Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged down 0.4% to close at 5,546.9.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index eased 0.1% or 1.1 points to settle at 988.6.
• DJIA edged up 0.4% to close at 12,196.4. NASDAQ slid marginally to settle at 2,649.2. S&P 500 inched up 0.2% to end at 1,261.0.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.6% lower, at 8,671.1.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.1% or 12 cents higher at $100.61 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.5710, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1724, and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥122.01.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Stock Market Futures Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets closed lower yesterday, after a German official rejected the possibility of combining the current and permanent euro-area rescue funds, waning optimism about a comprehensive solution to the Eurozone's debt crisis at the European Union summit this week.
• Car insurer, Admiral fell 3.9%, after Deutsche Bank issued a downbeat note on the sustainability of its business model.
• Inter-dealer broker, ICAP, the top laggard on the FTSE 100 index, dropped 4.4%, after Morgan Stanley cut its rating on the stock to “Equal-Weight” from “Overweight”.
• Financial stocks reversed gains of previous session, with Schroders,
• Royal Bank of Scotland and Man Group declining between 1.8% and 2.4%, as risk appetite decreased among investors.
• Associated British Foods retreated 1.6%, as it traded ex-dividend.
• FTSE 100 slipped 0.4% to 5,546.9, while FTSE 250 fell 0.3% to 10,280.2.
• Randgold Resources gained 3.5%, in line with a rise in gold prices.
• Cairn Energy and Vedanta Resources added 1.2% each, after the former stated that it would sell 40.0% of its stake in its Indian subsidiary to the latter after completion of all regulatory conditions.
• ICAP dropped 4.4%, after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to “Equal weight” from “Overweight”.
• Admiral fell 3.9%, after Deutsche Bank issued a downbeat note on the sustainability of its business model.
• Kazakhmys lost 2.4%, tracking lower base metal prices.
• Petrofac eased 2.1%, in line with a fall in 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 0.1% higher against the USD at $1.5710, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1724, and 0.1% higher against the JPY at ¥122.01.
• The EUR is trading marginally lower against the USD at $1.3398. The EUR is trading marginally lower against the JPY at ¥104.05.
• The JPY and USD are trading higher against the EUR, as economic reports from the Asian region increased speculation that the regional economy is faltering, increasing the demand for safe haven currencies.
• The AUD is trading lower against most of its major peers, after a government report showed that the number of people employed in Australia fell by 6,300 last month.
• Yesterday, the USD closed higher against the EUR, following reports that Germany was rejecting the latest proposal to boost the Eurozone’s ability to bail-out large debtors, increasing demand for safe haven assets.
• The CHF ended lower against most of its major peers, after Switzerland’s Finance Minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, stated that a government panel was considering using negative interest rates and capital controls to combat the currency’s appreciation.
• The AUD closed higher against the USD, after Australia’s economy grew faster-than-expected in the third-quarter of 2011.
• The CAD ended lower against the USD, as renewed concerns about the European sovereign debt crisis decreased demand for high-yielding currencies.
• 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 $1,738.73 per ounce.
• Gold for February delivery rose 0.8% or $13 to settle at $1,744.80 per ounce yesterday. This came amid renewed concerns about the Eurozone debt crisis after Germany opposed combining the region’s current and permanent bailout funds, increasing the demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading 0.1% or 12 cents higher at $100.61 per barrel.
• Yesterday, crude oil for January delivery retreated 0.8% or 79 cents to settle at $100.49 per barrel. This came after the Energy Information Administration reported a rise in crude oil inventories of 1.3 million barrels for the week ended 2 December.
• Crude oil traded lower 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.