Spread Trading Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 dropped 3.1% or 157.8 points to 5,007.2.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index lost 4.0% to 910.3.
• DJIA dropped 4.6% or 519.8 points, to close at 10,719.9. NASDAQ plunged 4.1% or 101.5 points to 2,381.1. S&P 500 declined 4.4% or 51.8 points to 1,120.8.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.8% lower, at 8,963.5.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading 12 cents lower at $82.77 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.4% higher against the USD at $1.6170, 0.2% lower against the EUR at € 1.1373 and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥123.91.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread trading on indices.

Spread Trading UK Markets

• UK markets closed lower yesterday, led by losses in banks, miners and oil producers, as investors speculated that France might lose its “AAA” credit rating, adding to concerns that Eurozone debt crisis is spreading to other economies.
• Banks, Barclays, Standard Chartered and Lloyds Banking Group, dipped between 4.0% and 8.7%, as risk aversion increased among investors.
• Miners, Kazakhmys, Antofagasta and Vedanta Resources, lost between 1.8% and 7.7%, in line with a fall in base metal prices.
• Oil producers, Essar Energy, Tullow Oil and Royal Dutch Shell, declined between 2.0% and 12.6%, amid worries over demand outlook.
• Essar Energy fell, after Goldman Sachs removed the stock from its “Conviction Buy” list.
• FTSE 100 dropped 3.1% or 157.8 points to 5,007.2. FTSE 250 declined 2.0% or 199.5 points to 9,891.0.
• Essar Energy tumbled 12.6%, after Goldman Sachs removed the stock from its “Conviction Buy” list.
• Miners, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta, lost 7.7% and 5.1% respectively, as copper for September delivery declined 2.1% to $3.89 per pound.
• Standard Life climbed 5.7%, after the company reported a 44% rise in its first-half operating profit as inflows of savings rose.
• Randgold Resources gained 4.3%, as gold for December delivery rose 2.4% to $1,784.30 per ounce.
• Man Group advanced 3.2%, helped by recent director share buying, and after the company reported that the net asset value of its AHL fund rose by 1.9% last week.
• Weir Group rose 1.9%, after Goldman added the company to its “Conviction Buy” list.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread trading on UK shares.

Forex Spread Trading Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.4% higher against the USD at $1.6170, 0.2% lower against the EUR at €1.1373 and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥123.91.
• The EUR is trading 0.6% higher against the USD at $1.4218.
• The EUR is trading 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥108.93, as most Asian markets came off their lows, reducing the demand for the safe haven currency.
• Yesterday, the EUR ended lower against the USD, amid renewed worries over Eurozone debt crisis, after the cost of insuring French debt against default increased and investors speculated that France’s credit rating could be downgraded.
• The CHF ended lower against the USD, after the Swiss National Bank stated that it would “significantly increase” the supply of liquidity to the money market and expand banks’ sight deposits.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread trading.

Commodities Spread Trading Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 1.3% lower today, at $1,783.98 per ounce.
• Gold prices for December delivery surged 2.4% or $41.30 to $1,784.30 per ounce yesterday, as renewed concerns over Eurozone debt crisis forced investors to purchase the precious metal as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading 12 cents lower at $82.77 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for September delivery closed 4.5% or $3.59 higher at $82.89 per barrel, after the Energy Information Administration reported that US crude oil inventories dropped by 5.23 million barrels to 349.8 million barrels during the week ended 5 August.
• The International Energy Agency lowered its 2011 forecast for global oil demand by 60,000 barrels per day, citing the impact of high oil prices and slowing economic growth.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread trading.