Spread Trading Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 rose 0.9% or 51.6 points to 6,054.6.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.4% to 1,123.3.
• DJIA edged up 0.7% or 93.5 points to 12,719.5. NASDAQ advanced 1.4% or 38.6 points to close at 2,872.7. S&P 500 gained 1.0% or 14.0 points to settle at 1,353.2.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.9% higher, at 10,160.4.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading 31 cents lower at $98.36 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.5956, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1119 and 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥129.63.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread trading on indices.

UK Spread Trading Markets

• UK markets closed higher yesterday, with the FTSE 100 index registering its two-month closing high, as the Bank of England decision to hold its key interest rate at a record low, upbeat UK manufacturing data and strong US job data boosted market sentiments.
• Miners, Antofagasta, ENRC and Vedanta Resources, climbed between 1.9% and 3.8%, in line with a rise in base metal prices.
• Oil producers, Cairn Energy, Royal Dutch Shell and BG Group, advanced between 0.1% and 2.1%, as crude oil prices rallied.
• Banks, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered, gained between 0.3% and 1.1%, helped by the European Central Bank’s decision to suspend minimum credit-rating requirements on Portuguese debt.
• FTSE 100 rose 0.9% or 51.6 points to 6,054.6. FTSE 250 added 0.3% or 36.1 points to 12,167.8.
• Miners, Antofagasta, Kazakhmys and Rio Tinto, advanced between 2.3% and 3.8%, tracking higher base metal prices.
• Man Group climbed 3.6%, after the company stated that its funds under management rose to $71 billion at the end of June from $69.1 billion three months earlier.
• GKN gained 3.2%, amid speculation that Credit Suisse Group and JPMorgan Chase included the company on list of possible takeover targets.
• Fresnillo rose 2.7%, as silver for September delivery added 62 cents to close at $36.53 per ounce.
• Hammerson slipped 4.8%, after the largest shareholder, a unit of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, sold its entire 12% stake in the company at 463p per share.
• Capital Shopping Centres Group dropped 3.0%, after Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to “Underperform” from “Neutral”.
• British Sky Broadcasting Group lost 1.8%, amid persisting concerns that News Corp's buyout deal could be hit by new phone-hacking allegations at one of its British newspapers.
• 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 $1.5956, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1119 and 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥129.63.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.4350. The currency is trading 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥116.59.
• The AUD / USD is trading higher as higher commodity prices increased the demand for the commodity linked currency.
• Yesterday, the GBP ended lower against the USD, after the Bank of England held its benchmark interest rates at record low of 0.5% despite high inflation.
• The EUR ended higher against the USD, after the European Central Bank President (ECB), Jean-Claude Trichet, stated that the ECB would suspend its minimum rating requirement to accept Portuguese debt as collateral for loans, as it had for Greece. The ECB raised its benchmark refinancing rate by 25 basis points to 1.50%.
• The USD ended higher against the JPY, after solid US jobs data from ADP and the US Government. According to ADP National Employment Report, US private sector added 157,000 jobs in June, while according to US Labour Department figures, initial jobless claims fell by 14,000 to 418,000 during the week ended 2 July.
• The AUD ended higher against the USD, after a report showed that the total number of people employed in Australia rose by 23,400 to 11.45 million.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread trading.

Commodities Spread Trading Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.2% lower today, at $1,531.05 per ounce.
• Gold prices for August delivery added $1.40 to $1,530.60 per ounce yesterday, amid recent worries over Eurozone debt crisis. However, gains were limited, as encouraging US economic data dimmed the demand for gold as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for August delivery is trading 31 cents lower at $98.36 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for August delivery closed 2.1% or $2.02 higher at $98.67 per barrel, amid expectation of an increase in energy demand, following upbeat US job and retail sales data, which hinted at stronger signs of economic recovery.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread trading.