- FTSE 100 up 0.4% to 6,326
- Gold up 1.02% to $1,147.24
- £/$ – 1.5227
The FTSE 100 extended Monday’s gains yesterday, adding a further 0.4% to close at 6,326.
Resource stocks were once again the main drivers. Miner Anglo American topped the index with a 4.5% climb, while Fresnillo added 3.4% and Glencore rose 2.6%. Among energy stocks, Royal Dutch Shell gained 3.8%, BP rose 3%, and BG Group was 2.9% higher.
In Europe’s markets yesterday, the Paris CAC 40 gained 1% to 4,660, and the German Xetra Dax was 0.9% higher at 9,902.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 16,790, the S&P 500 slipped 0.4% to 1,979, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.7% to 4,748.
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to 18,322, and the broader Topix was 1.2% higher at 1,493. China’s markets remained closed for a public holiday.
Brent spot was trading at $52.48 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $49.37. Spot gold was trading at $1,150 an ounce, silver was at $15.85 and platinum was at $941.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5270 and against the euro at 1.3595. The dollar was trading at 0.8903 against the euro and 120.07 against the Japanese yen.
And in the UK, Tesco’s woes continue as profits for the first half of the year more than halved. Operating profits for the first six months of the year fell 55% to £354m, down from £779m in the same period last year. Like-for-like sales fell by 1.1% – less than analysts’ expectations of 1.5%.