Daily Economics Dashboard - 1 February 2021

Download an overview of key economic and financial metrics on 1 February 2021 2020.

Equities: Globally, equities are higher. In Europe, gains have been recorded by the DAX (+1.5%), STOXX 600 (+1.4%), CAC 40 (+1.4%) and FTSE 250 (+0.9%). In Asia, the KOSPI (+2.7%), Hang Seng (+2.2%), CSI 300 (+1.2%), TOPIX (+1.2%) and S&P / ASX 200 (+0.8%) were all up on close. In the US, futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are currently +1.0% and +0.8%.
VIX: Following a +16% increase over Friday, the CBOE market volatility index has decreased -4.8% this morning to 31.6. The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index is also lower, down -5.6% to 27.4. Both indexes remain above their long term average.
Bonds: The UK 10-year gilt yield has compressed -1bp to 0.32%, while the US 10-year treasury yield has softened +1bp to 1.08%. The German 10-year bund yield has held steady at -0.52%.
Currency: Sterling and euro are currently $1.37 and $1.21. Hedging benefits for US dollar denominated investors into the UK and the eurozone are at 0.55% and 1.36% per annum on a five-year basis.
Baltic Dry: The Baltic Dry decreased for the sixth successive session on Friday, down -1.2% to 1,452, which is remains -22% lower than the four-month high seen in mid January.
Oil: The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has increased +0.8% this morning to $52.63, while Brent Crude has declined -0.5% to $55.63.
Silver: The price of silver has increased to levels last seen in 2013, with prices up +11% this morning to $30 per troy ounce. iShares, the world’s largest silver-backed exchange traded fund, had recorded circa $1 billion in inflows on Friday. The increase in volume is supported by interest from retail traders.
South Korean Exports: South Korea’s exports increased +11.4% year on year in January to US$48.0 billion, marking the third consecutive month of gains, following a +12.6% annual increase in December. The growth in exports was driven by a robust shipment of semiconductors and automobiles, which increased +21.7% and +40.2% over the year, respectively.