Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 dropped 0.4% or 21.6 points to 5,693.4.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 0.5% to close at 1,081.2.
• DJIA edged up 0.6% or 76.0 points to 12,080.4. NASDAQ added 0.5% or 13.2 points to close at 2,629.7. S&P 500 advanced 0.5% or 6.9 points to settle at 1,278.4.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.7% higher, at 9,422.5.
• In Asia, crude oil for July delivery is trading 39 cents higher at $93.65 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.6218, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1314 and 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥ 130.01.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets closed lower yesterday, amid persisting fears of a Greek debt default, after European Finance Ministers postponed a decision on paying Greece the next payment of a bailout package, citing the need for more tough austerity measures.
• Banks, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays, lost between 1.8% and 4.4%, as risk aversion increased among investors.
• Miners, BHP Billiton, Antofagasta and Kazakhmys, declined between 0.2% and 1.1%, as base metal prices retreated.
• Oil producers, Essar Energy, Cairn Energy and Tullow Oil, fell between 1.4% and 1.7%, as oil prices slipped to an intraday low of $91.14 per barrel.
• FTSE 100 dropped 0.4% or 21.6 points to 5,693.4. FTSE 250 slipped 1.1% or 123.9 points to 11,537.8.
• Royal Bank of Scotland Group slid 4.4%, as the bank sold 354.6 million shares on behalf of its employees who received bonuses in stock.
• Rexam eased 2.9%, as it strived to pay back its debts through the sale of its closures business for $360 million.
• Inmarsat climbed 4.6%, after its key US customer, LightSquared, agreed to an infrastructure deal with Sprint Nextel. The stock also rose, as Goldman Sachs noted the deal as “materially positive” for Inmarsat.
• Vodafone Group rose 1.7%, as JPMorgan predicted a 40% potential upside to the current share price, citing the growth concerns of the company as overdone, and in anticipation of positive results.
• ENRC added 1.5%, as Goldman Sachs initiated coverage of the stock with a “Buy” rating and an £11 target price.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.6218, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1314 and 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥130.01.
• The EUR is trading 0.2% lower against the USD at $1.4334. The currency is trading 0.2% lower against the JPY at ¥114.91.
• The USD is trading lower against the JPY, amid speculation of a fall in US existing home sales in May.
• The AUD / USD forex pair is trading higher, after the minutes of this month’s Reserve Bank of Australia’s meeting revealed that policymakers remained concerned that Europe’s debt crisis would worsen, and added that they were “prudent” to keep interest rates unchanged.
• The TWD is trading higher against the USD, as Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs reported that orders for overseas shipments climbed 11.5% in May from a year earlier, compared to a 10.1% gain in April.
• Yesterday, the GBP rose against the USD, as deadlock over releasing a loan payment to Greece prompted investors to purchase UK assets. The currency also rose, as Rightmove stated that average prices in London rose 1.8% in June from May to £438,622.
• The EUR gained against the USD, as fears of Greek debt default eased.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading marginally lower today, at $1540.45 per ounce.
• Gold prices for August delivery rose 0.2% or $2.90 to $1,542.00 per ounce yesterday, as a delay in negotiations for a Greek bailout increased the demand for the precious metal as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for July delivery is trading 39 cents higher at $93.65 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for July delivery closed 25 cents higher at $93.26 per barrel, as the dollar gave back its gains against the euro, increasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment. However, concerns about Greece debt kept the gains in check.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.