Spread Trading Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 dropped 2.3% or 133.9 points to 5,584.5.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 2.0% to 1,027.5.
• DJIA edged up 0.3% or 29.8 points to settle at 11,896.4. NASDAQ gained 0.9% or 23.8 points to close at 2,693.1. S&P 500 added 0.5% or 6.3 points to 1,260.3.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.1% higher, at 9,741.6.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading 22 cents higher at $92.14 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.3% lower against the USD at $1.6386, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1456 and 2.0% higher against the JPY at ¥129.36.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread trading on indices.

Spread Trading UK Markets

• UK markets closed lower yesterday, with the FTSE 100 index ending at an eight-month closing low, amid fears of a weakening in global economic recovery.
• Oil producers, Tullow Oil, Royal Dutch Shell and Petrofac, lost between 2.3% and 5.7%, as crude oil prices slipped. The sector was also weighed down, after Royal Dutch Shell, BG Group and BP went ex-dividend.
• Miners, Kazakhmys, Vedanta Resources and Anglo American, dropped between 0.8% and 4.5%, in line with a fall in base metal prices, while BHP Billiton declined 4.2%, as Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to “Neutral” from “Outperform”.
• Banks, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Standard Chartered, fell between 0.6% and 3.5%, as risk appetite decreased among investors.
• FTSE 100 dropped 2.3% to 5,584.5. FTSE 250 fell 1.7% to 10,994.6.
• Glencore International tumbled 7.0%, tracking a broad sell-off in the commodity sector.
• Oil producers, Tullow Oil and Royal Dutch Shell-A, slipped 5.7% and 4.7% respectively, as crude oil for September delivery declined 2.0% to $91.93 per barrel.
• Cairn Energy lost 5.1%, as the company abandoned a well off the Greenland coast after drilling failed to discover oil. The stock also fell, after Evolution Securities repeated its “Reduce” rating on the stock.
• Royal Dutch Shell-B declined 4.5%, after going ex-dividend.
• Kazakhmys dropped 4.5%, as copper for September delivery fell 1.6% to $4.33 per pound.
• BHP Billiton fell 4.2%, after Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to “Neutral” from “Outperform”.
• Fresnillo climbed 5.2%, as silver for September delivery added 4.2% to $41.76 per ounce.
• Rexam gained 4.0%, after the company posted a 19% rise in its first-half profit.
• Marks & Spencer added 1.1%, benefiting from upbeat comments from Arden Partners.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread trading on UK shares.

Forex Spread Trading Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.3% lower against the USD at $1.6386, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1456 and 2.0% higher against the JPY at ¥129.36.
• The EUR is trading 0.3% lower against the USD at $1.4303. The currency is trading 2.0% higher against the JPY at ¥112.92.
• The JPY is trading lower against major currencies, after the Japanese government intervened in the foreign-exchange markets to curb the yen’s strength.
• The AUD is trading lower against the USD, on speculation that weakening growth may force Australia’s central bank to cut interest rates in October.
• Yesterday, the USD ended lower against major currencies, after the Institute for Supply Management reported that US non-manufacturing index dipped to a level of 52.7 in July from a reading of 53.3 recorded in June, its lowest level since the winter of 2010.
• The Swiss Franc ended lower against the USD, after Switzerland’s central bank effectively cut its key lending rate and took other steps aimed at curtailing its currency’s rise to record levels.
• The CAD ended lower against the USD, as lower crude oil prices decreased the demand for the commodity linked currency.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread trading.

Commodities Spread Trading Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.3% higher today, at $1,664.53 per ounce.
• Gold prices for December delivery advanced 1.3% or $21.80 to $1,666.30 per ounce yesterday. This came as intensifying concerns about the pace of the economic recovery and a weaker dollar spurred investment in the precious metal as a safe haven asset and a hedge against inflation.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading 22 cents higher at $92.14 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for September delivery closed 2% or $1.86 lower at $91.22 per barrel, after the Energy Information Administration reported that US oil inventories increased by 950,000 barrels to 355 million during the week ended 29 July.
• Crude oil prices continued to fall on fears that a slowing economy in the US would cause the future oil demand to falter.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread trading.