Spread Trading Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 gained 0.6% or 30.6 points to 5,350.6.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index gained 0.1% to 969.3.
• DJIA advanced 1.9% or 213.9 points to close at 11,482.9. NASDAQ climbed 1.9% or 47.2 points to settle at 2,555.2. S&P 500 jumped 2.2% or 25.7 points to 1,204.5.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.1% higher, at 9,093.5.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading 40 cents lower at $87.48 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.6368, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1341 and slightly lower against the JPY at ¥125.77.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread trading on indices.

Spread Trading UK Markets

• UK markets closed higher yesterday, with the FTSE 100 index rising for third consecutive session, as miners and oil producers recorded gains.
• Miners, Kazakhmys, Vedanta Resources and Rio Tinto, climbed between 0.2% and 3.5%, in line with a rise in base metal prices.
• Precious metal miners, Fresnillo, Lonmin and Randgold resources, also paced gains, as silver, platinum and gold prices rose. The sector also received a boost, as better-than-expected Japanese economic growth bolstered optimism for demand outlook.
• Oil producers, BP, Cairn Energy and Royal Dutch Shell, gained between 0.4% and 2.9%, tracking higher crude oil prices.
• Standard Life rose 2.1%, as JP Morgan Cazenove upgraded the stock to “Overweight”.
• Banks recorded losses, as investors remained cautious ahead of a key meeting on the Eurozone debt crisis.
• FTSE 100 gained 0.6% or 30.6 points to 5,350.6. FTSE 250 added 1.0% or 99.8 points to 10,531.8.
• Amec climbed 4.8%, after Transocean offered to buy Norway’s Aker Drilling ASA for $1.5 billion to expand its fleet of rigs able to drill in deep water and rough seas.
• Fresnillo gained 4.1%, as silver for September delivery added 0.5% to $39.31 per ounce.
• Kazakhmys advanced 3.5%, as copper for September delivery added 0.5% to $4.03 per pound.
• Resolution rose 3.1%, ahead of its first-half results.
• BP gained 2.9%, as crude oil for September delivery rose $2.50 to $87.88 per barrel.
• Lonmin advanced 2.9%, as platinum for October delivery added 50 cents to $1,797.20 per ounce.
• Sage Group lost 2.1%, as Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to “Sell” from “Neutral”.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread trading on UK shares.

Forex Spread Trading Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.6368, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1341 and slightly lower against the JPY at ¥125.77.
• The EUR is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.4431, ahead of a meeting between French and German leaders on the Eurozone debt crisis.
• The EUR is trading slightly lower against the JPY at ¥110.88.
• The USD is trading lower against the JPY, amid speculations that a report released would show that US housing starts would drop 4.6% to a 600,000 annual pace in July.
• The AUD is trading lower against most of its major currencies, after minutes of the Reserve Bank’s meeting showed that policy makers kept interest rates unchanged on concern that turmoil in financial markets could slow global economic growth.
• Yesterday, the USD ended lower against the EUR and other major currencies, after a report showed that New York Empire State Manufacturing Index unexpectedly fell to -7.7 this month from -3.8 in July.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread trading.

Commodities Spread Trading Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading marginally lower today, at $1,766.05 per ounce.
• Gold prices for December delivery gained 0.9% or $15.40 to $1,758.00 per ounce yesterday, as the dollar weakened against the major currencies, increasing the demand for the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading 40 cents lower at $87.48 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for September delivery closed 2.9% or $2.50 higher at $87.88 per barrel, tracking a rise in equity markets, and as the dollar declined against the euro, increasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread trading.