Covid-19 Daily Dashboard – 20 May 2020
An overview of key economic and financial metrics.
2 minutes to read
Download an overview of key economic and financial metrics relating to Covid-19 on 20 May 2020.
Currency
Sterling and the Euro are at $1.22 and $1.09, respectively, with the Euro having seen slight depreciation against the dollar.
Bonds
Bonds have largely stabilised this morning, following fluctuation earlier in the week. The UK 10 year government bond is currently 0.24%, the German 10-year bund yield is at -0.46% and the US 10-year treasury bond yield 0.69%.
Baltic Dry
The Baltic Dry index appreciated for its third consecutive session yesterday, increasing by +6.1% to $453. This follows eighteen sessions of declines, from an index of $757 on 20th April. As lockdowns continue to ease, demand for raw materials could see a cautious increase.
Oil
The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is up +0.28% this morning at $32.05 a barrel, despite the June futures contract expiring yesterday. Prices therefore avoided a repeat of the significant sell off that occurred prior to the May contract expiry. Brent Crude is currently $34.63 a barrel.
Inflation
The UK’s inflation rate hit its lowest level in three and a half years in April, declining to 0.8% from 1.5% in March. This is the first reading below 1% since 2016 . The ONS attribute the lower inflation due to a decline in petrol and diesel prices, in tandem with changes to the domestic energy price cap. Across the eurozone and in the US, consumer prices slowed to 0.3% in April.
Car sales
Car sales in China have risen for the first time in circa two years in April, up +4.4% from the same month in 2019. Meanwhile, Volvo report a +20% increase in premium car sales compared to 2019. According to the FT, while congestion in major Chinese cities was back to 90% of pre-lockdown levels, subway use is circa 50% of what it was pre-coronavirus.
Register Now: “Commercial Conversations” – our weekly insights webinar series for clients
Running for 30mins at 9:30am every Thursday morning we will be sharing clear, thoughtful views on relevant news, interesting data and emerging trends. Drawing on expertise from our research team and beyond, each webinar will be a unique and varied insight into the rapidly evolving world of commercial real estate.
Sign up to Commercial Conversations webinar