- FTSE 100 up 0.2% to 6,949
- Gold up 1.82% to $1,215.67/oz
- £/$ – 1.5745
The FTSE 100 halted its slide yesterday, adding 0.2% to close at 6,949.
Packaging company Mondi was the day’s highest climber, up 8.9% after posting a 29% rise in first-quarter profits. Housebuilders were also in demand, with Persimmon adding 4.1% and Barratt up 3.4%.
In Europe’s markets yesterday, the Paris CAC 40 fell 0.3% to 4,961, and the German Xetra Dax lost 1.1% to 11,351.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell eight points to 18,060, the S&P 500 lost one point to 2,098, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.1% higher at 4,981.
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 slid 1% to 19,570, and the broader Topix index fell 0.8% to 1,591. And in China, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to 4,378, and the CSI 300 lost 0.4% to 4,700.
Brent spot was trading at $60.26 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $66.59. Spot gold was trading at $1,216 an ounce, silver was at $17.11, and platinum was at $1,148.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5779 and against the euro at 1.3828. The dollar was trading at 0.8763 against the euro and 119.08 against the Japanese yen.
And today, ITV reported a “strong start to the year”, with better than expected first-quarter results. Total income rose by 14% to £665m, up from £585m in the same period last year. Net advertising revenue rose by £45m to £435m.