Covid-19 Daily Dashboard - 17 December 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 17 December 2020.
Equities: Globally, stocks are higher. In Europe, the DAX (+0.8%), STOXX 600 (+0.4%) and CAC 40 (+0.3%) are all up over the morning, while the FTSE 250 is flat. In Asia, the CSI 300 (+1.3%), S&P / ASX 200 (+1.2%), Hang Seng (+0.8%) and Topix (+0.3%) all closed higher, while the Kospi was flat on close. In the US, futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are +0.4% and +0.2%, respectively.
VIX: The CBOE market volatility index and the Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index have decreased -2.2% and -3.6% to 22.0 and 20.4, respectively. The CBOE vix is elevated compared to its long term average (LTA) of 19.9, however the Euro Stoxx vix remains below its LTA of 24.0.
Bonds: The US 10-year treasury yield has softened +1bp to 0.93%, while the German 10-year bund yield has compressed -1bp to -0.58% and the UK 10-year gilt yield has held steady at 0.27%.
Currency: Sterling has appreciated to $1.36, the highest it has been since April 2018, while the euro is currently $1.22. Hedging benefits for US dollar denominated investors into the UK and the eurozone are 0.43% and 1.31% per annum on a five-year basis.
Baltic Dry: The Baltic Dry increased for the sixth consecutive session on Wednesday, up +1.8% to 1296, the highest the index has been in close to seven weeks. Recent gains in the index have largely been driven by capesize rates, which increased +5.3% yesterday. Year to date gains in the Baltic Dry are currently at +19%, following cumulative declines of -38% since 6th October.
Oil: Brent Crude and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) have increased +0.6% and +0.7% this morning to $51.38 and $48.13, respectively. Both Brent Crude and the WTI are currently at their highest price since February.
Gold: The price of gold increased +0.5% over Wednesday to $1,862. The price of gold remains +22% above where it was at the start of the year, albeit -10% down compared to the record price achieved on 6th August of $2,063.
Brexit: There is currently an 81% likelihood of a trade deal between the UK and the European Union being signed in 2020, according to Oddschecker. This compares to 77% yesterday and 64% one week ago.