Investment markets and key developments over the past week
Share markets were mixed over the past week with good economic data propelling the US share market to record highs and hopes of more ECB stimulus helping in Europe, but with soft data and profits weighing in Japan and Australia and increased Ukraine tensions on stepped up Russian involvement weighing across the board. US shares gained 0.8% and Eurozone shares rose 2.4% but Japanese shares fell 0.7%, Chinese shares fell 1.1% and the Australian share market lost 0.3%. Bond yields generally fell back again on the prospect of more monetary stimulus in Europe. While the gold price rose slightly, oil and metal prices fell. Notable on the commodity front has been the renewed fall in the iron ore price partly on the back of worries about the Chinese housing market. Despite this, the seemingly Teflon coated Australian dollar rose over the week.
Please click here for the full article: Weekly-Report – 29 August 2014