German government bonds have fallen for 7 consecutive days, taking their yield more than 60 basis points higher from a record low of -0.91%. It’s their longest run of losses in 2.5 years. “A move in 10-year bund yields back above zero is not sustainable but it is a very real possibility over the next week,” said Richard Kelly of Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Gold futures ended sharply lower for a fourth straight session on Friday, with a loss of more than 9% for the week. It seems that investors have been selling gold in order to cover losses elsewhere. Some investors who were reluctant to part with their equities at depressed prices were able to sell gold in order to meet the margin calls.

Bitcoin was down 48% from 24 hour. Over the past few years, bitcoin has been likened to “digital gold” and has been seen by some as a safe haven asset to park money when markets are facing turmoil. But bitcoin, which has now erased all of its gains for the year and is in negative territory, is behaving more like a risk asset such as an equity.

RBA is being encouraged to conduct trials involving issuance of a digital version of the Australian dollar, as dozens of global central banks seek to repel private sector crypto currencies such as Facebook's Libra. It has shifted the conversation and it is the private sector moving into the digital currency space that has got central banks' attention.

British pension funds may soon need to explain how they are fighting climate change under a global framework as the United Kingdom aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. British pension funds managed some $2.8 trillion in assets in 2018, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Sustainable investing is one of the fastest-growing areas in money management as pension plans and other large investors plow money into the strategy. About $30.7 trillion was held in sustainable or green investments in 2018. 63% of money managers cited a lack of quality and consistent sustainability data as the biggest challenge in making such decisions.

The global rush for safer assets has fuelled a huge jump in the world’s stockpile of negative-yielding bonds. Last week brought the worldwide total to $12.4 trillion – the highest level in two months. The resurgence is a potent reminder that the market distortions synonymous with loose monetary policies have not gone away.

The policy used to fight sudden pressure on the Danish krone has now shaped a whole decade, with most economists predicting years more of the regime in Denmark. Bankers’ association says negative rates pose a serious threat. It estimates that life below zero cost the industry around 2.5 billion kroner ($371 million) last year alone.

Swiss private bankers say that clients have asked to withdraw large amounts of cash. The moves follow five years of negative interest rates. The policy, intended to keep the Swiss franc from appreciating, requires banks to pay to park money with the Swiss National Bank. Banks have passed a portion of the extra costs on to their most affluent customers.

The ECB will only start raising its key interest rate, currently set at minus 0.5%, once the eurozone inflation “robustly” meets the central bank’s target of just below 2%, Ms. Lagarde said. That is unlikely to happen for several years. The ECB has left open the option of cutting interest rates even further below zero if the economic outlook worsens.

Turkey joined negative rates club after the central bank decision. The central bank’s fifth straight round of easing under governor Murat Uysal pushed its real rate below zero, only months after Turkey boasted one of the highest inflation-adjusted yields in the world. The move brought the benchmark rate to 11.25%. Inflation capped last year at 11.8%.

Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan is finding it is hard to revert to normal monetary policy without risking an unwanted appreciation of the franc. Five years since Jordan jolted markets by introducing negative interest rates, the currency’s strength means there’s little chance he’ll be able to end the controversial policy any time soon.