Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged down 0.2% to settle at 5,702.2.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index lost 0.2% to 1,018.1.
• DJIA edged 0.2% higher to settle at 12,231.1. NASDAQ edged down 0.1% to close at 2,737.2. S&P 500 finished marginally higher to 1,285.1.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 0.1% lower, at 9,037.7.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 76 cents lower at $92.56 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.9% lower against the USD at $1.5973, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1399, and 3.6% higher against the JPY at ¥126.496.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Spread Betting Markets

• UK markets closed mixed on Friday, with the FTSE 100 ending marginally lower, led by a retreat in financial sector stocks. Additionally, investors remained concerned about the UK economy after data showed that UK consumer confidence index had dropped to its lowest level in more than two and a half years in October.
• Among banks, Lloyds Banking Group, the top loser on the FTSE 100 index, declined 5.2%, while Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays lost 3.6% and 4.2%, respectively. This came amid profit booking and doubts over the longer-term effectiveness of the Eurozone bailout deal.
• Man Group lost 4.7%, ahead of its first-half results next week.
• Among the gainers, WPP gained 1.6%, after the company reported a 9.0% increase in its third-quarter revenue.
• Exillon Energy surged 12.8%, after it announced a 53.0% rise in its average daily production for the third-quarter earlier last week.
• Miners, Rio Tinto and Xstrata advanced 1.6% and 1.9%, respectively.
• FTSE 100 fell 0.2% to 5,702.2, while FTSE 250 rose 0.3% to 10,773.1.
• Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays dropped between 3.6% and 5.2%, amid concerns over the longer-term effectiveness of the Eurozone bailout deal.
• Man Group lost 4.7%, ahead of its first-half results next week.
• Insurers, Prudential and Aviva, slipped 2.5% and 3.3%, respectively, in line with a drop in the broader equity market.
• International Consolidated Airlines dropped 3.2%, after a broker downgraded the stock to “Reduce” from “Neutral”.
• ITV rose 2.0%, after RBS recommended buying the stock.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.9% lower against the USD at $1.5973, 0.1% higher against the EUR at €1.1399, and 3.6% higher against the JPY at ¥126.496.
• The EUR is trading 1.0% lower against the USD at $1.4009.
• The EUR/JPY is trading 3.5% higher at ¥110.942
• The JPY dropped against most other currencies after Japan stepped into the foreign-exchange markets to weaken the currency for the third time this year, as recent gains in the currency had threatened the country’s exporters.
• The AUD dropped against the USD amid speculation that Reserve Bank of Australia’s Governor, Glenn Stevens, would cut interest rates at a policy meeting tomorrow, after Australia’s consumer prices rose 2.6% this month from a year earlier.
• The AUD and NZD fell against its major peers, amid speculation that business activity in the US weakened, damping demand for riskier assets.
• On Friday, the EUR closed lower against the USD and the GBP, as expectations faded that Europe would be able to contain its debt crisis.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 1.6% lower today, at $1715.18 per ounce.
• Gold prices for December delivery eased 0.03% or 50 cents to $1,747.20 per ounce on Friday. This came amid easing demand for safe haven asset, after US data on consumer sentiment and spending came in better-than-expected.
• Losses for gold were limited as Italy’s borrowing costs rose to a record at a sale of three-year bonds.
• In Asia, crude oil for December delivery is trading 76 cents lower at $92.56 per barrel.
• On Friday, crude oil for December delivery closed 0.7% or 64 cents lower at $93.32 per barrel, as Japanese factory production registered a higher-than-expected decline of 4% in September.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.