Last week was a mixed affair the major markets making with some making modest gains, others losing or being all but unchanged.

In Europe over the course of the week, the FTSE was down by 0.59%, it closed at 6378; the Dax ended at 10104, up by 0.08% on last week’s close; the CAC was up by 0.03% to end the session at 4702.8.

The Dow ended the week up by 0.77% to close at 17216. The Nasdaq composite index ended up by 1.2% over the course of the week at 4886.7.

The Nikkei 225 ended the week’s trading down by 0.8% to end the session at 18292.

Currency markets review

On the currency markets last week, Sterling enjoyed the best of the trading. The Dollar was weaker against Sterling last week closing at $1.5437 to the Pound, a fall of 0.79%. The Greenback rose against the Euro last week by 0.06% to close at $1.1356 to the €. The Dollar was weaker against the Japanese currency, closing at 119.6 Yen to the Dollar, making a loss of 0.59% during the week.

The Euro was weaker against the Yen ending at 135.8, a loss of 0.64% over the course of the week. It lost ground against Sterling last week, falling by 0.85%; the close saw one £ buying €1.3593.

The Euro now buys 1.0833 CHF, a loss of 0.85% on the week.

Commodities Market Review

On the commodities market, the price for Brent crude ended at $50.46 per barrel, a fall of 4.2% over the course of the week’s trading. The value of gold was higher last week, closing at $1179.7 per ounce, a gain of 2% on the week.