The Dollar continued to appreciate on Monday, by +0.3% against the Euro, to 1.283%. Against the Swiss franc (+0.7%), it gained a little more ground but only gained +0.15% against the pound. -Atlantic against -10pts on OATs, Bunds, Italian BTPs.

The drop below 1.40% was brief on Monday in New York and US rates started to rise again, towards 1.445% even before the publication of stronger than expected growth in the ISM index (Institute for Supply Management) which recorded an acceleration to 60.8 in February, against 58.7 in January (58.8 was the level expected by economists).

The new orders sub-index rose to 64.8, an improvement of 3.7 points to 61.1, as did the price component, up 3.9 to 86. The sub-index measuring employment progressed a little less strongly, signifying an increase of 1.8 points to 54.4.

The manufacturing PMI index fell in February, falling from 59.2 in January to 58.6 in final data for the past month.