Risk assets rallied around the world last week, with equities, bonds, andcommodities all moving higher. In US equity markets, the Dow and S&P 500both finished the week at fresh all-time highs, while the Nasdaq closed lessthan 1% off of the high set back in February. Small and midcap indices delivered strong performance on the week, pushing further into double-digit return territory for 2021. International stocks also rallied, although they continue to lag the US market on a YTD basis.
Bond markets rallied as US Treasury yields fell. Benchmark 10y yields were down 8bp on the week and are now 16bp lower during the month of April. Credit spreads were stable last week, allowing corporate and municipal bonds to see price gains from the move in Treasuries. See the Chart of the Week for a time series of 10y US Treasury yields.
Oil rallied last week on lower US inventories and an increase in the global demand forecast from OPEC+. Other commodities resumed their upward trajectory as well, including natural gas, gold, copper, and aluminum.
US economic news was mostly positive, with jobless claims, retail sales, housing metrics (permits, starts, builder sentiment), consumer sentiment (U of M), and industrial production all improving sequentially. Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout continues to move forward at a rapid pace in the US, with much more mixed results elsewhere in the world.
