- FTSE 100 down 0.4% to 6,718
- Gold up 0.41% to $1,094.05
- £/$ – 1.5491
The FTSE 100 ended the week on a low note, slipping 0.4% to close at 6,718.
Pharmaceutical companies were among the worst performers. Hikma fell 3.4%, AstraZeneca lost 2.1%, and Shire was 1.8% lower. The day’s biggest faller was ITV, down 3.4%.
In Europe’s markets on Friday, the Paris CAC 40 fell 0.7% to 5,154, and the German Xetra Dax was 0.8% lower at 11,490.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3% to 17,373, the S&P 500 lost 0.3% to 2,077, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.3% lower at 5,043.
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to 20,808, and the broader Topix index gained 0.7% to 1,691. And in China, the CSI 300 rose 4.5% to 4,084, and the Shanghai Composite added 4.9% to 3,928.
Brent spot was trading at $48.54 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $43.75. Spot gold was trading at $1,095 an ounce, silver was at $14.91 and platinum was at $967.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5478 and against the euro at 1.4118. The dollar was trading at 0.9120 against the euro and 124.50 against the Japanese yen.
And in the UK, construction and outsourced group Carillion says it has won a “facilities management” contract from the government worth up to £4.1bn. The contract will run until 2019.