Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged down 0.1% to end at 5,662.4.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index dropped 0.3% or 3.2 points to end at 1,018.8.
• DJIA edged up 0.2% to close at 12,471.0. NASDAQ ticked up 0.5% to end at 2,724.7. S&P 500 inched 0.2% higher to settle at 1,295.5.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.0% higher, at 8,467.1.
• In Asia, crude oil for February delivery is trading 0.6% or $0.58 higher at $99.68 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.5336, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1963, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥117.79.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets finished on a mixed note yesterday, with the FTSE 100 index ending lower, led by declines in retail sector stocks on disappointing Christmas trading update from Tesco. In addition, data showed that US retail sales and initial jobless claims missed market expectations.
• Tesco plummeted 16.0%, after it posted a gloomy trading update for the festive shopping season. Peers, Sainsbury and Wm. Morrison Supermarkets fell 5.4% and 6.0%, respectively.
• Reckitt Benckiser dropped 1.4%, as JP Morgan Cazenove downgraded its rating on the stock to “Neutral” from “Overweight”.
• Scottish & Southern Energy and Centrica logged losses of 1.0% and 1.2%, respectively, after they announced a cut in household power tariffs.
• Ocado surged 33.5%, after reporting a strong trading performance for the fourth quarter.
• FTSE 100 edged down 0.1% to end at 5,662.4, while FTSE 250 gained 0.9% to settle at 10,466.5.
• RBS climbed 5.6%, after the company announced that it would cut 3,500 jobs at its investment bank over the next three years.
• Vedanta Resources rose 4.7%, in line with a rise in base metal prices.
• Ashmore Group gained 4.6%, after the company reported a 2.5% rise in assets under management for the second-quarter.
• Retailers, Tesco, WM Morrison and J Sainsbury plummeted between 5.4% and 16.0%, after Tesco reported lower-than-expected Christmas sales and issued a cautious outlook for 2012.
• Royal Dutch Shell-A and Royal Dutch Shell-A lost 2.1% and 2.0%, respectively, after Goldman Sachs trimmed its fourth-quarter earnings forecast.
• 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 lower against the USD at $1.5336, marginally lower against the EUR at €1.1963, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥117.79.
• The EUR is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.2819. Italy is seeking to sell bonds due in 2014 and 2018 today, which is expected to confirm domestic demand on the back of cheap European Central Bank funds.
• The EUR is trading flat against the JPY at ¥98.46.
• The AUD and the NZD are trading lower against the USD, amid speculation that a report might show that US trade deficit widened in November.
• Yesterday, the EUR closed higher against the USD, after European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, stated that policy makers have avoided a credit shortage and expressed his assurance about the effectiveness of the European bank’s long-term lending operations.
• The AUD ended lower against the USD, after US retail sales increased less-than-forecast and jobless-benefits claims fell, damping demand for riskier assets.
• The GBP closed lower against the EUR and the AUD, amid speculation that the Bank of England would expand its bond-buying program this year to stimulate economic growth.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.5% lower today, at $1,639.20 per ounce.
• Gold for February delivery climbed 0.5% or $8.10 to close at $1,647.70 per ounce yesterday. This came after the European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, stated that the Eurozone continues to face “substantial” downside risks to its outlook, forcing investors to purchase the yellow metal as a safe haven asset.
• Gold was supported by a fall in the dollar against the euro and amid weak US jobs and retail sales data.
• In Asia, crude oil for February delivery is trading 0.6% or $0.58 higher at $99.68 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for February delivery declined 1.8% or $1.77 to end at $99.10 per barrel. This came after a report stated that a proposed European Union embargo of Iranian oil imports would probably be delayed for six months to allow Greece, Italy and Spain to find alternative supply.
• Crude oil traded lower amid worries over demand prospects, following disappointing US retail sales and jobless claims data.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.