Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 added 0.5% or 25.2 points to settle at 5,066.8.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index advanced 0.8% or 6.9 points to settle at 882.2.
• DJIA edged up 0.4% or 37.7 points to close at 10,771.5. NASDAQ gained 1.1% or 27.6 points to settle at 2,483.2. S&P 500 added 0.6% or 6.9 points to end at 1,136.4.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 2.2% lower, at 8,374.3.
• In Asia, crude oil for November delivery is trading 0.2% or $0.14 higher at $79.99 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.54615, 0.5% higher against the EUR at €1.1511, and 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥ 118.171.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

Spread Bets Trading UK News

• UK markets finished mixed on Friday, with the FTSE 100 rebounding to close higher, led by a rally in banking sector stocks.
• Barclays, the top gainer on the FTSE 100 index, gained 5.2%, while Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking rallied 3.5% and 5.0%, respectively, amid speculation that the Bank of England may initiate another round of quantitative easing and ECB might cut rates.
• Among retailers, Tesco gained 2.5%, after Evolution Securities upgraded the stock to “Neutral” from “Sell”, citing a £500million price repositioning programme.
• MAN Group rallied 4.7%, ahead of release of trading statement, amid hopes that it would post robust result.
• Tullow Oil climbed 2.1%, after it successfully extended its resource base in South America.
• Mining stocks, Randgold Resources, Fresnillo, Kazakhmys and Xstrata, shed between 2.8% and 4.7%, tracking a fall in metal prices.
• FTSE 100 added 0.5% or 25.2 points to settle at 5,066.8, while FTSE 250 slipped 0.7% or 72.8 points to close at 9,815.5.
• Banks, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS, rallied between 3.5% and 5.2%, following report that the Bank of England might bring about another round of quantitative easing within the next two months.
• Inmarsat rose 3.2%, after HSBC reiterated its “Overweight” rating on the stock.
• Weir Group tumbled 6.3%, as a slowdown in global economy raised worries about future demand for metals, fuel and food.
• Precious metal stocks, Randgold Resources and Fresnillo, plummeted 4.7% and 4.3% respectively, tracking lower gold and silver prices.
• Miners, Kazakhmys, Xstrata and ENRC, dropped between 2.7% and 3.8%, as base metal prices retreated.
• 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 higher against the USD at $1.54615, 0.5% higher against the EUR at €1.1511, and 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥ 118.171.
• The EUR is trading 0.5% lower against the USD at $1.34323.
• The EUR is trading 0.7% lower against the JPY at ¥102.662.
• The EUR is trading lower against its major peers, ahead of a decision on Greece’s next round of rescue funding, and amid speculation that German business confidence might fell to a 15-month low, adding to signs the region’s economy would falter.
• The JPY is trading higher against the USD, as a retreat in Asian equities increased the demand for low yielding assets.
• The NZD is trading lower against the USD, following report that New Zealand’s trade deficit was wider than market expectations.
• On Friday, the GBP ended higher against the USD, after the G20 nations pledged to make a “strong” response to challenges facing the global economy.
• The EUR closed higher against the JPY, after European Central Bank governing council members stated that the central bank might step up efforts to address the renewed challenges facing the global economy, increasing the demand for high yielding assets.
• The CAD ended lower against the USD, as decline in commodity prices decreased the demand for the commodity linked currency.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 1.3% lower today, at $1,635.96 per ounce.
• Gold for December delivery sank 5.9% or $101.90 to settle at $1,639.80 per ounce on Friday. This came as demand for the safe haven asset received a hit, as finance ministers and G-20 central bankers stated that they would coordinate action in a bid to stop Europe’s sovereign debt crisis.
• In Asia, crude oil for November delivery is trading 0.2% or $0.14 higher at $79.99 per barrel.
• On Friday, crude oil for November delivery fell 0.8% or $0.66 to end at $79.85 per barrel, as the dollar gained against the euro, decreasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment. This also came amid concern that slowing global economic growth would undercut demand for energy.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.