Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 advanced 0.6% to settle at 5,400.9.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index added 1.0% or 9.3 points to settle at 961.8.
• DJIA edged up 0.4% to close at 11,868.8. NASDAQ inched 0.1% higher to settle at 2,541.0. S&P 500 edged 0.3% higher to settle at 1,215.8.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.6% higher, at 8,426.8.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.3% or $0.31 higher at $94.18 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading marginally higher against the USD at $1.5526, marginally higher against the EUR at €1.1916, and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥120.92.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Trading Review

• UK spread betting markets advanced yesterday, rebounding from steep losses in the previous session, as a successful Spanish bond auction and better-than-expected US employment data overshadowed downbeat UK retail sales data for November.
• Insurer, Old Mutual, the top riser on the FTSE 100 index, surged 11.4%, after the company announced plans to sell its Nordic unit to Skandia Liv to reduce its debt and boost shareholder returns.
• Peers, Standard Life and Legal & General climbed 2.4% and 2.7%, respectively. Vedanta Resources climbed 1.5%, and led the miners higher as base metal prices rallied.
• Weir Group jumped 3.9%, after it completed the acquisition of Seaboard Holdings.
• Morgan Crucible gained 2.9%, after Goldman Sachs Group raised its rating on the stock to “Buy” from “Neutral”.
• Collins Stewart Hawkpoint soared 75%, after Canaccord Financial agreed to acquire the company.
• FTSE 100 advanced 0.6% to settle at 5,400.9, while FTSE 250 climbed 0.9% to close at 9,827.3.
• Old Mutual soared 11.4%, after the company announced plans to sell its Nordic unit to Skandia Liv.
• Weir Group rose 3.9%, after it completed acquisition of Seaboard Holdings for $675 million.
• Hargreaves Lansdown gained 3.2%, despite Citigroup downgrading the stock to “Neutral” from “Buy”.
• Wolseley advanced 2.7%, after Barclays Capital initiated started coverage on the stock with an “Overweight” rating.
• Insurers, Legal & General Group, Prudential and Standard Life added between 2.3% and 2.7%, in line with a rise in their sector peer, Old Mutual.
• Cairn Energy fell 1.6%, after Investec cut its target price on the stock.
• Energy stocks, BG Group, Tullow Oil and AMEC, lost between 0.7% and 0.9%, tracking lower crude oil prices.
• 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 higher against the USD at $1.5526, marginally higher against the EUR at €1.1916, and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥120.92.
• The EUR is trading flat against the USD at $1.3030. France is scheduled to sell as much as €7 billion of bills on December 19, while Spain and Greece would be offering short-term government securities next week.
• The EUR is trading 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥101.48, after better-than-expected US jobless claims data and accelerated manufacturing activity in New York and Philadelphia regions, increased demand for riskier assets.
• The USD and the JPY declined against most of their major counterparts after encouraging economic reports increased speculation that the US economy is gaining momentum, decreasing demand for safe haven currencies.
• The AUD and the NZD are trading higher against the USD, as Asian equity markets extended gains, boosting demand for higher-yielding assets.
• Yesterday, the EUR and CAD closed higher against the USD, as Spain sold more than its maximum target at a debt auction and after a report showed that European manufacturing and service industries output contracted less-than-expected in December.
• The CHF closed higher against all of its major peers, after Switzerland’s central bank refrained from introducing additional measures to weaken the currency.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 0.7% higher today, at $1,587.70 per ounce.
• Gold for February delivery declined 0.6% or $9.70 to end at $1,577.20 per ounce yesterday. This came as a decline in US jobless claims, increase in manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region and upbeat results from Spanish bond auction eased concerns about the global economy, decreased demand for the safe haven asset.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.3% or $0.31 higher at $94.18 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for January delivery declined 1.1% or $1.08 to settle at $93.87 per barrel. This came amid worries over demand prospects, after US industrial production unexpectedly dropped in November for the first time in seven months overshadowing upbeat labour data.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.