Covid-19 Daily Dashboard – 21 August 2020
An overview of key economic and financial metrics.
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Download an overview of key economic and financial metrics relating to Covid-19 on 21 August 2020.
Equities: In Europe, the STOXX 600 is up +0.4%, followed by the CAC 40 (+0.3%) and the DAX (+0.3%), while the FTSE 250 is broadly flat (+0.1%). In the US, futures for the S&P 500 are also unchanged so far today. In Asia, the Hang Seng and the Kospi were the best performing indexes (+1.3% respectively), followed by the CSI 300 (+0.8%), the TOPIX (+0.3%) and the S&P / ASX 200 (-0.1%).
VIX: After increasing +8.9% yesterday, the CBOE market volatility index has increased a further +0.8% over the morning to 22.7. Meanwhile, the Euro Stoxx 50 volatility price index has increased 9.3% to 24.0, just above its long term average of 23.3.
Bonds: The US 10-year treasury yield has compressed -1bps to 0.64%, while both the UK 10-year gilt yield and the German 10-year bund yield have declined -2bps to 0.21% and -0.51%.
Currency: Both sterling and the euro have depreciated slightly to $1.32 and $1.18. Hedging benefits for US dollar denominated investors into the UK and the eurozone are 0.28% and 1.11% per annum on a five-year basis.
Oil: Brent Crude and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) are currently $44.61 and $42.50 per barrel.
Baltic Dry: The Baltic Dry index decreased a further -3.2% yesterday to 1,568. However, the index is +44% above where it was in January.
Gold: After declining -4.0% yesterday, the price of gold remains stable so far today at $1,940 per troy ounce, which is still 2.5% higher when compared to a month ago.
US Unemployment: There were 1.1 million new unemployment applications in the week to 15th August, a reading which is higher than the last two weeks and also above market expectations of 925k.
UK public finances: UK public sector net debt excluding public sector banks (PSND ex) exceeded £2tn in July, the highest level on record and £227.6bn higher than one year ago. Debt is now 100.5% of GDP, 20.4% higher than July 2019. This is also the first time the PSND ex has exceeded 100% since 1961.