The event at the United States Capitol building had a resounding impact around the world, but it didn’t deter global stock markets.
Last week, investors weighed the violent disruption of America’s 2020 presidential election process against the outcome of the Senate runoff in Georgia, and decided the latter was more significant. Financial Times reported the Democratic party’s win in Georgia improves the possibility of additional government relief spending in 2021:
“In turn, this renews the momentum behind trends within equity and bond markets that have been unfolding in recent months. These include rising long-term interest rates and inflation expectations that reflect hopes of an accelerating economy later this year.”
Last week, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasuries moved above 1 percent for the first time since March 2020, closing on Friday at 1.13 percent.
Disappointing employment numbers may provide an impetus for additional government stimulus measures. Last Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the loss of 140,000 U.S. jobs in December 2020. It was the first decline in eight months, reported MarketWatch, and resulted from a surge of coronavirus cases across the country. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.7 percent.
Major U.S. stock indices moved higher last week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite all closed at record highs. The small-cap Russell 2000 Index gained almost 6 percent.
Global stock markets also moved higher. A strategist cited by Financial Times commented, “The only noise in markets…was a bullish stampede as [they] continued their strong start to 2021.”
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