Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 lost 0.7% or 38.4 points to close at 5,403.4.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 1.1% or 10.7 points to 966.4.
• DJIA edged down 0.4% to close at 11,478.1. NASDAQ gained 0.6% to settle at 2,620.2. S&P 500 slid 0.3% to end at 1,203.7.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.8% lower, at 8,748.5.
• Asia, crude oil for November delivery is trading marginally lower at $84.20 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.5739, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1444, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥121.03.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK spread betting markets closed lower yesterday, led by declines in mining and banking sector stocks, as China’s export growth slowed to a seven month low in September and after Fitch Ratings downgraded some UK banks.
• Among banking stocks, Barclays, the top laggard on the FTSE 100 index, declined 7.4%, after Fitch placed the lender on its “rating-watch negative” list. In addition, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland fell 5.5% and 6.4%, respectively, after Fitch slashed its ratings on the stocks.
• Miners, Anglo American, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta shed between 4.7% and 6.3%, as base metal prices slipped.
• Fund manager, Ashmore lost 4.0%, after reporting a 10.5% drop in AUM over the last quarter.
• United Utilities dipped 0.5%, as Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to “Neutral” from “Outperform”.
• FTSE 100 lost 0.7% to 5,403.4, while FTSE 250 shed 0.9% to settle at 10,230.5.
• Rolls-Royce Holdings soared 9.9%, after the company announced its new joint venture with United Technologies division Pratt & Whitney.
• Hargreaves Lansdown rallied 3.9%, after the company reported a rise in its first-quarter revenue.
• Barclays tumbled 7.4%, after Fitch Ratings placed the company on its “rating watch negative” list, indicating a possible future downgrade.
• Banks, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS, plummeted 5.5% and 6.4%, respectively, after Fitch Ratings downgraded the stocks.
• Miners, Antofagasta, Vedanta Resources and Anglo American, slumped between 4.7% and 6.3%, as base metal prices declined, after China reported a sharp drop in its exports growth.
• Lonmin eased 4.1%, tracking lower platinum prices.
• Ashmore Group declined 4.0%, after the company stated that its assets under management had sunk 10.5% over the recent quarter.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading slightly lower against the USD at $1.5739, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1444, and lower against the JPY at ¥121.03. This came after the Bank of England deputy governor, Charles Bean, stated that the monetary policy committee “could well decide” to expand quantitative easing again.
• The EUR is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.3753, ahead of the meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and policy makers to discuss plans to stem the European debt crisis.
• The EUR is trading marginally lower against the JPY at ¥105.76, after Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded Spain a notch, increasing concerns that the European leaders are struggling to restore financial stability.
• The AUD and NZD traded lower against the USD, after Standard & Poor’s cut Spain’s long-term sovereign credit rating, damping demand for higher-yielding assets.
• Yesterday, the JPY closed higher against its major peers, after JPMorgan Chase reported a fall in its third-quarter- profit, spurring demand for the safer haven currency.
• The CAD ended lower against the USD, as lower commodity prices decreased the demand for the commodity linked currency.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.1% lower today, at $1,666.34 per ounce.
• Gold for December delivery declined 0.8% or $14.10 to settle at $1,668.50 per ounce yesterday. This came as the dollar rose against the euro, decreasing the demand for the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.
• Gold traded lower as investors took advantage of previous session gains and preferred to book profits.
• In Asia, crude oil for November delivery is trading marginally lower at $84.20 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for November delivery fell 1.6% or $1.34 to end at $84.23per barrel. This came after the US Energy Information Administration reported an increase of 1.3 million barrels of crude oil inventories for the week ended 7 October.
• Crude oil prices lost value as China’s net crude imports declined to the third-lowest level this year, raising worries about future oil demand. This also came as the dollar appreciated against the euro, decreasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.