Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged up 0.5% to close at 5,553.2.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index added 0.1% or 1.2 points to 983.8.
• DJIA surged 1.4% to close at 11,869.0. NASDAQ edged up 0.5% to settle at 2,650.7. S&P 500 gained 1.1% to end at 1,242.0.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.1% higher, at 8,849.0.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 1.8% or $1.58 higher at $91.78 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is 0.2% higher against the USD at $1.6009, 0.3% lower against the EUR at €1.1465, and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥121.74.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Shares Trading News

• UK markets closed mixed yesterday, with the FTSE 100 index ending modestly higher amid expectation that European policymakers would present a specific plan to contain the region’s debt crisis.
• Among precious metal stocks, Fresnillo, the top gainer on the FTSE 100 index, rose 4.4%, while Randgold Resources climbed 2.5%, as gold and silver prices rallied.
• Antofagasta climbed 2.1%, tracking a rise in copper prices.
• Kazakhmys gained 1.1%, amid optimism, ahead of its interim results.
• British American Tobacco gained 1.5%, after its revenue increased 7% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2011.
• Banking stocks, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group retreated between 0.8% and 2.1%, following disappointing results from their Spanish peer, BBVA.
• Reckitt Benckiser lost 2.1%, following downgrade by various brokers.
• FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to close at 5,553.2, while FTSE 250 lost 0.1% to settle at 10,422.4.
• Precious metal stocks, Fresnillo and Randgold resources, rallied 4.4% and 2.5% respectively, tracking higher silver and gold prices.
• Imperial Tobacco Group added 3.2%, after its peer British American Tobacco’s nine-month organic revenue rose 7%.
• Shire climbed 2.7%, after Societe Generale upgraded the stock to “Buy” from “Hold”.
• Antofagasta advanced 2.1%, in line with a rise in base metal prices.
• Smiths Group slumped 4.4%, after going ex-dividend.
• Reckitt Benckiser lost 2.1%, after ING Groep cut its recommendation on the stock to “Hold” from “Buy”.
• Next fell 2.1%, after Deutsche Bank 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 0.2% higher against the USD at $1.6009, 0.3% lower against the EUR at €1.1465, and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥121.74.
• The EUR is trading 0.6% higher against the USD at $1.3963. The EUR is trading 0.4% higher against the JPY at ¥106.20.
• The EUR is trading higher against the USD and the JPY, as European Union leaders announced that they had reached agreement on a plan to recapitalize the region’s banks, raising demand for risky assets.
• The NZD is trading higher against the USD, after the New Zealand’s Reserve Bank Governor, Alan Bollard, highlighted that borrowing costs might need to be raised.
• The CAD is trading higher against the USD and the EUR, following reports that US durable goods orders were stronger than expected, increasing demand for export linked currency.
• Yesterday, the USD ended higher against the EUR and the GBP, amid mounting concern that European leaders would not be able to come up with a solution to the euro-region debt crisis at a summit in Brussels. This came after a group of banks announced that there was no deal with the European Union on restructuring Greek sovereign debt.
• The USD ended higher against the JPY, amid speculation of monetary easing by Japan, ahead of the Bank of Japan’s one-day policy meeting.
• The AUD closed lower against the USD, amid speculation that the Australian Reserve Bank would cut interest rates, after a report showed that consumer price growth eased in the third-quarter.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading flat today, at $1,723.68 per ounce.
• Gold for December delivery added 1.4% or $23.10 to settle at $1,723.50 per ounce yesterday, amid uncertainty over the ability of European Union leaders to prevent the spread of region’s sovereign debt crisis.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 1.8% or $1.58 higher at $91.78 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for December delivery declined 3.2% or $2.97 to settle at $90.20 per barrel. This came after the Energy Information Administration reported that crude supplies rose 4.7 million barrels in the week ended 21 October, surpassing market expectations.
• Crude oil prices traded lower amid uncertainty over a detailed plan to resolve the European debt crisis.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.