Spread Betting Markets Snapshot

• FTSE 100 edged up 0.7% to close at 5,164.7.
• FTSEurofirst 300 index gained 0.9% or 8.4 points to 907.9.
• DJIA edged down 0.2% to close at 11,231.8. NASDAQ lost 0.8% to settle at 2,441.5. S&P 500 inched 0.3% lower to end at 1,158.7.
• Nikkei 225 index is trading 1.7% higher at 8,300.2.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading $1.37 higher at $98.14 per barrel.
• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.4% higher against the USD at $1.5501, 0.1% up against the EUR at €1.1665 and 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥120.35.
• For more on trading stock market indices see spread betting on indices.

UK Stock Market Trading Signals

• UK markets advanced on Friday, with the FTSE 100 index snapping its nine-day losing streak, amid speculation that the European Union bailout mechanism would not involve the private sector, shrugging off a surge in Italy’s borrowing cost.
• Among banking stocks, Royal Bank of Scotland, the top riser on the FTSE 100 index, rallied 4.3%, while Barclays advanced 2.1%, amid bargain hunting by investors. Lloyds Banking Group added 3.5%, after both UBS and Citigroup recommended a “Buy” on the stock.
• BP and Royal Dutch Shell Group advanced 1.2% and 1.5%, respectively, as crude oil pared earlier losses.
• Compass Group added 1.0%, after it acquired Supercare Services Group.
• SAB Miller rose 1.1%, after it received an approval from the Australian government to acquire Foster’s Group.
• BSkyB and Inmarsat gained 1.5% and 3.6%, respectively, after positive comments from JP Morgan.
• FTSE 100 rose 0.7% to 5,164.7. FTSE 250 gained 0.4% to 9,640.3.
• Inmarsat advanced 3.6%, as JPMorgan Cazenove took a positive stance on the stock.
• Lloyds Banking Group gained 3.5%, helped by an upgrade to “Buy” from Citigroup.
• Vedanta Resource dropped 2.8%, after Deutsche bank expressed concerns about the company’s ability to deal with its level of debt.
• Glencore International lost 2.2%, after the company stated during an analyst day that debt remained available for acquisitions.
• Severn Trent fell 1.7%, after the company reported a 35% drop in its six-month pretax profit.
• Fresnillo declined 1.4%, as silver for December delivery fell 2.7% to $31.01 per ounce.
• Cairn Energy retreated 1.3%, amid concerns that its $1 billion exploration programme off the coast of Greenland might continue to disappoint further.
• For more on trading UK shares see spread betting on UK shares.

Forex Spread Betting Markets

• At 0400 BST today, the GBP is trading 0.4% higher against the USD at $1.5501, 0.1% up against the EUR at €1.1665 and 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥120.35.
• Also in forex spread betting, the EUR is trading 0.4% higher against the USD at $1.3288, after a report in the Italian newspaper La Stampa stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is preparing a rescue plan for Italy.
• The EUR is trading 0.3% higher against the JPY at ¥103.17, as the demand for high yielding currencies increased, after most of the Asian equity markets traded higher.
• The NZD is trading higher against the major currencies, after New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key was re-elected with his party’s biggest mandate in 60 years. The NZD also rose, after a report showed that a confidence index for New Zealand rose to 18.3 in November from 13.2 the previous month.
• On Friday, the EUR/USD ended lower, as a disappointing Italian bond auction and a disagreement among the European leaders over how to resolve the region’s debt crisis intensified worries over economic growth.
• The EUR also fell, after Standard & Poor’s lowered Belgium’s credit rating to “AA” from “AA+” and took a negative stance on its credit outlook.
• The CAD ended lower against the USD, as escalating worries about the European debt crisis decreased the demand for high yielding assets.
• For more on trading the forex markets see forex spread betting.

Commodities Spread Betting Markets

• Gold for immediate delivery is trading 1.3% higher today, at $1,705.93 per ounce.
• Gold prices for December delivery fell 0.6% or $10.20 to $1,685.70 per ounce on Friday, as the dollar rose against the major currencies, decreasing the demand for the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.
• In Asia, crude oil for January delivery is trading $1.37 higher at $98.14 per barrel.
• On Friday, crude oil for January delivery closed 0.6% or 60 cents higher at $96.77 per barrel, amid speculation that the eurozone leaders would take further steps to tame the region’s debt crisis.
• Crude oil prices also rose, as escalating worries in the Middle East dampened the region's supply outlook.
• For more on commodities trading see commodities spread betting.