Market Information Friday 23 April 2021

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided on Thursday to leave policy rates unchanged and to maintain the bond buy-back program. According to the president of the ECB, Christine Lagarde, the phasing out of the buy-back program is not yet on the agenda because the outlook on the economy is still uncertain due to corona. Analysts do not expect the ECB to assess whether the pace of the buy-back program can be reduced until June.

Consumer confidence in the eurozone improved again in April 2021, but is still negative. The index that reflects consumer confidence increased to a level of 8.1 negative in April 2021, from 10.8 negative in March 2021 and 14.8 negative in February 2021. This follows from preliminary figures published by the European Commission on Thursday.

The Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) index for the US economy increased by 1.3 percent in March 2021 to 111.6. In February 2021, the index decreased by 0.1 percent. The LEI index is a business cycle indicator that measures the development of the economy in the coming six months.

The 6M Euribor is unchanged at -0.51% compared to previous business day. The 10Y Swap decreased with 1 basis point to 0.06% compared to previous business day.

In the attachment, today’s market data on money and capital market rates as well as other rates are presented.