The charts that matter: the helicopters are unleashed

In a week when all sense of what's normal went out the window, John Stepek looks at what's happened to the charts that matter most to the global economy.

Good lord.

As I’m writing this, the chancellor Rishi Sunak (future PM? Maybe, as long as he doesn’t peak too soon or steal too much thunder) has just told us all that any business in the UK can ask the government to pay 80% of the wages of employees who would otherwise be laid off.

That’s incredible. The amount covered (£2,500 a month) is more than the average wage too, so this doesn’t come with a massive catch attached.

Of course, the government really had to do this because it’s shutting down all the pubs and clubs and everywhere that we go to socialise, because we can’t be trusted to stay inside ourselves (understandable if not commendable).

In our podcast earlier in the week, Merryn and I were musing on the end of capitalism and what happens now that the government is so heavily involved in the economy. Don’t get me wrong – the current crisis justifies this. This is not like 2008 (I still feel that the bank bailouts were probably necessary but definitely handled wrongly). This is needed. It genuinely is more sensible to think of this as a wartime footing, with the sorts of rampant rises in government debt that go with that.

But what happens when the crisis passes? That’ll be the start of a new era altogether.

Anyway, have a listen to that here. (You’ll also hear me play the drums very briefly).

And here are the links for this week’s editions of Money Morning plus other stories you might have missed on the website this week.

The charts that matter

Gold (measured in dollar terms) had another rough week. That’s because everyone needs dollars and because the most liquid stuff has been sold off. Again, I’d emphasise – holding some gold when governments around the world are printing money like mad is not a bad idea because of the potential long-term consequences.

(Gold: three months)

The US dollar index – a measure of the strength of the dollar against a basket of the currencies of its major trading partners – continued to surge. I explained some of the reasons behind this in Money Morning this week and the Federal Reserve has been trying to address it, so we’ll see if any of the pressure is alleviated next week.

(DXY: three months)

The Chinese yuan (or renminbi) weakened further beyond the $1/¥7 mark that gets markets nervous, but again this is a pretty minor point in a week like this.

(Chinese yuan to the US dollar: since 25 Jun 2019)

The yield on the ten-year US government bond continued to rise. This is partly the rush for liquidity and partly because investors realise governments will print “whatever it takes”.

(Ten-year US Treasury yield: three months)

The yield on the Japanese ten-year also rose higher, all the way into slightly positive territory.

(Ten-year Japanese government bond yield: three months)

And the yield on the ten-year German Bund ticked higher too although it remained in negative territory.

(Ten-year Bund yield: three months)

Copper finally gave up the ghost and collapsed lower.

(Copper: six months)

The Aussie dollar collapsed lower too.

(Aussie dollar vs US dollar exchange rate: three months)

Cryptocurrency bitcoin had a surprisingly calm week relative to everything else.

(Bitcoin: ten days)

US weekly jobless claims rocketed higher to 281,000. The four-week moving average now sits at 232,250. Clearly, we’ve seen the trough for this cycle. And it’s going to get a lot worse – Goldman Sachs estimated a surge to over two million next week (that’s not a typo).

(US jobless claims, four-week moving average: since January 2016)

The oil price (as measured by Brent crude, the international/European benchmark) continued to fall although it rallied a little towards the end of the week as American hinted that it might intervene to buy more oil to prop up US shale producers.

(Brent crude oil: three months)

Amazon rallied – if any company might do well out of everyone being stuck at home for a prolonged period, you’d think it would be Amazon.

(Amazon: three months)

Electric car group Tesla continued to fall back, although it’s still well ahead of where it was a year ago.

(Tesla: three months)

Have a good weekend.

Recommended

Best easy access savings accounts – March 2023
Savings

Best easy access savings accounts – March 2023

Rising interest rates have boosted the returns on instant-access savings accounts. We look at the top rates available on the market now.
23 Mar 2023
The best one-year fixed savings accounts - March 2023
Savings

The best one-year fixed savings accounts - March 2023

Earn over 4% on one-year fixed savings accounts.
23 Mar 2023
5 top UK tech stocks
Investments

5 top UK tech stocks

The UK market has never been considered a fertile hunting ground for tech stars. But there are plenty of promising companies beyond the old economy, s…
23 Mar 2023
Best savings accounts – March 2023
Savings

Best savings accounts – March 2023

Interest rates on cash savings are making a comeback. We look at the best savings accounts on the market now
23 Mar 2023

Most Popular

Will energy prices go down in 2023?
Personal finance

Will energy prices go down in 2023?

Ofgem’s price cap is now predicted to fall below £2,000, based on average typical use, from July, for the first time since 2022. We have all the detai…
21 Mar 2023
What happened to Credit Suisse?
Economy

What happened to Credit Suisse?

UBS acquired Credit Suisse at £2.65bn on Sunday afternoon – significantly below its closing value on Friday, which was around £7bn. We take a look at …
21 Mar 2023
Rightmove: UK house prices up £3,000 as property market rebounds
House prices

Rightmove: UK house prices up £3,000 as property market rebounds

Rightmove’s latest house price index shows the property market has been resilient despite an economic downturn
20 Mar 2023