holborn market recap

Holborn Market Recap 25-29 January 2021

Good day, this is Holborn’s weekly market recap. Let’s take a look at this week’s news in finance.

Monday January 25th 2021


News in finance: Addressing the Davos Agenda summit, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) head Christine Lagarde noted that “our hope is that still 2021 is the year of recovery but in two phases and phase one is clearly one that it is still plagued with very high level of uncertainty.”


Tuesday January 26th 2021


News in finance: In the UK, data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the unemployment rate in November rose to 5%. The figure has been the highest recorded in the last four years. Analysts suggested that the furlough scheme has helped prevent a more substantial increase in unemployment.

uk unemployment rate

Another report released by the ONS showed that average earnings (incl. bonuses) rose by 3.6% in November, surpassing analysts’ expectations.


Wednesday January 27th 2021


News in finance: The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) announced that the country’s inflation stood at 0.9%, on a quarterly basis, in the fourth quarter of 2020. Economists at ABS noted that “the December quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI) was primarily impacted by an increase in tobacco excise and the introduction, continuation and conclusion of a number of government schemes, including childcare fee subsidies and home building grants.”


In the US, a survey by the US Census Bureau revealed that durable goods orders increased by just 0.2% in December. The figure disappointed market analysts who had been expecting a 0.9% rise. According to the Commerce Department, orders for commercial aircraft fell 51.8% in December, contributing to the low durable goods orders figure.


The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) board announced its decision to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.25%. The Fed’s chair Jerome Powell, commenting on the decision, said that “there’s nothing more important to the economy now than people getting vaccinated. We’re a long way from full recovery. Something like 9 million people remain unemployed as a consequence of the pandemic. That’s as many people as lost their jobs at the peak of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession.”

Thursday January 28th 2021


News in finance: The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published data which showed that retail trade fell by 0.3%, on a year-to-year basis, in December. The figure was better than the -0.4% anticipated by market analysts.

eurozone consumer confidence

In eurozone’s financial updates, the European Commission (EC) announced that consumer confidence in January dropped from -13.8 to -15.5, in line with economists’ expectations. Some financial analysts suggest that the latest economic confidence survey by the EC supports the assessment that the euro area economy will contract again in the first quarter.


Friday January 29th 2021


News in finance: In Japan, the unemployment rate remained unchanged to 2.9% in December, according to data released by the country’s statistics bureau. The jobless rate stood at 2.8% in 2020, rising 0.4% from the previous year, thus recording the first increase since 2009.

We hope you enjoyed the weekly market recap. From all of us at Holborn Assets have a lovely weekend!

Ready to chat with
a specialist?

Get started

You may also be interested in

Behavioural finance

Behavioural finance: the psychology of investing

Behavioural finance theory suggests we make decisions based on emotions rather than logic. Understanding it could help you make better investment decisions

Read more
The benefits of a financial second opinion

5 benefits of a financial second opinion

In this article, we explore the five key benefits of a financial second opinion and why a fresh perspective could be just what you need.

Read more
questions to ask a financial adviser

7 Questions to ask a financial adviser

We look at the key questions you should ask a financial adviser before hiring them and one important question you need to ask yourself.

Read more
Time is running out to top up your UK State Pension

Time is running out to top up your State Pension

Time is running out to top up your State Pension. Here is everything you need to now about State Pension top-ups.

Read more