Covid-19 Daily Dashboard – 16 July 2020

An overview of key economic and financial metrics.
Written By:
William Matthews, Knight Frank
2 minutes to read
Categories: Covid-19

Download an overview of key economic and financial metrics relating to Covid-19 on 16 July 2020.

Equities: In Europe, both the STOXX 600 and the CAC 40 have decreased -1.0% over the morning, while the DAX and the FTSE 250 are down -0.8% and -0.5%. In the US, futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are both down -0.8%. In Asia, stocks were down on close, including the CSI 300 which was -4.8% lower, its weakest day since February. Declines were also seen by the Hang Seng (-2.0%) and the Kospi (-0.8%).


VIX: After contracting -6.0% yesterday to 27.8, the CBOE market volatility index is up +3.2% this morning to 29.3. The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility price index was also down over yesterday by -4.7%, closing at 27.6, before increasing over the morning +0.2% to 27.6. Both indices indicate expectations of near-term volatility.


Bonds: The UK 10-year gilt yield and the US 10-year treasury yield have both compressed -2bps to 0.15% and 0.62%, while the German 10-year bund yield is down -1bp to -0.45%.


Currency: Sterling has depreciated to $1.25, while the euro remains flat at $1.14. Hedging benefits for US dollar denominated investors into the UK and the eurozone is currently 0.34% and 1.11% per annum on a five-year basis.


Baltic Dry: The Baltic Dry index decreased by -2.6% to 1,696 yesterday. Growth in the index has moderated -13% or by 260 points since 6th July, predominantly driven by a contraction in the capesize index.


Oil: Brent Crude and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) are both down over the morning by -0.9% and -1.2% to $43.41 per barrel and $40.70 per barrel, respectively.


UK Employment: The number of payroll employees declined by circa 650,000 in June compared to May, a contraction of -2.2% according to the ONS. Vacancies between April and June were at the lowest level since records began in 2001, at 333,000. The overall unemployment rate remained at 3.9% between March and May. Analysis by ONS, suggests this is in part due to a larger than usual proportion of people leaving employment to become economically inactive, in addition to others previously unemployed no longer seeking work.