European equity close: UK lags to end a strong quarter

Closing changes for European equities:

  • UK FTSE 100 -0.7%
  • German DAX -0.1%
  • French CAC -0.3%
  • Italy MIB +0.2%
  • Spain IBEX -0.6%
On the month:
  • UK FTSE 100 +3.9%
  • German DAX +8.9%
  • French CAC +6.5%
  • Italy MIB +8.0%
  • Spain IBEX +4.5%
The euro’s 3% drop in the month sapped some of those gains for foreign investors but it was still a great month.
On the quarter:
  • UK FTSE 100 +4.3%
  • German DAX +9.4%
  • French CAC +9.4%
  • Italy MIB +11.0%
  • Spain IBEX +6.5%
The story of the year so far is the botched eurozone rollout of vaccines and resurgent cases plus lockdowns. Yet the numbers in the equity market tell a different story. The euro is down about 4% ytd versus the dollar.