Monthly Comments

Focus on inflation and rising interest rates dominated the news flow in October together with the company reports for the third quarter. The oil price continued to rise and traded at levels not seen since 2018 for the Brent and 2014 for WTI.

In September, the financial markets became increasingly nervous. The SAX index in Sweden lost just over 6%, the stock exchanges in Europe and the USA were also down - the S&P 500, for example, was down just over 5%.

In July, markets have focused on the spread of the delta variant of Covid-19. However, the number of people in need of intensive care remains low, which indicates that the vaccinations are effective. Instead, the reporting period for the second quarter has dictated the mood of financial markets.

In March, stock markets were mostly up. The Stockholm Stock Exchange was one of the best performing markets, driven by strong gains for cyclical companies and as well as banks. The long-term interest rate in the US continued to rise...

February started off with relatively strong stock markets. The hysteria surrounding Gamestop and other shorted companies subsided and hopes of an increased vaccination rate contributed to the optimism. However, towards the middle of the month, the markets turned...