Daily Economics Dashboard - 13 January 2021

Download an overview of key economic and financial metrics on 13 January 2021 2020.

Equities: In Europe, stocks are mostly lower this morning, with declines recorded by the FTSE 250 (-0.3%), DAX (-0.2%) and STOXX 600 (-0.1%), while the CAC 40 is flat. In Asia, The Kospi (+0.7%), Topix (+0.3%) and the S&P / ASX 200 (+0.1%) all closed higher, while the CSI 300 (-0.3%) and the Hang Seng (-0.1%) both closed down. In the US, futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are both -0.1%.
VIX: Following a -3.5% decline over Tuesday, the CBOE market volatility index has decreased a further -0.9% this morning to 23.1, which remains above its long term average (LTA) of 19.5. The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index has also decreased this morning, down -3.1% to 21.3, below its LTA of 23.9.
Bonds: The German 10-year bund yield has compressed -3bps to -0.50%, while the UK 10-year gilt yield is down -2bps to 0.34% and the US 10-year treasury yield has held steady at 1.12%.
Currency: Sterling has appreciated to $1.37, 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 0.65% and 1.40% per annum on a five-year basis.
Oil: Brent Crude is steady this morning at $56.59 per barrel, while the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) have increased +0.1% to $53.28.
Baltic Dry: The Baltic Dry increased for the 10th consecutive session on Tuesday, up +5.0% to 1,849, which remains the highest it has been since mid October. The main driver of this growth are capsize rates, which increased +7.8% yesterday, which also remain at a three month high.
Gold: The price of gold increased for the first time in five sessions on Tuesday, up +0.7% to $1,856.
UK Retail Sales: Overall, retail sales declined -0.3% in 2020 compared to 2019, the largest annual decrease since figures began in 1995, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). While food sales increased +5.4% on 2019, non-food sales fell -5.0%. Physical non-food stores, including all non-essential retail saw sales decline by -25% over 2020, predominantly due to COVID-19 lockdown measures.