- FTSE 100 up 0.1% to 6,336
- Gold down 0.6% to $1,189.73/oz
- £/$ – 1.5575
The FTSE 100 nudged up yesterday after some positive economic data from the eurozone, and encouraging UK unemployment figures. The index closed up 0.1% at 6,336.
Energy stocks were among the best performers. Tullow Oil topped the index with a 3.6% rise, BP added 3.5%, and BG Group was 3.3% higher.
In European markets, the Paris CAC 40 rose 18 points to 4,111, and the German Xetra Dax slipped 19 points to 9,544.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.7% to 17,356, the S&P 500 gained 2% to 2,012, and the Nasdaq Composite was 2.1% higher at 4,556.
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 2.3% to 17,210, and the broader Topix gained 1.8% to 1,376. And in China, the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.1% to 3,057, and the CSI 300 was 0.4% lower at 3,345.
Brent spot was trading at $61.31 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $56.49. Spot gold was trading at $1,200 an ounce, silver was at $16.04 and platinum was at $1,205.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5585 and against the euro at 1.2642. The dollar was trading at 0.8111 against the euro and 118.46 against the Japanese yen.
And in the UK, the government is hoping to raise £3bn by selling off 25% of its stake in Lloyds Banking Group. The taxpayer still owns a quarter of the bank after its £20bn bailout in the financial crisis.
David Stevenson, former MoneyWeek writer and director of The Fleet Street Letter, believes silver could be about to start a record climb. Click here (capital at risk) to read about the three irresistible forces David believes could push the price of silver through the roof.