Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 fell marginally to 5,773.0.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 0.5% to close at 1,091.5.
• DJIA edged down 0.7% or 80.3 points to settle at 12,109.7. NASDAQ slipped 0.7% or 18.1 points to close at 2,669.2. S&P 500 lost 0.6% or 8.4 points to 1,287.1.
• Nikkei 225 is trading 0.3% lower, at 9,596.8.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading $1.28 lower at $94.13 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.6044, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1212 and 0.2% up against the JPY at ¥129.198.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets closed lower yesterday, as investors awaited key interest rate decision and further signs of quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve.
• Banks, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Lloyds Banking Group, declined between 0.7% and 2.5%. This came as HSBC downgraded the three banks to “Neutral” from “Overweight”, citing costs worth £10 billion, following the UK government support to the ring-fencing proposal by the Independent Commission on Banking.
• Oil producers, Petrofac, Essar Energy and Tullow Oil, fell between 1.3% and 1.4%, despite a rise in oil prices.
• Losses were restricted for the FTSE index as bid speculation spurred gains in Man Group, J Sainsbury and Centrica, while shares of SDL and Restaurant Group benefited from broker upgrades.
• FTSE 100 fell marginally to 5,773.0. FTSE 250 dipped 0.2% or 18.8 points to 11,636.2.
• Barclays eased 2.5%, as HSBC downgraded the stock and predicted huge costs if the government approves the proposal to separate the investment banking operations from retail operations.
• Inmarsat fell 2.4%, as some industry groups feared that LightSquared’s network, which would run on Inmarsat’s satellites, would never be allowed to go live due to interference problems.
• Man Group surged 4.9%, after the Daily Mail reported that JPMorgan Chase may make a 400p per share bid for the company. The stock also rose, as Goldman Sachs initiated coverage with a “Buy” advice, and after Credit Suisse Group upgraded the stock to “Outperform” from “Neutral”.
• Randgold Resources added 3.0%, in line with a rise in gold prices.
• Centrica edged up 1.7%, amid speculation of a takeover of the company.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.6044, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1212 and 0.2% up against the JPY at ¥129.198.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.4310, as investors nervously awaited the outcome of a two-day meeting of European leaders in Brussels to consider Greece’s financing needs.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥115.24.
• Yesterday, the GBP ended lower against major currencies, after minutes from the recent meeting of Bank of England revealed that a higher number of policy makers voted to keep interest rates at a record low.
• The USD gained against the EUR and GBP, as Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, stressed on worries about US recovery and Eurozone debt, spurring investors to purchase the US currency as a safe haven asset.
• 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 $1546.7 per ounce.
• Gold prices for August delivery gained 0.5% or $7.00 to $1,553.40 per ounce yesterday, as the Federal Reserve’s concerns about US economic growth kept investors interested in the precious metal as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading $1.28 lower at $94.13 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for August delivery closed 1.3% or $1.24 higher at $95.41 per barrel, as the Energy Information Administration reported a higher-than-expected decline of 1.7 million barrels in US crude oil supplies during the week ended 17 June.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.