Markets Update: Markets close out week on cautious note

Global stocks closed out the week on a cautious note in advance of the Italian referendum held yesterday.

The polls correctly predicted the ‘No’ result, which has dealt a fatal blow to the government of prime minister Matteo Renzi, who promptly resigned.

The week’s economic news finished with Friday’s non-farm payrolls from the US, which was broadly in line with market expectations.

The jobless rate fell to 4.6%, which represents a nine year low. Hourly earnings fell slightly but the market now views an interest rate hike at the Fed’s December meeting as a near certainty.

Oil rallied strongly over the course of the week as OPEC announced it will implement the ‘Algiers Accord’, which details an oil output cut of approximately 1.2 million barrels/day.

Agreement looked to be out of reach before an 11th hour call between Saudi and Russian diplomats salvaged a deal. The support of Russia, the largest non-OPEC oil producer, was integral and helped push oil above $51/barrel.

The global index fell by just over 1% last week as markets paused for breath following a strong rally over the previous three weeks.

Gold fell once more, down about 0.5% in dollar terms.

Oil was a big winner, returning over 12% as the aforementioned OPEC production cut deal was finalised.

The polls correctly predicted the ‘No’ result, which has dealt a fatal blow to the government of prime minister Matteo Renzi, who promptly resigned

The benchmark US 10-year Treasury bond lost further value, as the yield (which moves inversely to price) moved from 2.36% to 2.38% over the course of the week.

The German equivalent gained in value as some investors took more defensive positions in advance of the Italian referendum vote.