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Stocks in the United States were trading in green, with Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading at 26,382.97 and surged by 239.92 points or 0.92 per cent, the S&P 500 was trading 16.59 points or 0.57 per cent higher at 2,904.91 and the technology benchmark index Nasdaq Composite was quoting at 7,979.48 and rose by 32.12 points or 0.40 per cent respectively.
The Labour Department said U.S. import prices, driven by higher fuel prices, rose for a third straight month and increased by 0.6 per cent. The S&P 500 touched the 2,900 level for the first time since early October, as banks stocks surged after better-than-expected results were reported by JP Morgan, easing fears of a slowing economy.
Prime Minister Theresa May defended her decision in the Parliament to delay the UK's exit from the EU and told MPs it remains her "priority" to deliver Brexit. The extension means that the country is likely to participate in the European Parliament elections in May. Some EU officials think the United Kingdom could change its mind, while Eurosceptic supporters of Brexit say the divorce is under threat.
On 12th April 2019, the broader equity index FTSE 100 closed the Fridayâs session at 7,437.06, up by 19.11 points or 0.26% against its previous closing price. Also, the FTSE 250 index ended in green at 19,711.71 and was up by 90.53 points or 0.46%. The FTSE All-Share index rose by 12.14 points or 0.30 per cent to 4,069.90. Another broader European equity benchmark index STOXX 600 closed at 387.53 and surged by 0.62 points or 0.16 per cent from its prior close.
FTSE 100 Index -5 Day Chart
5-day Chart as on 15th April 2019, before the market closed (Source: Thomson Reuters)
On LSE, stocks like INDIVIOR PLC (INDV), GAMES WORKSHOP GROUP PLC (GAW), and GOCOMPARE.COM GROUP PLC (GOCO) were among the top gainers and were up by 12.74%, 12.15%, and 10.52% respectively. Top laggards were PLUS500 LTD (PLUS), PETS AT HOME GROUP PLC (PETS), and VP PLC (VP.) and were down by 31.19%, 14.22%, and 6.18% respectively.
On FTSE 100 index, Shares like STANDARD CHARTERED PLC (STAN), SMITH (DS) PLC (SMDS) and GLENCORE PLC (GLEN) were among the top gainers and were increased by 3.51%, 3.28% and 3.02% respectively. Stocks including RELX PLC (REL), HALMA PLC (HLMA) and HIKMA PHARMACEUTICALS PLC (HIK) were laggards on the FTSE 100 index and were decreased by 1.59%, 1.55% and 1.35%, respectively.
Coming back to the FTSE 100 index cues, top active volume stocks were LLOYDS BANKING GROUP PLC (LLOYD), VODAFONE GROUP PLC (VOD) and GLENCORE PLC (GLEN).
Sectors which were trading in green on the FTSE 100 index during the day were Telecommunications Services, Financials, and Basic Materials and sectors like Utilities, Healthcare, and Consumer Non-cyclical ended in red.
Forex Cues*
- Currency Pair GBP/USD was exchanging at 1.3079.
- Currency Pair EUR/GBP was quoting at 0.8639.
Money Market Cues*
- US 10Y Treasury Bond yield was quoting at 2.560% in Fridayâs session.
- UK 10Y Bond yield was quoting at 1.213% in Fridayâs session.
* At the time of writing
