Financial Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 slipped 1.0% or 59.5 points to 5,847.0.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 0.9% or 9.7 points to 1,089.4.
• DJIA edged down 0.4% or 54.5 points to 12,437.1. NASDAQ slid 1.2% or 34.3 points to close at 2,762.7. S&P 500 slipped 0.7% or 8.9 points to 1,308.9.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.2% higher, at 9,956.3.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading 26 cents higher at $95.95 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.6160, 0.1% lower against the EUR at €1.1399 and 0.2% higher against the JPY at ¥127.898.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Financial Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets dipped yesterday, as Moody’s Investors Service warned of a possible downgrade to the credit rating of the US, and following worries about the Italian debt.
• Banks, Standard Chartered, Barclays and HSBC Holdings, retreated between 0.6% and 1.1%, as borrowing costs for Italy rose at its debt auction.
• Miners, BHP Billiton, Xstrata and ENRC, lost between 1.9% and 2.3%, as base metal prices came under pressure.
• Oil producers, Royal Dutch Shell, Cairn Energy and Tullow Oil, declined between 0.8% and 3.4%, as oil prices slumped.
• Reports of downbeat sales weighed on the shares of Daily Mail & General Trust and Mothercare, while Petrofac and MAN Group were affected by broker downgrades.
• FTSE 100 slipped 1.0% or 59.5 points to 5,847.0. FTSE 250 eased 0.7% or 76.6 points to 11,766.6.
• Petrofac slid 3.8%, as Barclays downgraded the stock to “Underweight” from “Equal Weight”.
• InterContinental Hotels Group dropped 3.2%, after its US peer, Marriott International, predicted earnings which missed market expectations.
• Carnival eased 2.6%, as profit warning from its peer, Thomas Cook, continued to weigh on the prospects of the tourism sector.
• Fresnillo jumped 4.9%, buoyed by its upbeat quarterly production figures.
• Lloyds Banking Group climbed 3.2%, as Goldman Sachs Group upgraded the stock to “Buy” from “Neutral”, citing expectations of high returns and payout ratios.
• Associated British Foods was up 2.3%, after expressing confidence that its outlook for the full year was in line with expectations.
• Randgold Resources edged up 0.5%, as gold prices continued its upward trend.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Financial Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.6160, 0.1% lower against the EUR at €1.1399 and 0.2% higher against the JPY at ¥127.898.
• The USD is trading 0.1% lower against the EUR at $1.4176, as Standard & Poor’s joined Moody’s in issuing a warning to the US about a possible credit rating downgrade.
• The EUR is trading 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥112.2, as most Asian markets traded higher, increasing the demand for the high yielding assets.
• The AUD is trading near a eight month low against the NZD, as investors speculated that Australian policymakers would lag behind their New Zealand counterparts in raising interest rates.
• Yesterday, the USD ended higher against major currencies, after Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, discarded the prospect of an instant action to boost the economy.
• South Africa’s rand currency dropped against the major currencies, following continuation of steel and engineering workers’ strike into an 11th consecutive day.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Financial Spread Betting Market Review

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.3% lower today, at $1582.10 per ounce.
• Gold prices for August delivery added 0.2% or $3.80 to $1,589.30 per ounce yesterday, as persistent debt issues both in Europe and the US kept investors’ interest in the precious metal as a safe haven asset. However, gains were pared, following the rise in dollar.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading 26 cents higher at $95.95 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for August delivery closed 2.4% or $2.36 lower at $95.69 per barrel, as Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, rejected speculation of launching an additional stimulus plan.
• Oil prices also fell, as the dollar fell against most of the major currencies, decreasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.