Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged down 0.3% to close at 5,489.3.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index dropped 0.6% or 6.0 points to settle at 976.0.
• DJIA edged down 0.2% to close at 12,020.0. NASDAQ rose 0.2% to settle at 2,626.2. S&P 500 edged 0.2% lower to end at 1,244.6.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.5% higher, at 8,642.4.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.1% or 6 cents lower at $100.14 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.5677, marginally higher against the EUR at €1.1647, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥121.93.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets closed lower yesterday, as downbeat comments from the Bank of England and disappointing Chinese manufacturing data dampened investors’ sentiment.
• Among banking sector stocks, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group slipped between 1.7% and 3.3%, after Bank of England’s December Financial Stability Report indicated an “exceptionally threatening environment” for financial lenders.
• Among mining stocks, Rio Tinto, Antofagasta and BHP Billiton dropped between 1.1% and 1.3%, after manufacturing activity in China showed a contraction in November.
• Vedanta Resources shed 0.8%, after Credit Suisse cut its rating on the stock to “Neutral” from “Outperform”.
• Engineering firm, IMI, the top laggard on the FTSE 100 index, declined 4.9%, while GKN lost 1.9%, after disposing its aerospace engineering services business in the UK and Australia.
• FTSE 100 fell 0.3% to 5,489.3. FTSE 250 250 lost 1.1% to settle at 10,203.8.
• Resolution gained 3.9%, after the High Court approved its scheme to transfer certain parts of its businesses to Friends Provident Life and Pensions Limited.
• Burberry advanced 3.0%, after Seymour Pierce assigned a “Buy” rating on the stock.
• Kingfisher climbed 2.2%, after its third-quarter results surpassed market expectations.
• Standard Chartered rose 1.7%, after Standard & Poor’s upgraded its credit rating on the stock to “A+” from “A”.
• Banking stocks, Lloyds banking Group, RBS and Barclays retreated between 1.7% and 3.3%, as risk aversion decreased among investors, after the Bank of England signalled a systemic financial crisis.
• GKN lost 1.9%, after the firm sold its Aerospace Engineering services business in the UK and Australia to QuEST Global Services and QuEST Global Engineering.
• Marks & Spencer fell 1.6%, after Investec downgraded the stock to “Hold” from “Buy”.
• 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 $1.5677, marginally higher against the EUR at €1.1647, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥121.93.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.3460, amid speculation that the US Labour Department report would show an increase in payrolls in November.
• The EUR is trading marginally lower against the JPY at ¥104.69.
• The AUD is trading higher against the USD, as investors await a key speech by German Chancellor Angela Merkel outlining her stance on the region’s debt crisis ahead of the European summit on 9 December.
• Yesterday, the EUR/USD closed higher, after Spain sold €3.75 billion of government bonds, meeting its target and as France also received strong demand for €4.3 billion of debt.
• The GBP closed lower against the USD and the EUR, after the UK’s manufacturing activity contracted for a second straight month in November.
• The USD closed higher against the JPY, after Japan’s Finance Minister, Jun Azumi, announced that he would take action on speculative currency.
• The CAD closed higher against the USD, amid speculation that Canadian employers resumed adding jobs.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.1% lower today, at $1,743.15 per ounce.
• Gold for February delivery lost 0.6% or $10.50 to end at $1,739.80 per ounce yesterday, as investors took advantage of the recent gains and preferred to book profits.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.1% or 6 cents lower at $100.14 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for January delivery declined 0.2% or 16 cents to settle at $100.20 per barrel. This came amid worries over demand prospects, after the US Labor Department report showed that jobless claims rose by 6,000 to 402,000 last week, and as Chinese manufacturing activity contracted in November for the first time since February 2009.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.