This Week:  The markets started the week at around the 6150 level with slight increases and setbacks during the early week. Mid week the markets showed signs of improvement and rose steadily to around the 6260 level for the end of the week. The markets ended the week higher than at the start. FTSE 100 Peak: 6284.45 (end-week)(close); Trough: 6149.18(early-week).

The Month: The High Point over the last month was 6284.45 at the close of this week. The Lowest Point remained 5873.43 end of December. The FTSE 100 at the start of the current rolling month has been around 5950 whilst the index has gradually climbed to the week’s close at 6284.45. Overall there is an approximate 350 points increase in the FTSE over the last rolling month. Despite the rises and falls of this month, January has now seen an  increase in the overall level compared to the start of the rolling three month comparison period.

The overall view of the last 6 months is still more of a general increase with the index reaching  some 700 points higher than the 6 months start.

The figures below are closing numbers as at Friday 25th January 2013

FTSE 100                              6284.45    2.11%    on the week

FTSE All Share                     3294.38     2.01%    on the week

Brent Crude $ per barrel      113.28       1.24%     on the week

Gold $ per troy ounce         1660.00    -1.69%     on the week

Silver $ per troy ounce        31.56        -0.82%     on the week

Copper US$ per tonne        8090.00     0.07%     on the week   (LME 3 months)

Wheat Futures CBOT         768.50       -2.88%     on the week   (US$ per bushel – Contract 5000 bushels/136 tonnes)

Palm Oil US$ per tonne      825.00        0.00%   on the week   (eg CMEGlobex – trading unit 25 tonnes – mirror and settle to Malaysian ringgit benchmark)

MPC Base Rate  %               0.50  (Bank of England Base/Repo Rate) since 05/03/2009

Euro Repo Rate %                0.75  since 05/07/2012

US Libor %                            0.15900   last week : 0.15800

Euro Libor %                         0.01357   last week : 0.01357

GBP Libor %                          0.47625   last week : 0.47625

Euro Euribor 3 mnths %     0.21   last week : 0.21

Sterling CDs 3 mnths %       0.48  last week : 0.49

RONIA  %                              0.4467  l wk : 0.4605 (Repurchase Overnight Index Ave Rate)

SONIA   %                              0.4039  l wk : 0.4042 (Sterling Overnight Index Ave Rate)

HFRX                                      1165.85        0.33%  on the week  (Global Hedge Fund Index)

10 Year Government Bond (Gilt) Price £97.31 Yield 2.06%

One Pound will buy 1.5806 US Dollars

One Pound will buy 1.1730 Euros

CPI Inflation stands at 2.7% as at Dec 2012     Currently the Gov’t measure of inflation

Retail Prices Index :     3.1% as at Dec 2012     Previously the Gov’t measure of inflation

Inflation Target for the time being:   2.0%    based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI)

The Government’s Inflation Target is announced each year by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the annual Budget statement. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has the aim to set interest rates so that over- or under- inflation can be brought back to Inflation Target over a reasonable time period without creating undue instability in the economy. Inflation Target is not a permanently fixed level and may vary depending on prevailing economic and fiscal conditions.

KEY to Important Indeces:

RONIA – Repurchase Overnight Index Average Rate – Launched June 2011

Photo Credit: SBG PhotoStock