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US Markets: Broader indices in the United States traded in green - particularly, the S&P 500 index traded 22.58 points or 0.58 per cent higher at 3,932.10, Dow Jones Industrial Average Index surged by 164.59 points or 0.50 per cent higher at 32,784.07, and the technology benchmark index Nasdaq Composite traded higher at 13,019.32, up by 41.64 points or 0.32 per cent against the previous day close (at the time of writing - 11:30 AM ET).
US Market News: The major indices of Wall Street traded in a green zone driven by banking stocks after Federal Reserve would allow banks to resume buybacks and dividends. Among the gaining stocks, BowX Acquisition Corp shares jumped by about 11.46% after the special purpose acquisition vehicle agreed to merge with WeWork. Microsoft Corp shares went up by around 0.65% after the reports that the software giant may purchase Discord for USD 10 billion. Among the declining stocks, Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp shares went down by approximately 7.37% after the Company had announced to purchase MSG Networks in a stock-swap deal. Fox Corp shares dropped by around 0.71% after Dominion voting filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News.
US Stocks Performance*
UK Market News: The London markets traded in a green zone, reflecting strong investor sentiments regarding accelerated UK vaccine rollout and better UK retail sales. FTSE 100 traded higher by around 0.99% due to an increase in the West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) and Brent crude prices. The Office for National Statistics had reported a rise of around 2.1% in the UK retail sales during February 2021 as compared to a drop of nearly 8.2% during January 2021.
Major oil companies BHP Group, Royal Dutch Shell and BP shares climbed by around 2.92%, 2.01% and 2.91%, respectively, due to a spike in oil prices.
FTSE 100 listed Smiths Group had reported an increase in the interim dividend and remained upbeat regarding expectation for the annual results. Meanwhile, the shares jumped by around 6.79% and remained the top gainer on the FTSE 100 index.
Insurance Group Aviva shares grew by approximately 0.80% after the Company had sold Aviva Poland for 2.50 billion euros. Moreover, it would focus on the strongest business in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.
High-Tech manufacturer Oxford Instruments had anticipated revenue to be marginally ahead of the prior year, benefitting from strong performance in China. Furthermore, the shares surged by around 11.61% and remained the top performer on the FTSE 250 index.
European Indices Performance (at the time of writing):
FTSE 100 Index One Year Performance (as on 26 March 2021)
1 Year FTSE 100 Chart (Source: EODHD/Others, Thomson Reuters)
Top 3 Volume Stocks in FTSE 100*: Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY); Barclays Plc (BARC); Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (RR.).
Top 3 Sectors traded in green*: Energy (+2.98%), Basic Materials (+2.88%) and Real Estate (+1.17%).
Top 2 Sectors traded in red*: Utilities (-1.20%) and Healthcare (-0.06%).
London Stock Exchange: Stocks Performance (at the time of writing)
Crude Oil Future Prices*: Brent future crude oil (future) price and WTI crude oil (future) price were hovering at $64.68/barrel and $61.04/barrel, respectively.
Gold Price*: Gold price was quoting at US$1,729.05 per ounce, up by 0.23% against the prior day closing.
Currency Rates*: GBP to USD: 1.3777; EUR to GBP: 0.8555.
Bond Yields*: US 10-Year Treasury yield: 1.658%; UK 10-Year Government Bond yield: 0.766%.
*At the time of writing
