 CHF, a gain of 0.02% on the week, but edging up by 0.76% in September.
Commodities market review
On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended at $48.6 per barrel, a gain of 2.4% over the course of the week’s trading, but a decline of2% on the month. The value of gold was higher last week, closing at $1146 per ounce, a gain of 0.66% on the week and 2.3% during September.