Stock Markets

Stock market indexes ended the week mixed across a broad range of sectors. Volatility set in as losses earlier in the week were partly covered by Friday’s rally. The 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average outperformed the technology-dominated Nasdaq Composite Index as the latter charted its heaviest weekly drop in the last eight weeks. The technology sector also underperformed in the broad S&P 500 Index, as did real estate, utilities, and consumer discretionary stocks. Value stocks saw better trading than growth stocks as they did in the previous two weeks. Over the week the earnings season continued to wind down as 442 companies in the S&P 500 listing projected to release their first-quarter performance. Overall, earnings reports have significantly exceeded analysts’ expectations.

U.S. Economy

During the week, the Labor Department released some disappointing job numbers that may have influenced the course of trading during the week. The disappointing jobs report indicated that nonfarm payrolls grew only by 266,000 jobs in April out of the 1 million jobs expected. Despite an increase in jobs in the restaurant and leisure sector, employment in the manufacturing and retail industries was diminished slightly. Overall, the unemployment rate increased slightly from 6.0% to 6.1%, coinciding with a downward adjustment in the March employment figure. The severe shortfall in the expected jobs numbers is a sign that the recovery might not be proceeding as originally forecasted. It also signals a major slowdown in employment recovery compared to the March gain of 770,000 jobs.

• The question posed by the underperformance in the job market is whether or not the shortfall is a firm indication that the economic recovery may not materialize. The analysis shows, however, that the shortfall in jobs created is only a matter of timing rather than a change in trend. The issuance of stimulus checks that were necessary to keep up demands for goods and services has also unfortunately caused a mismatch among employee expectations, with some of the returning employees opting for the stimulus package for the meantime while the opening of establishments is staggered due to covid uncertainties. As the lifting of restrictions continues to accelerate and stimulus payments are eventually discontinued, people will likely move back to their jobs, causing job growth to rise for the rest of the year.  
• On the other hand, it is also potentially a positive indication that the anticipated overheating of the economy is unlikely, therefore allaying worries of a runaway inflation rate. There have been concerns that the increase in average hourly earnings, measured at 0.7% month-on-month, is extraordinarily robust and might contribute to some short-term labor shortage. The payroll gains contributed by the leisure and hospitality sector added 331,000 jobs in April, which may be the start in the service-sector jobs comeback. Manufacturing shaved off 18,000 jobs while transportation and warehousing lost 74,000 jobs. The imbalances show a possible mismatch among the industries, which may eventually correct itself as the economy continues to rebound.  

Metals and Mining

Gold prices continued on their upward trend, during which it tested and breached the critical $1,800 per ounce level last achieved on February 22 and from which it corrected to $1,735 by the end of the month. Gold prices regained their upward momentum in March as the threat from the advancing 10-year Treasury yields and the strengthening US dollar gradually dissipated, fear over the rising inflation rates intensified, and investors’ flight to gold and other precious metals took off. Gold rose as high as $1,837.70 on Thursday, a surge of 5% from its year-to-date low. It is also up 13% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2021. On Friday, it traded at $1,834.73.

Silver corrected from its February year-to-date high for most of the two months that followed. From its interim low of $25.84 by end of April, it shot up to $27.41 in the past week. It ended Friday at $27.37, close to its recent peak. The fundamentals for silver remain positive and are expected to provide buying impetus for the metal for the rest of the year, on the back of increased investment and industrial demand. Platinum and palladium remain strong due to continued forecasted demand. Platinum prices are up 17% year-to-date, selling at $1,246 per ounce on Friday. Palladium prices remained above $2,000 for most of the past year. Since this metal is a key element of car emission systems, the increasingly robust emission standards in the EU and China are likely to sustain demand and push its prices higher. Palladium traded at $2,837.50 on Friday.

Base metals rode the same bullish market as precious metals. Copper pushed above $10,000 per tonne to test its record high of $10,025 on Thursday. It traded at $10.215 on Friday. Zinc also recorded gains by rising to a year-to-date high at $2,959.50 per tonne by midweek. A pullback occurred later in the day, but the metal rallied to Friday’s price of $2,978.50. Nickel began the week at $16,009 per tonne, but surged a further 12% by Thursday. It still needs a ways to go before coming back to its year-to-date high of $19,689 established on February 22. It aimed to test $17,843 by the week’s end. Lead also gained, attaining its year-to-date high of $2,186 per tonne, ending Friday at $2,177.

Energy and Oil

Brent is testing its resistance at $70 per barrel which it approached on Wednesday, but retreated from on Thursday. Demand is still expected to remain strong, however, as the week still closed with a gain. World trends in fuel sourcing continue to move against the use of fossil fuels, however. A recent report released by the United Nations suggests that the global rise in methane emissions in the past 10 years is attributable mainly to the sudden rise in oil and gas drilling, or more specifically, the shale boom in the U.S. The study optimistically foresees, however, that costs related to reductions in methane are actually inexpensive and within achievable targets. Along the same theme, Germany moves up its climate targets as a court decision ordering tougher action prompted the government to raise its 2030 emissions reduction target from 55% to 65%. The country is also advancing its net-zero target from 2050 to 2045.

Natural Gas

There has been a diminution of the viability of LNG import terminals in Europe, prompting utilities to look for alternative uses. Waning demand for LNG is causing companies to turn to other projects such as switching to a hydrogen hub (Unier SE) or transformation to an offshore wind project in Ireland. Movements of natural gas spot prices were mixed for the week (April 28 to May 5). The Henry Hub spot price increased from $2.93 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) at the start of the week to $2.97/MMBtu by the week’s end. This is a reflection of increasingly variable temperatures across the country. Last Wednesday, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) contract expired at $2.925/MMBtu. The June 2021 contract price descended to $2.938/MMBtu, a reduction of $0.02/MMBtu for the week. The price of the 12-month strip averaging June 2021 through May 2022 futures contracts slid to $2.977/MMBtu, a drop of $0.01/MMBtu.  

World Markets

European shares ascended on better-than-expected earnings reports and rising investor confidence buoyed by the economic recovery. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index closed the week 1.72% higher, as did the major indexes for the region. German and French stock indexes were lifted by more than 1.5% and Italy’s FTSE MIB Index gained 1.95% over the same period. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index outperformed the others as it rose by 2.29%. The rise in investor sentiment is fueled by the European Commission’s announcement to reopen the EU’s borders once more to tourists from outside the bloc, targeted for sometime in June. Core eurozone bonds slid at the beginning of the week due to the lower-than-expected US manufacturing reports. Overall for the week, however, yields on peripheral eurozone government bonds moved higher.

In Japan, despite a holiday-shortened week, equities at once recorded a gain on reduced concerns about the pandemic. The Nikkei 225 climbed by 1.89% while the broader TOPIX Index matched this increase by a 1.83% gain of its own. The close of the market occurred for the first three trading days in celebration of the Golden Week, which somewhat reduced volatility and limited reactions to the end-of-week gains in other world markets. The improving prospects for global economic recovery and better-than-expected economic data from the US provided investors an incentive to rally the market. The yen remained mostly unchanged against the U.S. dollar at slightly above JPY 109. The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond dipped slightly to 0.08%

While most global equities were up, Chinese stocks fell also on the back of a shortened trading week. The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index closed lower by 0.8% while the large-cap CSI 300 Index lost ground by 2.5% from the previous Friday. Mainland markets were closed from Monday through Wednesday for the Labor Day holiday, and reopened on Thursday. Consumer stocks outperformed the rest of the market as investors’ buying motivation was fueled by the preliminary data covering holiday sales and travel. Some pharmaceutical companies saw their stock prices descend after the U.S announced a possible waiver of COVID-19 vaccine-related intellectual property rights. This decision is likely to increase competition among several vaccine makers. Meanwhile, the yield of China’s 10-year sovereign bond slid by 3 basis points to 3.17%.

The Week Ahead

During the coming week, vital economic data expected to be released include Retail sales, Inflation data and the Consumer Sentiment Index.

Key Topics to Watch

• NFIB small-business index
• Job openings
• Consumer price index
• Core CPI
• Federal budget
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Producer price index
• Retail sales
• Retail sales ex-autos
• Import price index
• Industrial production
• Capacity utilization
• Consumer sentiment
• Business inventories

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

In the past week, stocks tested record highs on the back of positive earnings reports. Although the major indexes closed slightly lower, the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and S&P MidCap all tested new highs prior to correcting for Friday’s close. A deluge of first-quarter reports elicited reactions from investors, causing volatility in the returns of the different sectors. Providing a major buying motivation is the rise in oil prices to their highest level in six weeks. Within the S&P 500, communication services shares outperformed the rest of the counters as a result of earnings and revenue reports from Facebook and Alphabet (parent company of Google). Microsoft’s earnings report exceeded analysts’ expectations; however, this news appears to have been discounted by the market as the stock fell, causing the technology sector to underperform. Health care stocks also fell as a result of the decline of share prices among several drug manufacturers.

U.S. Economy

The strong earnings reports that flooded the market last week are testimony to the robust economic progress the country has made in recent months. At current levels, the S&P 500 is up by 12% compared to the first four months of 2021. Current fundamentals appear to line up with the continuation of a bull market and investor optimism continues to pick up, according to the following indicators.

• The first-quarter GDP rose by an annualized 6.4%, compared to 4.3% recorded in the last quarter of 2020. The recent two rounds of stimulus packages have provided a boost to the economy simultaneous with the continued progress in the vaccination roll-out. Consumer spending surged by 10.7% representing spending of part of the stimulus check. This development is encouraging, since consumption accounts for 70% of the economy. Business investment also increased 9.9%, as well as government expenditure by 6.3%. A reduction in the GDP, however, was contributed by a drop in inventories and exports as a result of the pandemic.
• There have been many earnings reports that have been released in the past week, but these comprise only slightly more than half of the companies in the S&P 500 listing have released news of their earnings. Of those who have reported, about 87% of the companies have exceeded their expected earnings by at least 24%. As already observed, growth stocks such as communication counters (Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet) will continue to ride the digitalization trends, but even cyclical businesses are bound to realize substantially higher earnings by a wide margin.
• Even though economic activity and employment have admittedly strengthened, the Fed remained unchanged in its conservative policy. There appears to be no change in sight to slow the rate of asset purchases which is currently at $120 billion per month, or to raise interest rates in fear of an inflation rate increase. The Fed’s updated policy framework currently emphasizes average inflation targeting and defines employment gains broadly and inclusively. Given that scenario, it is unlikely that preemptive policies based on economic projections will be instituted. Instead, those crafting policy will wait for the data to confirm any progress substantively made, allowing more time before adopting any major changes. On the other hand, stimulative fiscal policy will continue to be adopted, enabling further growth in the economy. It is possible, however, for growth rates to peak sometime this quarter.

 Metals and Mining

The price of gold encountered volatility over the past week as it rose during the week to $1,788 per ounce on Wednesday, April 28, and plummeted to $1,755 the day after. Gold was anticipated to rise above its trading pattern over the past four weeks. It lost steam, however, when the newly released economic data prompted an increase in the 10-year Treasury yields, thus reducing the attractiveness of gold as an alternative investment vehicle. Gold ended the week at $1,768.10 per ounce on Friday, April 30.

Silver continued its downward correction that it had trekked for most of April, even as values this week inched closer to $26.50 per ounce. Despite being closely correlated to gold, analysts feel that it may make a move towards $32 by the second semester of 2021, though it may well average $27.30 for the rest of the year. As of Friday, silver traded at $25.99 per ounce.

The platinum and palladium markets were impacted by the disruption of production in Russia’s Norilsk Nickel (MCX:GMKN), providing an incentive to buy up both metals. Platinum rose on Tuesday to $1,246 per ounce before correcting to $1,182 in later trading. Palladium surged to a new record peak of more than $3,000 on Friday; the metal is a primary material used in the manufacture of catalytic converters, a crucial component that reduces emission in automotive exhaust systems. On Friday, platinum traded at $1,202.25 while palladium traded at $2,882.

In the base metals category, copper breached its 10-year high of $9,990 per tonne, and ended the week at that level, The metal has been consistently trending upward throughout April, rising 11.7% over the last month. Zink began trading for the week at $2,862.50 and ended Friday at $2,928 per tonne. Nickel registered the second largest gain among the base metals, increasing by 5.9% in value by Friday to hit $17,433 per tonne. Lead also went up by 2% for the week to close at $2,097.50 per tonne on Friday, with more upside foreseen in the weeks to come.

Energy and Oil

The price of oil rose gradually through the week but saw a correction on Friday due to profit-taking on the gains made. The sell-out was also likely influenced by concerns about the deteriorating situation in India’s covid outbreak. Oil prices rose to a six-week high on Thursday mainly due to positive economic news in the U.S., in the hopes that the improving economy will increase demand in this country. It is hoped that the growing U.S. demand will offset the bearish outlook of demand from India that would tend to lead to a global oil surplus.

In other countries, the EU carbon prices have exerted pressure on the border tariff. Prices have shot up almost to 50 euro per ton, thus increasing the cost burden on polluting industries. The EU is being called upon by the European industry to overseen carbon border adjustments; this is a tariff imposed on imported products originating from places abroad that have weak climate policy. In Asia, China seeks to replicate, at least in part, America’s shale boom. It is developing its substantial shale gas resources to produce sufficient natural gas to meet its growing demand. Many challenges still have to be met, however, before the country can accomplish even a fraction of the U.S. achievement in this field.

Natural Gas

For the week of April 21 (Wednesday) to April 28, the spot prices of natural gas climbed in most regions. The Henry Hub spot price increased to $2,93 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) from $2.65/MMBtu. At the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the May 2021 contract expired April 30, up by $0.23/MMBtu for the week at $2,926/MMBtu. The June 2021 contract price rose by $0.18/MMBtu to $2.960/MMBtu over the same period. The price of the 12-month strip averaging June 2021 to May 2022 futures contracts increased by $0,11/MMBtu to $2.990/MMBtu. Meanwhile, at Mont Belvieu, Texas, natural gas plant liquids composite price went up by $0.21/MMBtu, an average of $7.07/MMBtu for the same week. The average weekly price of natural gasoline slid by $0.01, mirroring the price drop in Brent crude oil price, which suffered the same rate of decrease week-on-week.   

World Markets

European shares moved sideways for the week, apparently consolidating after gains in eurozone bond yields caused investors to take profits at close to record high levels. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index closed the week 0.38% down. Major indexes across Europe were mixed. Among those that gained are France’s CAC 40 which rose by 0.18% and UK’s FTSE 100 which grew 0.45%. Those that lost include Germany’s Xetra DAX Index which slid 0.94% and Italy’s FTSE MIB which dipped by 1.00%. Overall, any gains and losses made were minimal as the market did not find any impetus for major moves. Core eurozone bonds, in the meantime, moved higher on speculations that the U.S. Federal Reserve may slow down its bond purchasing program. The release of German inflation data that came out higher than expected also prompted core yields to increase. Yields in the UK and peripheral eurozone bond markets ended higher in tandem with U.S. Treasuries and core eurozone bonds.

In Japan, bourses treaded lower as the Nikkei 225 Index ended down by 0.72% and the broader TOPIX Index fell by 0.87%. The softness in the market became more evident by Friday with the release of worse-than-expected earnings results for some firms trading in the market. The movement also signaled that investors may be adjusting their positions before the Gold Week holiday resumes on May 3-5 when markets close. The yen dipped against the US dollar at JPY 108.9, while yields on the 10-year Japanese government bond gained 0.9%. In China, shares lost ground during the week in view of the government’s crackdown on technology firms. The large-cap CSI 300 Index slid 0.2% and the Shanghai Composite Index dipped by 0.8%. A weaker-than-expected Purchasing Managers’ Index report for April dampened investor appetite for buying. Ahead of the three-day Labor Day holiday, there was little incentive to take a position particularly since some state banks were withholding the release of their 2020 financial results

The Week Ahead

Among the reports scheduled to be released next week are Domestic Auto Sales, the PMI Index, and construction spending.

Key Topics to Watch

• Markit manufacturing PMI (final)
• ISM manufacturing index
• Construction spending
• Motor vehicle sales (SAAR)
• Trade deficit
• Factory orders
• ADP employment report
• Markit services PMI (final)
• ISM services index
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Productivity
• Unit labor costs
• Nonfarm payrolls
• Unemployment rate
• Average hourly earnings
• Wholesale inventories
• Consumer credit

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

Overall, during the week, stocks changed little on very light trading volume, the lightest daily volumes so far for 2021. The small caps slightly outperformed the large caps while the Nasdaq Composite Index marginally trailed the broad market. Expanding our perspective. on April 16, the U.S. stock market was poised at a record high. The reasons for the rally appear to be well supported by the robust economic recovery, increase in reported corporate profits, and the release of the new Federal Reserve stimulus. There were some signs of investor anxiety as the S&P 500 dropped during three of the five trading days, although this may be seen as a reasonable correction given that the market has descended only 1.2% from its recent peak. The rapid and steady gains over the past year may be the cause of some jitters at the slightest volatility in the market. Over the past year, the stock market has dropped by more than one percent during only 28 daily trading sessions. There have been only three 5% corrections and none over 10% during the same year. It is therefore possible that a major correction might be forthcoming.

U.S. Economy

While it seems that the bull market will continue in the longer term, there are some challenges that the economy faces as the country moves forward for the remainder of the year. Three factors may continue to create some volatility in the financial markets.

• Tax hikes are likely to occur in the coming months as the government struggles to meet its ambitious spending plans with appropriate sources of funding. President Biden proposes to hike the capital gains tax which has created some ripples in the equity market over the past week. The proposal aims to raise the tax rate to 39.6% over the present 20% for those earning $1 million per annum. This is joined by a proposal to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from the current 21%, reversing in part the tax cut instituted in 2018.
• Inflationary pressures continue to exist, although it is not expected to reach the inflation levels of the seventies. Although the current inflation trend is flat, the combination of supply-chain disruptions and rising demand will likely tend to pull consumer prices higher. The occasional spikes that are bound to take place will not catch the market off-guard, however. After a temporary jump, the market will adjust due to the year-on-year comparison period. What is likely to take place is that inflation will subside as a result of the more sustained economic reopening, a return of supply in the services sector, and a developing slack in the labor market.
• So far, three asset bubbles show signs of developing, in particular Reddit stocks, cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens of NFTs. Sudden surges in the prices of these assets have attracted investor attention, causing prices to rise further. These packets of market interest have so far been supported by excess liquidity. Past bubbles involving the dot-com stocks resulted from overvaluations and unsustainable price acceleration throughout the stock market. This does not appear to be the case presently, and it is doubtful that the potential bubbles in these assets will spark another widescale shock in the financial markets.

Metals and Mining

Gold continued onto its third straight week of gains particularly as the rallies by the US 10-year Treasury yields and the American dollar lost steam and entered into consolidation. Further fueling the rise of gold prices were concerns over U.S. President Biden’s planned tax hike and the scheduled meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Gold reached a four-week high of $1.796.50 per ounce by Wednesday, April 21, from $1,775.90 the week prior. Thursday saw a price pullback to $1.780, leading to a Friday close at $1,772.47. The metal may resume its uptrend should inflationary pressures continue to firm up.

Silver likewise followed the volatility of gold prices, with silver impacted by the movement of Treasury yields and currency fluctuations. It rallied to $26.62 per ounce on Wednesday from $25.84 on Monday, then retracing to end the week at $25.88. Silver is expected to register gains by the year’s end, according to the annual World Silver Survey. Palladium rose to an all-time high on Friday at $2,875 per ounce but corrected to $2,762, while platinum closed the week at $1,223 per ounce.

Base metal prices moved sideways for the week. Copper prices remained flat for the week, beginning at $9,415 per tonne and closing the week at $9,475.50. Nickel succumbed to some pressure throughout most of the week. While rising demand appeared to be pushed by electric vehicle manufacturing and stainless steel production, additional production from Indonesia may reduce the impact of the added demand. Nickel traded at $16,009 per tonne by the close of the week. Zinc and lead likewise shed some value, with zinc closing on Friday at $2,805 per tonne and lead at $2,017.

Energy and Oil

Oil prices continued sideways for the week, buoyed by the growing optimism in the US and European markets but pressured downwards by the downside risks that prevail particularly in India. The massive sub-continent posted record-setting Covid-19 cases day after day, setting off speculations that demand for fuels may plummet by 20% in April as a result of the lockdowns extending anywhere from a few weeks to two months.

In other related news, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged at the climate Summit on Thursday to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by the year 2030. Canada raised its target from the previous 30% to 40-45% cut while Japan also raised its commitment to 46% cut from a previous 26%. In the meantime, oil supermajors have committed to making billions of dollars in low-carbon energy investments and pledged to realize net-zero goals over the next ten years. Their shed assets are however being snapped up by smaller oil and gas companies.

Natural Gas

The residential and commercial demand for natural gas increased significantly week-over-week, pushing the price of natural gas in most markets upwards. From April 14 to 21, the Henry Hub spot price increased by $0.05 from $2.60/MMBtu to $2.65/MMBtu from a weekly high of $2.69/MMBtu on Tuesday. The residential and commercial sectors continue to lead to an increase in U.S. natural gas consumption.

Globally, the demand for natural gas was weaker than expected based on the forecast for industrial demand and the onset of warm weather. This has led to month-end inventories at 1.78 trillion cubic feet which exceeded the anticipated level, erasing the inventory deficit relative to the five-year average. However, despite the lull in demand, it was observed that there is an ongoing ramp-up in the production of natural gas after an 18-month slowdown. This is according to proclamations by Rystad Energy and the Bank of America, predicting strong production gains over the next three years.

World Markets

The European stock market dipped on concerns of an increased coronavirus case load and the chances that the anticipated economic recovery will be impeded. The dismal sentiment overshadowed the strong corporate earnings reports. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index ended moved slightly southward for the week by 0.78%, even as major benchmark indices followed suit. Italy’s FTSE MIB registered the largest dip at 1.45%, followed by Germany’s Xetra DAX Index at 1.17% down, and France’s CAC-40 Index at 0.46%. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index likewise pulled back by 1.15%.

The core eurozone bond yields initially rose early in the week on optimism regarding the rollout of the vaccines. The sentiment shifted, however, when Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, announced that it was preemptive to withdraw the stimulus. This resulted in a fall in the UK gilt yields, mirroring the U.S. Treasury yields. The movement in the Fed yields coincided with volatility in the equity markets and the presidential announcement that taxes will be raised on higher-income earners.

In Japan, worries about the coronavirus continued to weigh on the markets. A brief rally on Thursday was overtaken by negative sentiments that dominated throughout the week and across all sectors. The Nikkei 225 Index lost more than 650 points for the week, briefly breaking down below the 29,000 mark before it somewhat recovered and finished at 29,020.63, 2.2% lower than the previous week’s close. The broader TOPIX Index also closed lower. The yen lost ground to the U.S. dollar, transacting at slightly below JPY 108 on Friday. The yield of the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond proved to be more resilient, ending the week at 0.069% lower than last week’s close. The coronavirus concerns were spurred by the report of nationwide daily infections exceeding 5,000 for the first time in three months, prompting Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to declare a state of emergency in several prefectures.

On the Chinese front, the CSI 300 Index that tracks large-cap issues rose by 3.4% for the week, and the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up by 1.4%. Beginning Monday, Chinese stocks advanced steadily even as mainland equity markets received inflows from Hong Kong via Stock Connect totaling $2.5 billion. This was the third-largest single-day inflow from Hong Kong investors. The positive investor sentiment is credited to the issuance of new rules from China’s financial regulators. After the close of the market on April 16, the country’s Security Regulatory Commission (CSRC) announced the adoption of several new market reforms. One of these reforms is a commitment to curb the unregulated expansion of fintech firms. Amendments were also made to the requirements companies have to fulfill to qualify for listing on Shanghai’s Star board, China’s equivalent for the Nasdaq exchange.

The Week Ahead

Next week, important economic reports scheduled to be released include GDP, the inflation deflator, and personal income and expenditure.

Key Topics to Watch

• Durable goods orders
• Core capital goods orders
• Case-Shiller home price index (year-over-year)
• Consumer confidence index
• Homeownership rate
• Trade in goods, advance report
• Federal Reserve announcement
• Fed Chair Jerome Powell press conference
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Gross domestic product (SAAR)
• Pending home sales index
• Employment cost index
• Personal income
• Consumer spending
• Core inflation
• Chicago purchasing managers’ index
• Consumer sentiment index (final)

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

The markets have completed their fourth consecutive week of gains and have now moved to challenge their record peaks. The large and mid-cap benchmarks surged ahead while the technology-based Nasdaq Composite Index and small-cap Russell 2000 Index lagged slightly, although they stayed close to their highs of the past trading weeks. Within the broad S&P 500 Index, the health care sector performed strongly, followed by insurance stocks; in the mining sector, the rising gold and copper prices boosted the performance of company shares. On the other hand, energy shares retreated late in the week but eventually ended flat.

The start of earnings season was behind the positive market sentiment, as 22 companies listed in the S&P 500 were scheduled to release their first-quarter results. Wednesday saw the release of first-quarter earnings reports by the major banks Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs.  The positive sentiment also appears to be pushed by the announcement by Pfizer that it could deliver 10% more vaccines by the end of next month, as well as more encouraging news from Moderna.

U.S. Economy

Positive economic news provided the markets with incentives to move further northward. The retail sales for March reported on Thursday achieved a growth rate of 9.8%, the fastest the indicator has grown since May of last year. The gains were generated over a wide range of economic activity, reflecting the accelerated reopening of retail stores and restaurants. It also included recovery from the 2.7% February pullback due to the unexpected extraordinarily cold weather.

• Manufacturing data released during the week was also better than expected by most investors, including news of mid-Atlantic factory activity reported at its highest level in almost 50 years. Regarding unemployment figures, the weekly jobless claims stood at 576,000 which is a new pandemic low and which is much lower than expected. Assessment of consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan was at its best since the beginning of the pandemic, although it underperformed somewhat compared to consensus expectations.
• On inflation data results, there was a slight increase in consumer prices for the month of March, by 0.6%. Core prices (which excludes food and energy) rose by 0.3%; both core and consumer prices are moderately higher than consensus expectations. There was a dramatic increase in car rental prices as reported in the Wall Street Journal, reflecting firms’ efforts at rebuilding fleets impacted by slowed auto production. The latter, in turn, appears to be the repercussion of the global chip shortage. Concerns about the possible rising inflation rate may have been quelled somewhat by policymakers’ announcement that they expect inflation to move slightly above 20% for some time.

 Metals and Mining

Gold prices moved higher as bond yields soften and the US dollar declined, encouraging flights to safety. The price of gold increased by 2.4% from its Monday opening value, reaching $1,736.50 per ounce. The upward move appears to be a correction from the previous downtrend, recovering losses the saw the price of gold below the $1,700 per ounce level in the past month. It is possible for gold to move higher, given that the 10-year Treasury yields continue to encounter resistance. Yields pulled back and penetrated the 1.6 percent crucial support level, signaling greater weakness in the fixed income instrument at least for the short term. Gold ended Friday midday at $1,779.75.

Silver followed gold upward during the second week of April, but although it rose above the critical $26 per ounce, silver is still more than $2 lower than its year-to-date high. Early in the first quarter, the strong investor interest drove the price to $28.55, but this level proved unsustainable. On Friday, silver traded at $26.04 per ounce towards midday. In the meantime, both platinum and palladium rose during the week on the back of a positive economic outlook and heightened emissions standards for automotive metals. Friday valuations saw platinum at $1,198 per ounce while palladium traded at $2,668 at the week’s end.

Base metals attained overall significant gains for the week, encouraged by China’s economic recovery and industrial growth. It appears that the metal prices broke out of their consolidation formations on the upside. However, nickel and zinc remained range-bound. Copper ended the week higher by 3% from its Monday value of $8,901 per tonne. Zinc modestly increased to $2,809 on Friday from $2,759 at the session’s opening. Nickel was the only base metal to fall after its strong start, falling from $16,220 to $16,049 on Friday. Zinc also fell while lead moved up slightly. Zinc closed at $1,984.50 per tonne from $1,948.50

Energy and Oil

Due to the improvement in its demand forecast, oil gained for the week. The demand profile stayed strong despite the rise in Covid cases and the proliferation of travel restrictions. The EIA increased oil demand forecasts for 2021 by 230,000 bpd, noting the fresh round of US stimulus spending and the improvement in the vaccination rollout. In the meantime, the large oil and gas companies aim to sell off a combined $110 billion in assets mainly for the purpose of debt liquidation. They may encounter problems in finding a good price, however, as the current economic environment is not ideal for asset disposal.

The trend in oil and gas investments around the world appears anchored on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. A large proportion amounting to 80% of global investors, particularly those based in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and the UK believe in the importance of environmental and ethical issues, while currently only about 60% are invested in ESG factors. Data suggests that future investment acquisition may be linked to ESG considerations.

Natural Gas

The largest natural gas driller in the US is pushing for stricter methane limits and is supporting Congressional efforts to repeal the rollback on the limits to methane production established by the previous administration. During the past week, natural gas spot prices climbed higher at most locations during the week April 7 to April 14. There was an increase in Henry Hub spot prices, from the $2.38 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on Wednesday the week before to $2.60/MMBtu last Wednesday. The price of the May 2021 contract at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) rose by $0.10, from $2.520/MMBtu to $2.618/MMBtu for the week in review. The 12-month strip averaging May 2021 through April 2022 futures contract is priced higher by $0.09/MMBtu, ending at $2.835/MMBtu.

World Markets

In Europe this past week, shares rose on optimism that a strong global economic recovery is around the corner, together with the hopes of strong corporate earnings in spite of an increase in coronavirus incidences. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index registered its seventh straight week of continuous gains. During the past week the Index rose by 1.20%, while France’s CAC 40 increased by 1.91%, Germany’s Xetra DAX Index gained 1.48%, and Italy’s FTSE MIB advanced by 1.28%. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index climbed 1.5% for the week.

The core eurozone bond yields inched upwards, with investors selling their existing bonds to prepare to take advantage of long-dated issues from a number of eurozone member states. It is expected that by the second quarter, Europe will be on the verge of receiving more vaccine supplies, propelling yields higher. However, upon U.S. imposition of additional sanction on Russia, yields corrected slightly lower. The core markets were tracked by yields in peripheral European economies for the week.

In Asia, China’s Shanghai Composite broad market index of A-shares suffered a 0.7% correction over the past week. The CSI 300 large-cap index fell 1.4% indicating a price dip in most technology stocks. The release of key Chinese economic data on Friday lifted markets in China and in the Asia region. The volatility in the market appeared to signal that mainland investors were uncertain a stronger GDP report will usher more liquidity tightening or if the underperformance of the industrial production sector may make authorities wary of taking more drastic regulatory measures. After a working paper from the government proposed fully lifting restrictions on family size, consumer stocks experienced a robust uptick.

Japan’s bourses were mixed for the week. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average dipped by 0.6% and the broader TOPIX also lost 0.3%, ending the trading session marginally lower. The yen lost ground against the dollar, closing the week in the upper JPY 108 level. The benchmark 10-year government bond yields finished slightly lower at 0.085%. A positive earnings outlook sustained the markets, and while the surging coronavirus cases continue to cause some concern, the markets appear to discount somewhat the effects of sustained outbreaks on the economy. Toward the week’s end, the Bank of Japan issued a cautiously optimistic economic outlook as the local business environment may be buoyed by the foreseen rise in global demand.

The Week Ahead

Among the important economic that are expected in the coming week are the Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) index and the PMI composite.

Key Topics to Watch

• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Existing home sales (SAAR)
• Leading economic indicators
• Markit manufacturing PMI (flash)
• Markit services PMI (flash)
• New home sales (SAAR)

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

While the small-cap Russell 2000 Index registered a minor loss, most of the benchmark indexes surged to record highs. Although the broad-market S&P 500 Index gained 2% over last week’s close, it was outperformed by the Nasdaq, which tracks mostly technology counters. Despite its strong showing, the Nasdaq fell short of its February peak. Within the S&P 500, technology shares led the rest of the stocks due to stellar performances by Apple and Microsoft accounting for about 40% of the sector’s market capitalization. Coming second are casino and cruise line shares which also registered strong gains. Lagging the market are energy stocks due to the oil price pullback earlier in the week. Value shares were outperformed by growth stocks, which narrowed the year-to-date performance gap.

U.S. Economy

Investor optimism about the recovering economy continued to move the markets this week. The bull market is quite young, however, therefore, there is substantial speculation about what developments in the economy will continue to push the indexes upward.

• One reason for the bull market to advance is the improving labor-market situation during a post-covid scenario. Over the past year, the unemployment rate has already fallen by 9%, higher than the 6.5% record unemployment decline within the period October 2009 to February 2020. Looking at the larger picture, however, the deep slide comes after the extraordinary pandemic situation that put a record number of people out of work within a short time. The current unemployment figure of 6% is still historically high, and the weekly initial jobless claims increased in the past week, indicating the need to maintain caution in forecasting the future trend.
• The earnings yield on stocks relative to the benchmark 10-year Treasury rate still stands at slightly below 3%, the lowest level since 2018. This is due to two continuing trends – the increase in interest rates and rising stock prices. The receding trend in earnings compared to bond yields is an indication that investors are being compensated less for assuming the risk of investing in equities compared to investing in the much safer Treasury yields. The bull market remains intact, but equities will likely see more moderate returns in the future.
• Although the economic recovery will proceed unhampered, it may face challenges in the fiscal and monetary policies proposed by the current administration. The proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill will raise the pandemic stimulus higher than 30% of GDP, with accompanying tax hikes as revenue-raising measures to fund the federal deficit. This may undermine the earnings growth rate next year while leaving this year intact. There may also be occasions for Fed rate hikes in attempts at monetary policy tightening, in response to possible inflation rate hikes, although the Fed reiterated in the past week that it will maintain an accommodative policy to further drive the present economic expansion.

Metals and Mining

In the past week, gold reached $1,757 per ounce, its peak over the last four weeks and a welcome development over a dismal March performance. The rally is a reaction to the weaker US dollar and falling 10-year Treasury yields. The metal opened the week by descending to a six-month low of $1.721 on Monday, then rising sharply to breach the $1.750 threshold on Thursday. Gold prices corrected to $1,745 when the dollar and yields began to recover. It traded Friday at $1,747.23. Silver, on the other hand, sold at $25.23 per ounce on Friday.

Platinum traded with some volatility over the week, opening on Tuesday at $1,194 per ounce then soaring to $1,239 at the end of the trading day. By Friday, platinum slid to $1,191, then traded at $1,194 by midday. Palladium climbed to $2,600 per ounce, a year-to-date high, during the week before it later corrected to $2,548 by midday on Friday.

Mirroring the upward movement of precious metals, base metals also rose earlier in the week before corrected towards the week’s end. Copper rose above $9,000 per tonne, rallying from $8.768 at the start of the week. The price swing was reflective of the metal’s stores in London’s warehouses. It reached $9,104, its peak in two weeks. But steady deliveries of copper into LME warehouses brought prices lower by Friday to trade at $8.947.50.

Zinc rose 2.2% during the week and surged to $2,813 per tonne on Tuesday, later on to $2,825. The furtherance of the rally sent it to trade Friday at $2,827.50. Nickel gained 5%, climbing from $16,001 per tonne on Monday to trade at $16,828 on Thursday, only to slide back to $16,595 on Friday. Lead increased by $20 and held at $1,969 per tonne at the end of trading.

Energy and Oil

Oil prices are expected to register a loss for the week following significant trading volatility. Speculation was fueled by concerns between tightness in the market and the expectations of increasing demand, confounded by lockdown measures to arrest the continued spread of covid cases. Continued uncertainty dogged the ultimate fate of the Dakota Access Pipeline as the Army Corps of Engineers was scheduled to appear in court to continue to litigate the matter on Friday. The pipeline remains open pending a more thorough environmental assessment.

In the meantime, the industry appears to make a move towards more sustainable energy. Oil majors are making bids for offshore wind auctions in the North Sea, crowding out big developers by pushing auction prices upward. The EPA likewise announced its proposal for new car and light0duty truck fuel economy standards by the end of July. The EIA also lowered its 2022 forecast for U.S. oil output by 100,000 barrels per day, estimating an average of 11.04 million bpd compared to last month’s estimate of 11.15 million bpd after the Texas grid crisis.

Natural Gas

As temperatures climbed to more moderate levels across the nation, natural gas spot prices dropped at most locations from March 31 to April 7. The Henry Hub spot price dropped to $2.38 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on April 7 from $2.49/MMBtu one week earlier.

The price of the May 2021 contract at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) slid by $0.09 to $2.520/MMBtu from $2.608/MMBtu for the week. The 12-month strip averaging May 2021 through April 2022 futures contracts price fell $0.03/MMBtu to $2.750 /MMBtu.

World Markets

Growing optimism that a global economic recovery will be brought about by the infusion of fresh fiscal stimulus and supportive central bank policies was the catalyst of price increases in European stocks in the past week. The pan European STOXX Europe 600 Index closed the week’s trading with a gain of 1.16% in local currency terms. The major stock indexes were mixed, with France’s CAC 40 gaining 1.09% and Germany’s Xetra DAX Index also rising 0.84%. Italy’s FTSE MIB, on the other hand, lost 1.14%. UK’s FTSE 100 Index grew by 2.65% due to the weaker currency. The UK pound lost ground on the back of worries concerning vaccine supply, coinciding with technical profit-taking after a strong first quarter. When the pound falls, the UK’s equities rise since many of the FTSE 100 listed companies generate their revenues abroad.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average broker through the 30,000-resistance level early in the week. The strong opening was followed by more moderate trading as the Nikkei 225 corrected slightly by the week’s end. The broader TOPIX also closed slightly lower. The yen rose against the U.S. dollar to end the week at the high JPY 109 bracket. The benchmark 10-year government bond yields lost some ground to close just above 0.10%. Meanwhile, in China, stocks fell for the week in a continuation of the bourse’s underperformance against the world markets. The large-cap CSI 300 dipped by 2.4% and the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gave back 1.0%. Despite positive corporate earnings, rising inflation and increased U.S.-Sino tensions caused investor sentiment to weigh heavily on the market. Conversely, the fixed income market was buoyed as the yield on China’s 10-year bond rose marginally to close at 3.21% in light of the optimistic prospect of continued economic recovery.

The Week Ahead

The important economic data scheduled for release in the coming week include manufacturing production, retail sales growth, and an inflation update.

Key Topics to Watch

• Federal budget
• NFIB small-business index
• Consumer price index
• Core CPI
• Import price index
• Beige Book
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Retail sales
• Retail sales ex-autos
• Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index
• Empire state manufacturing index
• Industrial production
• Capacity utilization
• Business inventories
• National Association of Home Builders index
• Building permits
• Housing starts
• Consumer sentiment index (preliminary)

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

The strong first-quarter performance for equities ended with the holiday-shortened trading week. Markets were closed for trading on Friday in observance of Good Friday. On Thursday, the large-cap S&P 500 index traded above the 4,000-point resistance level for the first time in history. The S&P MidCap 400 Index likewise set a new record for intraday trading. The Nasdaq Composite index, which tracks mostly technology counters, led the advance due to gains in a broad range of hardware and semiconductor stocks and was helped by a rally in Facebook shares. Consumer confidence reached its highest level since the pandemic broke out, and there was an expansion in manufacturing activity for March, recording the fastest growth rate in the last four decades. Lagging the market were the consumer staples and materials sectors within the S&P 500. Also, for the first time since January, growth stocks significantly outperformed value shares.

U.S. Economy

Driving the stock trades in the past week were worries about contagion in the financial markets, particularly regarding hedge funds, being superseded by optimism about the upcoming infrastructure spending. Investors turned their attention to the increase in bond yields and the anticipation of accelerated economic growth. The infrastructure plan unveiled by the administration on Wednesday indicated that spending will be dramatically increased on internet and transportation infrastructure. Research and development projects will also benefit greatly from the spending plan estimated at $2.25 trillion. While experts believe that the proposed spending package is at the low end of the range of estimates, it was clarified that a second package is likely to be announced this month. The additional expenditure targets health care, child care, and education.

• The plan does not yet provide for an increase in taxes on wealthy individuals, although it does include a tax hike for the top corporate tax rate to 28% from the current 21% to offset the cost of the spending bill in the next decade and a half. The measure also provides an increase in the global minimum tax rate from 13% to 21% with a mandate for multinational firms to pay the U.S. tax rate. The proposal likewise ends federal subsidies on fossil-fuel firms.
• The administration indicated its openness regarding how the infrastructure plan is to be funded, to woo bipartisan support for the bill. The chances are low, however, that Republicans will support suggestions for a tax hike. In light of the negotiations that will follow prior to the bill being passed, significant changes may be made to the bill
• An increase in the corporate tax rate may result in a sudden drop in corporate earnings, although this is expected to be a one-time occurrence and eventually will have little impact on investors’ stock valuations. Once discounted, the tax hikes may be accompanied by higher consumer spending and therefore higher revenues for listed corporations, for as long as the economic environment remains positive.

Metals and Mining

The trading week for metals ended on Thursday, April 1, as markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday. On Thursday, gold rose by slightly more than 1% spurred mainly by a retreat in U.S. bond yields. Simultaneously, a negative U.S. jobless report showed that the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits surged above expectations. This tempered the optimistic outlook of an eventual economic recovery, further enhancing the appeal of the yellow metal as a safe-haven investment particularly in light of the administration’s $2 trillion spending plan that has sparked inflationary concerns. Spot gold prices rose 1.2% to $1,727.86 per ounce at about 1:39 p,m. EDT, while gold futures settled at $1,728.30, 0.7% up. Silver rose to $24.89 per ounce, up 2.1%. Platinum ended at $1,208.42, up by 1.8%, while palladium climbed to $2,651.79, up by 1.3%

Energy and Oil

OPEC+ decided to increase production by more than 2 mb/d in the coming months. There is a projected 350,000-bpd increase each in May and June and a 450,000 bpd in July. Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia announced that it will ease its voluntary 1 mb/d cut, implying that it will likely keep production at current levels. Rather than push prices downward on the prospect of increased supply, investors interpreted the bearish move as an indicator that demand is expected to grow. This pushed prices up as investors felt confident that the rise in demand will be met by added supply without the probability that a surplus will develop.

Despite Biden’s declaration that the new infrastructure plan will favor clean energy over fossil fuels, it appears that the plan will also call for higher demand for asphalt, which is likely to prop up demand for heavy crude blends. On the other hand, the demand for oil may likely take a hit from a new round of lockdowns in Europe and the slowdown of the vaccination roll-out. Furthermore, California is poised to add 1.7 GW of energy storage in 2021, which will be sufficient to power 13 million homes. The batteries are expected to help reduce blackouts in the summer.

Natural Gas

During the report week (March 24 to March 31), natural gas spot prices moved upward at most locations. The Henry Hub spot price climbed from $2.45 per million Brutish thermal units (MMBtu) to close the week at $2.49/MMBtu. The April 2021 contract expired Monday at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) at $2.586/MMBtu which is $0.07/MMBtu higher than Wednesday the week before. During the same period, the May 2021 contract rose by $0.04/MMBtu to $2.608/MMBtu. The 12-month strip averaging May 20201 through April 2022 futures contract price rose to $2.782/MMBtu, an increase of $0.04/MMBtu. There is a depletion of European gas storage, which could create shocks in the global gas market later in the year.

World Markets

During the holiday-shortened trading week, European shares climbed to a near-record high on continued positive news of a speedy and robust economic recovery. The announcement of a massive U.S. infrastructure spending bill has calmed worries of the probability that lockdowns will prevail in Europe over a longer-than-expected period. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index closed 2% higher for the week. France’s CAC 40 and Italy’s FTSE MIB mirrored Europe 600’s rise, and Germany’s Xetra DAX Index outperformed them by rising about 3%. The FTSE 100 Index of the UK moved sideways with little change.

Core eurozone government bond yields finished higher across the board, They initially rose in tandem with U,S, Treasuries early in anticipation of more U.S. fiscal stimulus and the progress of the vaccination roll-out. Inflation quickened in the eurozone’s 19 countries, registering at 1.3% in March from 0.9% in February. Higher prices of energy and non-processed food prices led to the increase based on official flash estimates. The European Central Bank acknowledges the likelihood of a temporary spike in inflation, after which it will then slow to below the 2% target rate in the long term.

Turning to the Asian stock markets, the Japanese equities began the week’s trading on a high note on the back of bargain hunting by investors after the market declined sharply last week. Investor sentiments also rose due to expectations of the $2.25 trillion infrastructure spending bill announced by the U.S. on Wednesday. The market retraced its gains by midweek, however, due to the release of disappointing economic results and the announcement that Japan’s new coronavirus cases surpassed 10,000 for the first time. A rebound was seen on Thursday, however, prior to the market’s close, in pace with the heavy gains in the Nasdaq index. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average ended up by 0.7% for the week while the broader TOPIX closed about 1% lower.

Ahead of the long weekend, Chinese stocks ended strong as investors were heartened by the announcement of an additional tax reduction of RMB 550 billion aimed at consolidating the economic recovery. Also among the positive news is the strong March purchasing managers’ index data and the more robust performance of the U.S. and other world markets. From Friday last week to the close on Thursday, the CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite both climbed by 1.4%. Reports of new covid cases remain small at 16 on Wednesday, ten of which were imported and six local. If China’s aim to vaccinate 40% of its population by the end of June is achieved, this may signal a strong recovery in the business and consumer services sector, particularly food and entertainment.  

The Week Ahead

The important economic data to be released in the coming week include the trade balance, durable good orders, an inflation update, and the PMI composite.

Key Topics to Watch

• Markit service PMI (final)
• ISM services index
• Factory orders
• Job openings
• Trade deficit
• FOMS minutes
• Consumer credit
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Producer price index
• Wholesale inventories

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

The major stock indexes were mixed in the past week’s trading. Investors appear to be caught between the optimism of the continued reopening of the economy and ongoing concerns about the possible increase in inflation and interest rates. Small-cap stocks slowed for the second week in a row, while the S&P 500 managed a slight gain despite communication services stocks faring worse. Several traditional media companies met with sharp declines after their past strong performance. The rising covid infection rates in several states and news of repeated lockdowns in Europe also dampened investor optimism early in the week. The market rebounded on Thursday, however, on news of expanded vaccination targets and announcement by the states that vaccination will be opened to all residents over 16.

U.S. Economy

There was a sizable decline last week in weekly jobless claims by as much as 100,000 to 684,000. This is the first recorded jobless claims report below 700,000 since the beginning of the pandemic. The figure remains higher than the jobless claims of 665,000 during the worse of the 2009 financial crisis. However, this points to the upside still to be traversed as the economy opens up and businesses continue to provide jobs for many of those still dislocated by the pandemic.

• Another driver that has still to be factored in is the latest round of stimulus checks which will hopefully boost consumer spending and release the pent-up demand for goods and services expected to flood the market. As consumer spending improves, attention is likely to shift to the infrastructure bill currently being considered. Whether this bill will find its way through Congress as easily as the pandemic relief bill is something still to be seen. The price tag is going to be hefty but long-term in nature, therefore it is likely that the infrastructure build-up will provide a sustained fiscal boost to the economy in the years to come.
• The underlying optimism among investors will continue to be buoyed by faster economic growth and increasing corporate profits. However, the post-pandemic stock market will be defined by more modest corporate gains and increased volatility. Worries about the direction of inflation and interest rates will create challenges to investor confidence, although there is no strong indication at present that fiscal policy constraints will seriously threaten the prospects of continued economic expansion and bull market.

Metals and Mining

Gold was down in the past week’s trading and is now at its lowest levels in six months. It last peaked in August 2020 when it broke out of the $2,000 per ounce level, and its decline since then mirrors the decrease in holdings for exchange-traded funds that gave up 84.7 tonnes in February. The metal descended to $1,722 this week before rebounding slightly to Friday’s $1,728.98. Demand may be lower this year than in 2020, as investors are not seen to chase the metal higher, and instead tempering their actions with more savvy buying. Silver tread the same path as gold in the face of rising values for the US currency and Treasury yields. It succumbed to downward pressure to test its year-to-date low of $24,53 per ounce. It recovered quickly to close Thursday’s trading at $25 per ounce. It slipped back on Friday’s opening to $24.90 and traded at $24.93 later in the day.

Platinum and palladium prices continue to be benefitted from supply issues in Russia. Platinum gained 1.9% from its open on Monday at $1.158 per ounce to its Friday value at $1,167. Palladium gained by a modest 0.8% for the week to end Friday at $2.562. It is experiencing some resistance as it inches closer to its all-time high of $2,614, attained in February 2020.

Base metals suffered declines across the board during the trading weak, which was largely attributed to the continued spread of covid variants and its likely negative impact on economic recovery. Copper fell by 3.4% by Thursday from its week’s opening at $9,097 per tonne. Nickel ended the week at $15,984 from its monthly high at $16.526. Zinc opened at $2,860 on Monday and ended Friday down by $101 at $2,759. Lead also ended the week lower at $1,907 per tonne. Noticeable during the dips, however, are signs of value buying that suggest an underlying bullish sentiment. Despite the current market softness, the sector continues to remain higher in its year-to-date performance, indicating the presence of robust support.

Energy and Oil

Oil prices were extremely volatile this week. Downward pressure was exerted by lockdowns and the slowdown in vaccination, but buying was buoyed due to news of the Suez Canal bottlenecks. Analysts remained positive despite the recent decline in prices, convinced that they were oversold on the fundamentals and that demand was set to ramp up during the summer. At about the same time, retail gasoline prices in the U.S. are expected to hit $3 per gallon, according to analysts. This week the price of gasoline inched up to $2.88 per gallon. Also noted by a Bloomberg report is the increasing frequency of talk about ESG (environmental, social, and governmental) issues, having noted that it was mentioned hundreds of times in the industry throughout the first quarter of 2021.

Shale costs are gradually inching up as the average cost to drill a new well in the U.S., as noted by a recent Dallas Fed survey, rising by 5% to $52 per barrel from last year’s figures. The increase in cost was mainly due to fewer service providers accounting for cost inflation. The same survey nevertheless sparked some optimism that the shale industry will see higher growth for the first quarter of this year. The business activity index of the survey, which gave a reading of only 18.5 for the fourth quarter of 2020, soared to 53.6 for the first three months of 2021.

Natural Gas

For this report week (March 17 to March 24), natural gas spot prices fell across most locations due to reduced demands as heating requirements continued to decline. Furthermore, dry natural gas production reached its highest level since the year began. The Henry Hub spot price fell to $2.45 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) from last week’s $2.51/MMBtu. The price of the April 2021 contract decreased at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX); down by $0.01 from $2.528/MMBtu to $2.518/MMBtu for the week. The price of the 12-month strip averaging April 2021 through March 2022 futures contracts rose by $0.02, to $2.750/MMBtu.

World Markets

European share prices went up in anticipation of a post-pandemic economic recovery, making up for earlier losses in the preceding weeks. The losses were weighed by concerns over the resumption of covid restrictions in response to the accelerating spread of the virus throughout Europe and the possibility that the European Commission (EC) may halt further vaccine exports. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.85% while major stock indexes were mostly mixed.  Germany’s Xetra DAX Index, the UK’s FTSE 100 Index, and Italy’s FTSE MIB posted gains while France’s CAC 40 dropped lower for the week.  

Overall, the core and peripheral eurozone government bonds fell over concerns of the slow vaccine rollout in Europe. A new wave of coronavirus infections also worked to drive demand for high-quality government bonds. An increase of EUR 7.1 billion in the weekly bond purchases of the European Central Bank exerted downward pressure on yields. Fears that the EC may block vaccine exports to the UK caused a decline in gilt yields. Furthermore, weaker-than-expected inflation data pulled yields lower as it became unlikely that the Bank of England may resort to tightening its monetary policy.

In Japan, equities dropped precipitously on Monday as the Nikkei fell below the 29,200 level amid ongoing concerns of the tenuousness of a global economic recovery. The optimism caused by the lifting of the state of emergency in the Tokyo region was offset by the renewed pessimism brought about by the renewed coronavirus lockdowns in Europe. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid 2.1% for the week, even as the TOPIX declined 1.4%. The yen weakened to just below JPY 110 against the U.S. dollar, and the yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond also dropped to 0.08%.

In China, it was the reverse as stocks exhibited weekly gains. Shares rallied on Friday on news that the central bank was not going to adopt a monetary tightening policy. The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite (SSEC) Index climbed by 0.4% to close the week at 3418.3, and large-cap CSI 300 Index also strengthened by 0.6% to end trading at 5038.0, signaling the bourses’ first weekly at the end of five weeks of successive losses. China’s sovereign 10-year bond closed down four basis points from the previous week at 3.22%, in response to expectations that the country’s monetary policy will remain supportive in the short term.

The Week Ahead

Major economic data scheduled for release in the coming week are the Unemployment Rate, the Consumer Confidence Index, and the PMI Manufacturing Index.

Key Topics to Watch

• Case-Shiller national home price index (year-over-year change)
• Consumer confidence index
• ADP employment report
• Chicago PMI
• Pending home sales index
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Markit manufacturing PMI (final)
• ISM manufacturing index
• Construction spending
• Motor vehicle sales (SAAR)
• Nonfarm payrolls
• Unemployment rate
• Average hourly earnings

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

The bottoming out of the stock market due to the pandemic shutdown marked its first anniversary on March 23. The plunge marked the shortest bear market in history; ever since, the markets including stocks, long-term bond yields, and commodities have rebounded decisively. Driving its continued uptrend are the prospects of a successful vaccine deployment program and the impending return to normalcy. The Dow briefly traded above the 33,000-level last week as a result of three major forces: the graduate reopening of the economy, fiscal spending at historic levels, and broad accommodation by the central bank. The bull market is likely to continue onto its second year, as policymakers affirmed that they foresee no interest rate hikes until 2023 and that the upward trend of the inflation rate will be short-lived. A disciplined strategy and investing for the long-term is bound to be rewarded during the bull run’s second year.

U.S. Economy

The economy faces a bright future as full recovery is anticipated following the successful roll-out of the covid vaccine. Until the present, however, recovery has impacted only selected sectors while others continue to lag. At the current pace and with the prospect of an accelerated vaccine distribution scenario, the economy’s reopening may bring it to exceed its 2019 peak at the second quarter’s end. By the middle of 2022, the country would have returned to its pre-pandemic status and be poised to resume its interrupted expansion before the pandemic.

• Unemployment is expected to decline as the economy gradually reopens, but there will remain significant slack in the labor market resulting from the exodus of people from the labor force. The services sector of the economy, which accounts for 70% of employment, will remain soft as this will be the last sector of the economy to fully reopen. Eventually, consumer spending in services will drive employment in this sector, further fueling the next leg of the economic recovery.
• The easing of pandemic restrictions and pick-up in job openings are expected to result in the improvement of the level of consumer confidence. Also, there is more than $2 trillion of excess savings households have currently accumulated after multiple government check issuances, indicative of a pent-up demand that may be released with the eventual return to normalcy. Consumer spending accounts for 70% of the U.S. GDP which is poised to accelerate at its fastest pace since 1984.

Metals and Mining

Gold rose during the week’s trading, touching a monthly high of $1,764 per ounce and reversing three weeks of steady losses that brought the price down to slightly above $1,700. Furthering the metal’s rise was the slight decline in the US dollar and treasury yields, encouraging a flight to value. On March 19, Friday, the US central bank declared that it was unlikely to extend last year’s alteration to the supplementary leverage ratio. This change was adopted in April 2020 to address the pandemic’s impact by allowing banks their holding capital against treasuries and receipts.  This dovish stance signaled that it was unlikely that the Feds would take aggressive action in monetary policy, giving enough impetus for gold to move up from the $1,722 price range. Aside from this, the anticipation for stimulus spending and economic growth have spurred the price of gold higher. Gold ended the week trading at $1,735,69.

Silver also rallied after two weeks of market softness, reaching an intraweek high of $26,60 per ounce as of Wednesday. It then corrected to just below $26 per ounce on Thursday. By week’s end, the Fed’s announcement spurred silver to rise to $26.20. It traded at P26.17 by Friday. Platinum, on the other hand, shed 3.7% for the week, with prices descending to their early February levels, a breakdown from its month-long support of $1,200 per ounce. Palladium reversed course to rally to $2,644 from its price of $2,292 per ounce on Monday. The 15% increase resulted from supply challenges following the flooding of two mines under Nornickel. As of Friday, Platinum was selling at $1,179 while Palladium was trading at $2,539 per ounce.

Base metal prices descended for the week, with copper dropping below $9,000 by midweek after starting Monday at $9,147.50 per tonne. This is a steep drop from its price of $9,614 earlier this month. By week’s end, copper returned to just above $9,000. Zinc declined slightly to $2,801 from $2,815 per tonne, while lead closed the week at $1,896, declining 2% from its Monday trade at $1,936 per tonne.

Energy and Oil

Crude oil ended weeks of steady increase with the largest single-day loss since April of last year. It plunged 7% on Thursday, largely due to several bearish factors among which are a stronger dollar, profit-taking by long speculators, and the dashed hopes that the vaccines will quickly end the lockdowns in Europe. Distribution delays and increased hesitancy about the vaccines’ acceptability leading to a longer European vaccine campaign may set back oil demand for this year by 1 million barrels per day (m/bd).

China is increasingly relying on Iran and Venezuela for its oil supply. It is expected to import 918,000 bpd of oil from Iran in March, the greatest volume since the U.S. applied sanctions two years ago. The result served as a disincentive for Iran to negotiate with the U.S. As for the latter, the refining capacity of the U.S. has not yet been fully restored, holding at about 80%, a level last seen before February’s Texas grid crisis. It is estimated that 1.2 mb/d of refining capacity remains offline due to ongoing repairs and spring maintenance.

Natural Gas

For the report week March 19 to March 17, natural gas spot prices were mixed, with the Hendry Hub sport price falling from $2.60 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). It ended the week at $2.51/MMBtu. The price of the April 2021 contract decreased at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), losing $0.16/MMBtu to end at $2.528/MMBtu from $2.692/MMBtu.  For the week ending March 12, the net withdrawals from working gas summed up to 11 Bcf. Working natural gas stocks amounted to 1.782 Bcf. This represents a 12% reduction year-on-year. It is also 5% below the five-year (2016-2021) average for this week.

World Markets

European shares were little changed from last week, due to concerns surrounding the resurgence of coronavirus infections in certain European countries. Central bank dovish policies intended to support the recovering economy did little to encourage investor buying, thus limiting the bourse’s upside. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index closed the week mostly unchanged while major indexes were mixed. Italy’s FTSE MIB Index rose 0.36% and Germany’s Xetra DAX Index advanced 0,82%. At the other end, France’s CAC 40 Index dropped 0.80% while the UK’s FTSE 100 Index fell 0,61%.

Correspondingly, Core eurozone bond yields climbed slightly as Germany’s 10-year bond yield rose midweek in line with U.S. Treasuries, mostly due to an anticipated higher inflation rate. Yields gave way slightly on Friday, weighed by concerns about Europe’s rising coronavirus infections. The core markets set the pace for peripheral eurozone yields. UK gilt yields climbed on the back of the optimism set by the Bank of England’s economic outlook and its decision to maintain interest rates unchanged.  Policymakers at the BOE voted unanimously to retain the benchmark interest rate at its all-time low of 0.1% as well as to proceed with the bond-buying program.

In Japan, stock markets were also mixed over the week as the Bank of Japan announced that it will limit purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to those linked to the TOPIX. This drove a 3.13% gain in that index while the Nikkei 225 Stock Average underperformed, sliding by 0.25%. The yen rose slightly to close just below JPY109 to the dollar, and the 10-year Japanese government bond yield ended at 0.11% for the week. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga formally announced the end of the coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and three other prefectures on March 21, citing the significant decline in infections and the drop in hospital bed occupancy.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.4% while the large-cap CSI 300 Index slipped 2.7%. Negative headlines concerning the first day of diplomatic talks between China and the U.S. caused stocks to underperform the rest of Asia. Following the release of strong economic data for January and February, the yield on China’s sovereign 10-year bond rose, but the gains were given back on Friday, ending the week unchanged from last week at 3.26%. On the economy, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that retail sales for January and February rose 33.8% year-on-year. The strong performance was attributed to last year’s pandemic lockdowns.    

The Week Ahead

Among the important economic data expected this week are the Final GDP growth figure, the PMI composite, and PCE deflator.

Key Topics to Watch

• Existing home sales (SAAR)
• Current account deficit
• New home sales (SAAR)
• Durable goods orders
• Core capital goods orders
• Markit manufacturing PMI (preliminary)
• Markit services PMI (preliminary)
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Gross domestic product (SAAR)
• Personal income
• Consumer spending
• Core inflation
• Trade in goods, advance report
• Consumer sentiment index (final)

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

The market ascended to a record high in the past week on the back of renewed optimism over an impending economic recovery. The week’s developments did much to calm investor fears. A moderate inflation report and a slowdown of the upward movement in interest rates fueled the market rally, but the big news was the President’s signing of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP), also known as the covid stimulus bill.  The passage of the long-awaited fiscal stimulus lifted most benchmark indices to new highs, even as investors digest the volatile longer-term bond yields and factor in their discounts on future earnings. As a result, the Nasdaq Composite fluctuated due to speculation on the technology-oriented counters that comprise it. Within the S&P 500 the small real estate sector performed above average, while the health care and energy shares underperformed.

U.S. Economy

The fiscal stimulus package had been anticipated as the trigger for the continued economic recovery. Now that it has been passed there are varied speculations about the future implications it may have on the economy and financial markets. While the recovery has already taken off during the second semester of 2020, there are areas of the economy and the labor force that have lagged behind which the new stimulus may support. The state of the economy has been greatly helped by the preceding fiscal policy responses throughout the past year. Whilst in a typical recession, the plunge in employment would have been accompanied by a significant drop in aggregate income, the strategy of sending out stimulus checks directly to those whose livelihoods have been curtailed has sufficiently bridged the wage gap resulting from the shutdowns. Current personal income has surpassed pre-pandemic levels even before the most recent $1,400 checks have been sent out.

• The U.S. household net worth is presently at its record high level because in addition to personal income, home and asset values have arisen as well as stock prices being at their peak. With income levels receiving another boost from the new stimulus, consumer spending will find an additional impetus, as well as the U.S. GDP of which 70% is comprised by consumer spending. Economic growth may further ascend in the coming quarters, with GDP growth likely increasing to above-average levels in the current year.
• The ARP includes $400 billion in direct check payments to consumers amounting to $1,400, with distribution to commence over the weekend. This component alone amounts to 2% of the annual GDP, although it is expected to be spent over an extended period. The personal savings rate climbed from 13% to 20% during the last round of stimulus checks released in December, suggesting that people are depositing rather than spending their pandemic payments. This is not surprising, given the simultaneous lockdowns of retail businesses from which consumers would have purchased the goods and services they needed.
• While a strong recovery that may lead to a boom-type scenario may be seen for this year, it is pre-emptive to say that this trend will be sustained beyond 2021. There have been sectors of the economy that experienced accelerated growth during the pandemic, such as cloud computing, remote working, automation, and machine learning. It is premature to speculate, however, that this new trend may continue to push booming productivity enough to push the economy beyond the present year. The possible downside to the ARP remains in the form of the risk of an overheating economy, massive government debt, and the expectation that similar future downturns will prompt the same stimulus response from the Federal government.

Metals and Mining

Gold broke out from its week-long slump below the $1,700 level, beginning the week at $1,681 per ounce and rallying midweek to $1,739,10, 3.46% up for the week but still far below the $1,804 high it reached in later February. The metal corrected from its midweek rally to trade at $1,702.24 on Friday. The four weeks preceding saw a steady decline in the price of gold due to the strengthening bond yields simultaneous with the rising US dollar. The fundamentals for the metal remain sound, however, and a bull market is possible in its future.

Silver performed better than gold for the week, climbing 4.8% on Thursday from Monday’s prices, although it retraced slightly to trade at $25.58 per ounce on Friday. Platinum reversed two weeks of losses to peak at $1,218 per ounce and ended trading on Friday at $1,177. Palladium traded at $2,268 per ounce on Friday. Platinum is expected to outperform palladium and gold for the rest of the year due to positive fundamentals, although precious metals, on the whole, are expected to do benefit from quantitative easing and economic recovery.

The values of base metals are coming down from their strong performance at the beginning of the year. The recent pullbacks have been more consistent with a consolidation rather than a breakdown, however. Copper was priced at $9,062 per tonne on Friday, still below the eight-year high of $9,614.50 that it achieved in late February. Demand and economic growth may push the metal higher within the year. Nickel came down from its seven-year high of close to $20,000 per tonne in February to trade below $16,000 shortly thereafter on news that lower-grade nickel ore will be used to make battery-grade nickel sulfate. Nickel traded at $16,434 on Friday. Zinc made a modest gain rising from $2,742.50 per tonne on Monday to close at $2,784 for the week. Lead adjusted downward slightly, giving back $48.50 to close at $1,934.50 per tonne on Friday.

Energy and Oil

Tight supplies caused a drain in global inventories to push oil prices upward towards the week’s end. The success of vaccine deployment and the resumption of robust economic activity are bound to increase demand for oil in the coming weeks and months. OPEC had taken the contrarian view and downgraded its demand forecast, however, due to what it foresees as ongoing lockdown measures and other pandemic restrictions. Short-cycle shale drillers, on the other hand, are tempted by the increase in prices that they may be contemplating a ramp-up in production. Analysts point to the decision of OPEC+ to continue withholding production as a possible enticement to shale producers to take advantage of the tight supply and strengthening demand.

In further developments on the US side, the Biden administration’s Interior Department has approved 200 drilling permits in the last two weeks, mostly in Dakota and Wyoming. Although the government has temporarily suspended leases on federal lands, the recent approval of drilling permits appears to signal a rethinking of this position.  Analysts also note that over the next five years, fewer investments will be poured into the oil and gas companies as the largest institutional investors in the world appear to be scrutinizing more intensely the environmental credentials of the companies that compose their portfolios.

Natural Gas

At most locations during the report week (March 3 to March 10), natural gas spot prices declined as a result of warmer-than-normal climate throughout the lower 48 states. The Henry Hub spot prices slid to $2.60 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) from the previous week’s $2.84/ MMBtu. The price of the April 2021 contract at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell to $2.692/MMBtu, a reduction of $0.12 from the previous $2.896/MMBtu. The price of the 12-month strip averaging April 2021 through March 2022 futures contracts fell to $2.890/MMBtu, a difference of $0.10/MMBtu.

World Markets

In Europe, share prices trended upward on the prospect that pandemic restrictions may soon be relaxed due to the ongoing vaccine distribution. Also, there is widespread expectation that supportive fiscal and monetary policies may be soon implemented to further spur the economy on the road to recovery. The stock market gains were somewhat muted by the apprehension that central banks may take measures to address the rising inflation rate. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.91%, in tandem with the major stock indexes. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index rose 2.27% for the week on the possibility of more fiscal stimulus in the annual budget and the expectation of an earlier-than-projected economic recovery. In response to long-term inflation expectations, core and peripheral eurozone bond yields increased. Yields were further boosted by uncertainty concerning possible European Central Bank action to address possible overheating.

Lockdown restrictions were extended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the regional chief ministers until March 28, dampening somewhat the expectation of a speedy recovery. Italy blocked 250,000 doses of the Oxford- AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine that were scheduled to be transported to Australia, a decision condoned by Brussels. The shipment was supposed to have been the first intervention since the European Union (EU) introduced the rules governing vaccine shipment outside of the EU. It is also likely that France might block vaccine shipments abroad.

In Asia, Japan’s stock markets ended mixed for the trading week. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average ended 0.35% lower while the broader benchmark TOPIX Index closed higher by 1.70%. The yen lost ground against the dollar by JPY108 to USD. The 10-year Japanese bond ended the week at 0.09%, the lowest yield from the middle of February. The Japanese government continued to implement its state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures due to the persistent coronavirus spread. Volatility in China’s stock markets sent shares falling on concerns of contagion from rising US yields and inflation growth. The large-cap CSI 300 Index slid 1.4% whilst local currency A shares gave back 0.2%. Remarks from China’s banking and insurance regulators on the need to deleverage and avoid financial bubbles sent technology shares falling, including counters in the consumers, electric vehicles, property management, and financial sectors. The yield on China’s sovereign 10-year bond climbed 3.36% while the renminbi closed unchanged against the US dollar.     

The Week Ahead

In the coming week, among the reports expected to be released are the Fed Funds target rate, retail sales growth, and housing starts.

Key Topics to Watch

• Empire state index
• Retail sales
• Retail sales ex-autos
• Import price index
• Industrial production
• Capacity utilization
• National Association of Home Builders index
• Business inventories
• Building permits (SAAR)
• Housing starts (SAAR)
• Federal Reserve announcement
• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell press conference
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey
• Index of leading economic indicators

Markets Index Wrap Up

Stock Markets

Stocks pulled back as yields moved up, continuing the cycle of volatility of preceding weeks. During the week two emerging perceptions appear to prevail among investors. One is the view that high interest rates and high stock prices are simply incompatible and one must prevail. Second is the view that the decline in stocks has been significant enough to signal that the market is taking off in a new direction. Both views have merit but are somewhat overstated. Regarding the first perspective, although rates are higher, they are not high in retrospect. Ten-year rates have merely returned to their levels one year ago. The 20-year average of the ten-year interest rates is 3.1%, double the current 1.6%, thus the present level is nowhere near historical highs. The second view, that the market is entering a “sell-off” or “turmoil” as headlines predict, can hardly be substantiated given that the S&P 500 slid by only 3.4% from Monday’s closing high to Thursday’s closing low.

U.S. Economy

The recent market sentiment does appear to be changing from the sharp and steady climb it experienced over the past year. Concerns of rising interest rates and inflationary pressures have largely replaced talk of stimulus and reopening. That being said, it does not appear that the market has already peaked at the present. Broader economic measures, however, do not appear to support this position.

• The Fed is far from adopting a monetary policy that may lead to overtightening in the economy. The stimulus measures are still in effect and the policy rate has not yet undergone any upward adjustment. Any increase in inflation is taken as a sign of a recovering economy, particularly in light of the deep recession it has just been through. Eventually, rates will have to increase to more restrictive levels, but this may be years in the future. What is currently taking place is a recalibration process that has long influenced the interaction between the Fed and the stock market.
• The labor market is still on the road to recovery. The February employment report released last Friday shows that 379,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy, more than double the gains in January, with the best payroll growth in the last four months. It is heartening to observe that of the new jobs added, 355,000 were in hospitality and leisure, indicating a comeback in this most depressed segment of the economy. It could only portend stronger performance particularly for small businesses and the services sector as vaccinations are deployed and restrictions are lifted.
• There is still significant upside in the labor market. Although 12.9 million jobs have been added since May, the employment level is still 9.5 million short of pre-pandemic employment figures. This points to further job recovery and more job creation, a leading driver in the economic recovery. It will further boost consumer confidence and aggregate income which, combined with the already increased level of personal savings, may just fuel average household spending and GDP growth for the year.

Metals and Mining

For the first time since June 2020, gold slid below $1,700 per ounce, continuing its decline after beginning the month at $1,735. Global gold ETFs fell 84.7 tonnes in February, historically the seventh-worst month for losses. Some upside is expected in the future, however, as the movement appears to form part of a correction that may soon see the bottom before recovering lost territory. As of Friday, gold was trading at $1,698.44. Silver also saw a pullback in the first week of March following a month of slow but steady gains. Part of the price drop was due to the metal’s correlation to gold, although it was buoyed by robust industrial demand and strong investor interest. The price held above $25 per ounce, trading at $25.02 on Friday.

Platinum peaked at a six-year high, breaking out at $1,212 per ounce at the start of the week’s trading, but subsequently dropping to $1,108 on Thursday. It recovered to trade at $1,113.30 on Friday. Palladium is the only precious metal to buck to trend downwards. It realized a modest 0.05% gain, rising from $2,261 to $2,274 per ounce over the week, and trading at $2.257 on Friday. It will continue to be sustained by demand in the automotive sector.

Base metals ended up mixed for the week. Copper continues to consolidate at the $8,700 range after hitting a 10-year high in February when it traded above $9,000 per tonne for the first time since 2011. Further demand may still boost the red metal as its antiviral properties are highlighted and supply remains tight. Nickel, on the other hand, plunged 13.4%. It faces a price recovery, however, as supply faces some constraints due to the suspension of operations in Guatemala’s Fenix nickel mine in light of environmental concerns. Nickel was trading at $16,144 per tonne on Friday. Prices for zinc and lead also saw a correction from their gains in February. Zinc closed the week at $2,734.50 per tonne, lead at $2,014 per tonne.

Energy and Oil

The price of oil continues on its steep uptrend as OPEC+ decided to suspend plans to ease production cuts for one more month. This caught the oil market off-guard as expectations for an easing in the oil supply situation were dashed. Even Saudi Arabia announced that it would continue to keep in place its 1 mb/d of voluntary oil cuts. The market reacted to the unexpected news with a sudden surge in prices.

As oil prices continue to rise and drillers are tempted to return from the sidelines, the shale business may likely return to aggressive production levels. As the markets get to the $70-$75 per barrel oil range, the prospects for strong growth are enhanced even with returns to investors becoming increasingly lucrative. This only entices shale producers to take advantage of the bullish market conditions. Further providing an incentive for the continued oil price increase is Biden’s moratorium on new drilling in federal lands. While this does not have an immediate impact, it is likely to curb production by anywhere between 230,000 to 490,000 bpd by the end of 2025.

Natural Gas

At most locations this week, natural gas prices remained relatively steady, rising only less than $0.10 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) at most hubs. The Henry Hub spot prices rose from $2.75/MMBtu on the Wednesday of the previous week to $2.85/MMBtu last Wednesday. The March 2021 contract expired last Wednesday at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) at $2.854/MMBtu, while the April 2021 contract price increased by $0.02/MMBtu to $2.816/MMBtu. The price of the 12-month strip averaging April 2021 through March 2022 futures contracts rose to $2.988/MMBtu, up by $0.02/MMBtu.

World Markets

European shares rose on investor optimism that vaccine deployment will lead to an easing of restrictions to curb the coronavirus spread and that monetary and fiscal policies will be adopted to support the economy’s reopening efforts. The rise was tempered by sentiments that central banks will likely adopt measures to contain the possible increase in inflation rates. The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index climbed 0.91%, in tandem with major stock indexes. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index rose 2.27% this week, prompted by the release of finance minister Rishi Sunak’s annual budget calling for more fiscal stimulus. A further incentive was provided by projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility that the economy is likely to recover to pre-pandemic levels earlier than first projected.

In Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel extended lockdown restrictions until March 28, but at the same time eased containment measures in areas with reduced infection rates. Bookshops, some stores, garden centers, florists, museums, and art galleries were allowed to resume business. Italy blocked the shipment of 250,000 doses of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca coronavirus vaccine originally scheduled to be shipped to Australia. This is the first intervention of any country in the EU since rules were adopted regarding the shipment of vaccines outside the bloc. France may also block vaccine shipments outside the EU. The EU may likely impose export controls on vaccines until the end of June.

In Japan, the stock markets ended mixed for the week. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 0.35% while the broader TOPIX Index rose 1.70%. The yen softened to close above JPY 108 against the U.S. dollar, and the yield of the 10-year Japanese government bond closed the week at 0.09%, its lowest level since the middle of February. Some positive news helped sustain the market as it was reported that the Japanese manufacturing sector expanded in February for the first time in nearly two years. However, the services sector saw a further slump in light of the continued coronavirus restrictions. In the meantime, Chinese shares fell in volatile trading as nervous sentiments concerning the U.S. rising yields and inflation expectations spilled over onto the country’s bourses. The large-cap CSI 300 Index slid 1.4% while local currency A shares declined 0.2%. Technology shares fell on the back of weakness in prominent companies in the consumer, electric vehicles, and property management sectors. The yield on China’s sovereign 10-year bond rose to end the week at 3.36%, while the renminbi remained unchanged against the U.S. dollar.

The Week Ahead

Important reports scheduled for release in the coming week include consumer sentiment, inflation data, and initial claims.

Key Topics to Watch

• Wholesale inventories
• NFIB small-business index
• Consumer price index
• Core CPI
• Federal budget
• Initial jobless claims (regular state program)
• Continuing jobless claims (regular state program)
• Job openings
• Prudence price index final demand
• UMich consumer sentiment index (preliminary)

Markets Index Wrap Up