Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 surged 1.9% or 104.0 points to settle at 5,488.7.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index advanced 2.5% or 23.9 points to 978.1.
• DJIA surged 2.3% or 267.0 points to close at 11,808.8. NASDAQ advanced 1.5% or 38.8 points to settle at 2,637.5. S&P 500 soared 1.9% or 22.9 points to end at 1,238.3.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.7% higher, at 8,823.1.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 0.8% or $0.71 higher at $88.11 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.5955, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1501, and 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥121.67.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Bets Trading News

• UK markets rallied on Friday, bolstered by gains in mining and banking sector stocks, amid hopes that the European policymakers would act collaboratively to contain the region’s debt crisis.
• Among mining stocks, Xstrata, the top gainer on the FTSE 100 index, soared 6.2%, after HSBC upgraded the stock to “Overweight” from “Neutral”.
• Rio Tinto and Antofagasta climbed 4.5% and 5.5%, respectively, tracking a rise in base metal prices.
• Energy stocks, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and BG Group climbed between 1.6% and 2.7%, as Nomura initiated coverage on these stocks with a “Buy” rating.
• Barclays led banks higher, surging 5.8%, while Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group rose 3.4% and 3.9%, respectively, as worries over the debt crisis eased.
• Intercontinental Hotels Group jumped 5.0%, after Morgan Stanley added the stock to its “High Conviction” list.
• FTSE 100 rose 1.9% to settle at 5,488.7. FTSE 250 jumped 1.5% to 10,265.5.
• Xstrata climbed 6.2%, after HSBC upgraded the stock to “Overweight” from “Neutral”.
• Weir Group advanced 5.9%, as BofA Merrill Lynch and UBS reiterated their bullish stances on the stock.
• Antofagasta rose 5.5%, as copper for December delivery gained 5.4% to $3.22 per pound.
• Intercontinental Hotels Group gained 5.0%, after Morgan Stanley added the stock in its list of “High Conviction” shares.
• Cairn Energy advanced 4.6%, as crude for December delivery added 1.6% to $87.40 per barrel.
• WM Morrison Supermarkets declined 0.3%, as Bernstein Research downgraded the stock to “Market Perform” from “Outperform” on valuation grounds.
• 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% higher against the USD at $1.5955, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1501, and 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥121.67.
• The EUR is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.3872.
• The EUR is trading 0.2% higher against the JPY at ¥105.79.
• The AUD is trading lower against the JPY and the USD, after the European leaders failed to assure that they would be able to contain the euro-area debt crisis, sapping demand for riskier assets.
• On Friday, the USD ended lower against the major currencies, amid speculation that Europe would resolve the region’s debt crisis, damping demand for safer assets. The USD also lost value amid speculation of further monetary easing, after the Federal Reserve Vice Chairman, Janet Yellen, stated that a third round of large-scale securities purchases might be warranted to prop up the US economy.
• The CAD closed lower against the USD, amid speculation that Canada’s price inflation unexpectedly increased in September, damping speculation that the central bank might cut interest rates in the next few months.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading marginally higher today, at $1,642.78 per ounce.
• Gold for December delivery added 1.4% or $23.20 to settle at $1,636.10 per ounce on Friday. This came as the dollar weakened against the major currencies, increasing the demand for the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 0.8% or $0.71 higher at $88.11 per barrel.
• On Friday, crude oil for December delivery added 1.6% or $1.33 to settle at $87.40 per barrel. This came as worries over demand prospects eased, after French and German law makers agreed to provide firm details of a rescue plan to resolve the European sovereign debt crisis.
• Crude oil spreads also gained value, as a decline in dollar increased the demand for the commodities as an alternative investment.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.