Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged down 0.4% to close at 5,525.5.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 0.6% or 6.4 points to 982.6.
• DJIA tumbled 1.7% to close at 11,706.6. NASDAQ slumped 2.3% to settle at 2,638.4. S&P 500 fell 2.0% to end at 1,229.1.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.1% lower, at 8,750.6.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 0.1% or $0.13 lower at $93.03 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.6024, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1511, and marginally higher against the JPY at ¥121.84.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK financial spread betting markets dipped yesterday, after a meeting of the European Union finance ministers was cancelled, raising concern that the EU leaders might struggle to resolve the region’s debt-crisis at the forthcoming summit.
• ICAP slipped 3.8%, as UBS slashed its rating on the stock to “Sell” from “Neutral”.
• Among banking stocks, Barclays lost 3.6%, as risk aversion increased among investors.
• Among property groups, Hammerson, the top laggard on the FTSE 100 index, shed 4.2%, while Land Securities and British Land retreated 3.5% and 4.2%, respectively, in line with a drop in the broader equity market.
• Reckitt Benckiser lost 3.4%, as it forecasted lower sales and profit at its pharmaceutical division in the fourth-quarter.
• Vodafone lost 1.0%, following a downgrade to “Neutral” from “Outperform” at Exane BNP Paribas.
• FTSE 100 edged down 0.4% to 5,525.5, while FTSE 250 lost 0.4% to 10,428.4.
• BP rose 4.4%, after the company’s third-quarter earnings surpassed market expectations.
• BG Group added 3.8%, after the company reported a 25.0% jump in its third-quarter earnings.
• Precious metal stocks, Randgold Resources and Fresnillo, advanced 4.3% and 1.8%, respectively, tracking higher gold and silver prices.
• ARM Holdings climbed 2.5%, after the company raised its earnings estimates.
• ICAP dropped 3.8%, after UBS downgraded the stock from “Neutral” to “Sell”.
• Barclays fell 3.6%, after the company agreed to sell its Russian retail and commercial banking operations to local banker Igor Kim.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.6024, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1511, and marginally higher against the JPY at ¥121.84.
• The EUR is trading 0.2% higher against the USD at $1.3921.
• The EUR is trading marginally higher against the JPY at ¥105.85.
• The AUD is trading lower against the USD, amid speculation that Australia’s central bank would cut interest rates next week, after data showed that inflation in the country slowed in the last quarter.
• The JPY is trading higher against the USD, as a selloff in Asian equities increased the demand for the currency.
• Yesterday, the USD closed higher against the EUR, as US consumer confidence slumped to its lowest level since March 2009 and meeting of European financial officials was cancelled, prompting investors to invest in dollar as a safe haven asset.
• The CAD ended lower against the USD, after the Bank of Canada cut its economic growth outlook and removed a reference to withdrawing stimulus, decreasing the demand for the currency.
• The NZD closed lower against the USD, on speculation that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand would keep its benchmark interest rate at record low for an extended period after a report showed that the country’s inflation slowed by more-than-economists forecast.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

UK Commodities Trading News

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.7% higher today, at $1,714.30 per ounce.
• Gold for December delivery advanced 2.9% or $48.10 to end at $1,700.40 per ounce yesterday. This came as a drop in US consumer confidence and cancellation of the European finance ministers’ meeting raised concerns about the global economy, increasing the demand for the yellow metal as a safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 0.1% or $0.13 lower at $93.03 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for December delivery added 2.1% or $1.90 to settle at $93.17 per barrel. This came after a satellite survey showed that crude oil inventories at Cushing dropped 760,000 barrels to 28.1 million from 18 October to 21 October.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.