Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 slumped 2.2% to settle at 5,366.8.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 2.1% or 20.4 points to settle at 952.4.
• DJIA declined 1.1% to close at 11,823.5. NASDAQ lost 1.5% to settle at 2,539.3. S&P 500 shed 1.1% to settle at 1,211.8.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.2% lower, at 8,420.2.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.7% or $0.68 higher at $95.63 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.5464, 0.1% lower against the EUR at €1.1903, and 0.2% lower against the JPY at ¥120.70.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Financial Spread Betting Trading Review

• UK spread betting markets tumbled yesterday, amid renewed concerns over the European debt crisis after Italy’s borrowing cost surged to a euro-era record high. Additionally, the US Federal Reserve refrained from announcing new stimulus measures to bolster the US economy, further weighing on market sentiment.
• Among precious metals producers, Fresnillo, the top laggard on the FTSE 100 index, declined 11.1%, as it traded ex-dividend, while Randgold Resources slipped 6.1%, as gold prices slumped.
• Rio Tinto, Antofagasta and ENRC slipped between 4.7% and 5.6%, as copper prices dropped to its lowest since October on the London Metal Exchange.
• Essar Energy retreated 6.5%, after the FTSE Group raised the minimum free float requirement for companies seeking inclusion in its indices to 25%.
• Retailer, Marks & Spencer fell 2.3%, as a broker downgraded the stock to “Sell” from “Hold”.
• FTSE 100 slumped 2.2% to settle at 5,366.8, while FTSE 250 shed 2.2% to close at 9,744.2.
• WM Morrisons gained 0.3%, after ING upgraded the stock to “Buy” from “Hold”.
• Fresnillo sank 11.1%, as the stock traded ex-dividend.
• Essar Energy retreated 6.5%, after the FTSE Group raised the minimum free float requirement for companies seeking inclusion in its indices to 25%.
• Randgold Resources plummeted 6.1%, in line with a fall in gold prices.
• Miners, ENRC, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto slumped between 4.7% and 5.6%, tracking lower base metal prices.
• GKN fell 4.7%, amid reports that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce would impose punitive duties on some automobile imports from the US.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% lower against the USD at $1.5464, 0.1% lower against the EUR at €1.1903, and 0.2% lower against the JPY at ¥120.70.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.2991.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% lower against the JPY at ¥101.40, amid speculation that Germany’s manufacturing industry contracted for the third-straight month in December.
• The NZD is trading lower against the USD, following a report that showed that manufacturing activity in New Zealand contracted for a second month in November.
• Yesterday, the EUR closed lower against the USD and the JPY, as Italian borrowing costs increased at a debt auction and after Spanish banks’ borrowings from the ECB climbed by the most in a year.
• The CHF closed lower against the EUR, amid speculation that the Swiss National Bank would further weaken the currency, ahead of policy makers’ meeting this week.
• The GBP closed higher against the EUR, amid speculation that the European lawmakers were not working enough to resolve the region’s sovereign debt crisis, and after a report showed that claims for jobless benefits in the UK increased in November.
• 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 $1,573.05 per ounce.
• Gold for February delivery fell 4.6% or $76.20 to end at $1,586.90 per ounce yesterday, as the dollar continued to appreciate against the euro, decreasing the demand for the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.7% or $0.68 higher at $95.63 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil futures for January delivery dropped 5.2% or $5.19 to close at $94.95 per barrel, after members of the OPEC agreed to raise their output to 30 million barrels per day. This came amid escalating worries about the European sovereign debt crisis.
• Crude oil prices lost value as the dollar gained against the euro, decreasing the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.