This was a short week due to Good Friday and the Spring holidays. Almost all assets closed higher; the lone exception was the HUI gold stock index, which dropped 3.3%. Cryptocurrencies were the largest gainers, as Ethereum rose 7.0% and Bitcoin advanced 5.7%.
All national currencies were higher, led by the USD and JPY, which gained 1.5% each. The Euro and Pound Sterling lagged, rising 0.8% each. Bonds were also higher, with the short term SHY mirroring USD cash, adding 1.5%, while the long term TLT did a bit better, gaining 1.6%.
Ethereum and Bitcoin worked their way gradually higher early in the week, then surged to close up 7.0% for ETH and 5.7% for BTC. DASH rose 4.6% for the week.
Gold stocks were the only declining asset this week, falling 3.3%. Among major equity indexes, the Japanese Nikkei average gained the most, rising 3.1%. The S&P 500 gained the least, adding 1.4%.
Commodities were all higher, led by palladium, which surged 3.7%. Its sister metal, platinum, was weakest, gaining just 0.4%. Crude oil and cotton rose 1.7% each, while silver and copper added 0.7% each.
Click for PDF version