AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
FRA
GER
ESP
ITA
NLD
PRT
SWE
GRC
IND
POL
BRA
ZAF
RUS
CHN
UAE
Highlights
- FTSE100 traded in red after disappointing UK retail sales data.
- The UK retail sales declined by 2.5% in July 2021 and missed the market forecast of 0.4%.
FTSE100 was trading in red after disappointing UK retail sales data. UK’s retail sales volume unexpectedly declined by 2.5% in July 2021, as per the data announced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The retail sales numbers missed the market expectation due to multiple factors like bad weather, raising Covid-19 cases and EURO 2020 championship, which meant less frequent store visits and forced people to stay indoors.
Top five FTSE100 gainer
JD Sports Fashion Plc (3.2%), Imperial Brands Plc (2.01%), Kingfisher Plc (1.97%), B&M European Value Retail S.A. (1.91%), NEXT Plc (1.69%).
Top five FTSE100 losers
Diageo Plc (-1.78%), Pershing Square Holdings Ltd (-1.56%), Smith (DS) Plc (-1.40%), Phoenix Group Holdings Plc (-1.20%), ITV Plc (-1.17%).
European Markets
Major European market indexes are trading in the red zone. The German blue-chip DAX index is down by 0.18% at 15,737, while the benchmark index of France, CAC 40, was at 6,603, down by 0.02%. European markets are trading lower after a slump in UK retail sales data and concern about a slowdown in the global economic recovery.
Currency Markets
The pound traded lower against the dollar at 1.3625, down by 0.10%; the pound has lost close to 1.75% against the dollar during the week as demand for the dollar surged due to concerns about the economic slowdown and expectations of higher interest rate by the US Federal Reserve in the medium term. The EUR/ GBP currency pair traded at 0.8571, up by 0.16%.
Commodities
WTI crude oil future contract traded at USD 62.80, down by 1.10%, while the Brent crude oil trades at USD 65.73, down by 1.10%. Crude oil prices continue to trade downward for the seventh successive session as investors turn cautious due to the current rise in Covid-19 cases and fear of lockdown restrictions, which could lead to lower fuel demand. The crude oil is heading towards a weekly loss of over 7%, and was also weighed down following the rise in the US dollar after signs of the US Federal Reserve considering reducing stimulus by the year-end.
Meanwhile, the Gold futures contract traded in the green, up by 0.11% at USD 1784 per ounce.
Asian Markets
Major Asia Pacific indexes closed in the red. Australia’s ASX200 closed at 7,460, down by 0.05%, while the Nikkei 225 of Japan closed at 27,013, down by 0.98%. China’s Shanghai Composite closed at 3,427, down by 1.10%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also closed down by 1.84% at 24,849. India’s Nifty 50 closed at 16450, down by 0.71%.
