Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 slumped 2.2% to close at 5,421.6.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index declined 3.4% or 34.3 points to 961.8.
• DJIA tumbled 2.5% to settle at 11,658.0. NASDAQ shed 2.9% to close at 2,607.0. S&P 500 slumped 2.8% to end at 1,218.3.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.6% lower, at 8,695.1.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 0.8% or $0.71 lower at $91.48 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.2% higher against the USD at $1.5973, 0.2% lower against the EUR at €1.1647, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥124.8.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets retreated sharply yesterday, amid renewed concern about the Eurozone debt crisis after Greece decided to hold a referendum on its latest bailout deal and after data indicated that Britain’s manufacturing sector activity contracted in October.
• Among financial stocks, Barclays, the top loser on the FTSE 100 index, plunged 9.5%, while Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland lost 6.0% and 8.1%, respectively, amid renewed worries over the Greece debt-default.
• Among mining stocks, Rio Tinto, Antofagasta and Kazakhmys shed between 3.9% and 7.1%, after data showed that China's manufacturing activity slowed in October.
• Retailer, Marks & Spencer dropped 3.1%, after HSBC downgraded its rating on the stock to “Neutral” from “Overweight”.
• Tullow Oil slipped 4.1%, after its partner Anadarko warned that several wells at its Jubilee project, off Ghana, were producing below expectations.
• FTSE 100 slumped 2.2% to close at 5,421.6. FTSE 250 tumbled 3.0% to settle at 10,167.6.
• Reckitt Benckiser added 1.8%, amid renewed speculation that it could be a takeover target for Colgate-Palmolive.
• G4S advanced 0.4%, after the company announced that it would not proceed with the acquisition of Denmark’s ISS.
• Barclays and RBS tumbled 9.5% and 8.1%, respectively, as risk appetite decreased among spread betting investors.
• Man Group slumped 9.3%, ahead of its results on Thursday.
• Miners, Kazakhmys and Xstrata, plummeted 7.1% and 6.6%, respectively, tracking lower base metal prices.
• Insurers, Legal & General and Aviva, tumbled 7.2% and 6.6%, respectively, in line with a fall in the broader equity markets.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

UK FX Trading News

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.2% higher against the USD at $1.5973, 0.2% lower against the EUR at €1.1647, and marginally lower against the JPY at ¥124.8.
• The EUR is trading 0.4% higher against the USD at $1.3715.
• The EUR is trading 0.2% higher against the JPY at ¥107.15.
• The EUR is trading higher against the USD and the JPY, after a Greek government official announced that the Cabinet has decided to give Prime Minister George Papandreou unanimous backing for his plans to hold a referendum.
• The AUD is trading lower against the USD, following a report that showed home-building approvals in Australia dropped 13.6% in September compared to August.
• Yesterday, the EUR and the CAD closed lower against the USD, after the Greek government decided to call a referendum on the country’s latest bailout package, spurring fear that the sovereign debt crisis might spread to other European economies.
• The AUD and NZD ended lower against the USD, amid renewed speculation of a Greek default, decreasing demand for riskier assets
• The CHF closed lower against the USD, after an industry report showed that Swiss manufacturing activity shrank more-than-expected in October, adding to signs that the country’s economy was stalling.
• The JPY closed higher against the USD, as a selloff in Asian equities increased the demand for the currency.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.4% higher today, at $1,722.34 per ounce.
• Gold for December delivery declined 0.8% or $13.40 to settle at $1,711.80 per ounce yesterday. This came as the dollar rose against the major currencies, decreasing the demand for the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.
• Losses for gold were limited on weaker-than-expected US manufacturing data and renewed concerns over a Greek default.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 0.8% or $0.71 lower at $91.48 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for December delivery dropped 1.1% or $1.0 to end at $92.19 per barrel. This came amid worries over demand prospects, as data indicated a slowdown in manufacturing activity in China and the US, and after Greece Prime Minister, George Papandreou, called for a referendum on the European bailout package.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.