Financial Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 gained 0.7% or 37.2 points to 5,790.0.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index gained 0.8% or 8.9 points to 1,076.9.
• DJIA edged up 1.6% or 202.3 points to 12,587.4. NASDAQ advanced 2.2% or 61.4 points to close at 2,826.5. S&P 500 rose 1.6% or 21.3 points to 1,326.7.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.0% higher, at 9,989.8.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading 67 cents higher at $98.17 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.6128, 0.1% higher against the EUR at € 1.1390 and slightly lower against the JPY at ¥127.63.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Financial Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets closed higher yesterday, as banks, miners and oil producers rebounded from their recent losses, helped by upbeat US housing starts data and some corporate earnings. Banks, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland, gained between 0.4% and 4.3%, as risk aversion faded among investors.
• Insurers, Resolution, Old Mutual and Prudential also paced gains, in line with a rise in equity market.
• Miners, Kazakhmys, ENRC and Rio Tinto, rose between 1.4% and 3.2%, tracking firmer base metal prices.
• Oil producers, Cairn Energy, Petrofac and Royal Dutch Shell (A), advanced between 0.7% and 3.0%, as crude oil prices rose.
• Among other stocks, Johnson Matthey climbed 4.0%, after the company reported a 19% rise in its first-quarter profit, while IG Group Holdings jumped 5.4%, after its net trading revenue climbed 7.3% to £320.4 million.
• FTSE 100 gained 0.7% or 37.2 points to 5,790.0. FTSE 250 added 0.6% or 64.6 points to 11,592.4.
• Johnson Matthey climbed 4.0%, after the company stated that its underlying pre-tax profit climbed to £98.2 million in the quarter through June, adding that its first-half performance would be “significantly” better than a year earlier.
• Resolution gained 3.9%, after the company stated that it had bought back 1 million shares.
• Miners, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta advanced 3.2% and 3.1% respectively, as copper for September delivery added 1.5% to $4.47 per pound.
• Cairn Energy rose 3.0%, as crude oil for August delivery added 1.6% to $97.50 per barrel.
• BT Group gained 2.9%, after Standard & Poor’s upgraded the company’s credit rating to “triple-B” from “triple-B minus”.
• BSkyB advanced 2.9%, as JP Morgan Cazenove raised its price target for the company ahead of the company’s results due on 29 July, citing expectations of resilient operating results with higher potential cash returns.
• British Land fell 1.1%, as Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to “Neutral” from “Buy” on valuation grounds.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

FX Financial Spread Betting Market Review

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.6128, 0.1% higher against the EUR at € 1.1390 and slightly lower against the JPY at ¥127.63.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.4159.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥112.05.
• The USD is trading higher against the JPY, after US President Barack Obama endorsed deficit-cutting measures as a step toward raising the debt ceiling and avoiding default.
• The WON and Malaysia’s ringgit are trading higher against the USD, as bullish US housing figures improved the outlook for the nation’s exports.
• Yesterday, the EUR ended higher against the USD, after positive US housing starts data and hopes that European officials would make progress in the Eurozone debt crisis decreased concerns of a slowdown in the global economy, raising demand for risky assets.
• The USD ended higher against the JPY, after a report showed that US housing starts rose 14.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 629,000, the highest level since January.
• New Zealand’s dollar ended higher against major currencies, on speculation that New Zealand’s central bank might raise interest rates as early as next week.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Financial Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.2% higher today, at $1,591.5 per ounce.
• Gold prices for August delivery declined 0.1% or $1.30 to $1,601.10 per ounce yesterday, as upbeat US housing data and a resolution for the Eurozone debt crisis dimmed the demand for gold as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading 67 cents higher at $98.17 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for August delivery closed 1.6% or $1.57 higher at $97.50 per barrel, amid expectation of an increase in oil demand, following positive US housing data which revived hopes of a faster economic recovery.
• Oil prices also rose, as the dollar fell against the euro, increasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.