Spread Trading Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 dropped 2.7% or 146.2 points to 5,247.0.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 1.8% to 975.0.
• DJIA rose 0.5% or 60.9 points, to close at 11,444.6. NASDAQ slid 0.9% or 24.0 points to settle at 2,532.4. S&P 500 slipped 0.1% or 0.7 points to 1,199.4.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 2.0% lower, at 9,109.4.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading $2.89 lower at $83.99 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.6411, 0.2% lower against the EUR at €1.1455 and 0.2% down against the JPY at ¥128.2.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread trading on indices.

Spread Trading UK Markets

• UK markets dipped sharply on Friday, with the FTSE 100 index declining for the sixth consecutive session, as banks, miners and oil producers recorded losses.
• Banks, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and Standard Chartered, lost between 1.7% and 6.1%, as risk aversion increased among investors, while Royal Bank of Scotland slipped 6.9%, after the company posted a wider-than-expected first-half loss of £1.4 billion.
• Miners, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta, declined between 2.1% and 4.6%, in line with a fall in base metal prices.
• Oil producers, Tullow Oil, Royal Dutch Shell and Essar Energy, lost between 1.0% and 5.8%, amid worries over future oil demand, while BP shed 2.3%, after the company began talks with Transocean over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
• FTSE 100 dropped 2.7% or 146.2 points to 5,247.0. FTSE 250 fell 2.4% or 257.5 points to 10,313.1.
• Royal Bank of Scotland Group plunged 6.9%, after the company posted a wider-than-estimated first-half loss of £1.4 billion and also stated that it would cut about 2,000 jobs in the next 18 months.
• Glencore International jumped 4.5%, after Citigroup took a positive stance on the stock.
• Inmarsat gained 2.1%, recovering from its previous session losses.
• BSkyB rose 1.7%, as investors saw a 20% decline since the failed bid from News Corp as a buying opportunity.
• 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% higher against the USD at $1.6411, 0.2% lower against the EUR at €1.1455 and 0.2% down against the JPY at ¥128.2.
• The EUR is trading 0.3% higher against the USD at $1.4325, as Italy and Spain’s efforts to implement austerity measures were praised by the European Central Bank which promised to “actively implement” their bond-purchase program.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥111.91, as Asian markets traded lower, decreasing the demand for the high yielding assets.
• The USD is trading 0.4% lower against the JPY, as Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the US’s long-term credit rating spurred demand for the safe assets. G7 nations pledged to support financial stability and growth, adding that they would intervene in currency markets to curb excessive volatility.
• On Friday, the EUR ended higher against major currencies, amid news that the European Central Bank may start buying Italian bonds.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread trading.

Commodities Spread Trading Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 2.0% higher today, at $1696.34 per ounce, as a downgrade of the US credit rating spurred demand in the precious metal as a hedge against fiscal mismanagement of the US Government.
• Gold prices for December delivery declined 0.4% or $7.20 to $1,651.80 per ounce on Friday, as a better-than-expected US jobs report dimmed the demand for the precious metal as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for September delivery is trading $2.89 lower at $83.99 per barrel.
• On Friday, crude oil for September delivery closed 0.3% or 25 cents higher at $86.88 per barrel, as a higher-than-anticipated US jobs report increased expectations that the future fuel demand would not be affected.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread trading.