Cryptos moved up strongly, national currencies and bonds were mostly lower, and other asset classes were mixed, but mostly higher. ETH gained the most, rising 22.5%, follwed by the broader CCi30 crypto index, which closed up 10.8%. Outside of cryptocurrencies, the Nikkei index made the best showing, rising 4.3%. Crude oil, down 4.7%, and the HUI gold stock index, down 2.9%, were the week's worst performers.
The Japanese Yen was the only currency in the table to show a gain, barely, of 0.1%. The others were all in the red, led by the US Dollar, which fell 1.8%. Not in the table is the Russian Ruble, which topped the list of currencies I track, rising 3.0%. Treasuries outperformed USD cash, with short term notes falling 1.4%, and long term bonds rising 0.3%.
Cryptocurrencies continued their bear market rally, led higher by Ethereum, up 22.5%. Bitcoin lagged, but still turned in a 7.1% gain. Overall, the top 30 cryptos, as represented by the CCi30 index, rose 10.8%. At least part of the narrative behind the rally is excitement around the upcoming Ethereum "Merge", which will convert the chain from proof of work to proof of stake.
All major stock indexes were in the green, led by the Nikkei, which rose 4.3% and the Euro STOXX, which gained 2.3%. The only loser was gold stocks; they finished down 2.9%. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, and the Dow added 0.1%.
Crude oil fell 4.7%, and coffee declined 0.3%, but all other commodities moved higher. Palladium and platinum led the way, closing up 4.3% and 1.8% respectively. Silver was little changed, up 0.1%.
Year over year, things aren't so rosy. Or maybe, too rosy… Stocks, bonds, and cryptos are all in the red, while national currencies and commodities are mixed. Crude oil and cotton are the biggest winners, rising 36.4% and 14.6% respectively. The largest losses are in cryptos, as the CCi30 fell 42.1% and Bitcoin dropped 27.2%.
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