AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
FRA
GER
ESP
ITA
NLD
PRT
SWE
GRC
IND
POL
BRA
ZAF
RUS
CHN
UAE
HIGHLIGHTS
- FTSE100 trades in the negative territory, down by 0.12% at 7,055.
- Oil and gas stocks are trading higher today following a rise in global energy prices.
- Natural Gas trades above USD 6.00/mmbtu for the first time since February 2014.
FTSE100 continues to trade under pressure after a soft start, down by 0.12% at 7,055, while the mid-cap focused FTSE250 index is at 23,199, down by 1.73%.
The blue-chip index has, however received some support from the oil and gas stocks, which were trading higher following the rise in global energy prices. Crude oil is trading near USD 80.00 mark, while Natural Gas surpassed USD 6.00/mmbtu for the first time since February 2014. Natural gas prices have seen an upsurge in the past few weeks due to lower global supply and forecasts of higher heating demand during the cold winter season, which could lead to a further rise in prices.
What made global markets fall sharply
Top five FTSE100 gainers
Smiths Group Plc (4.22%), Royal Dutch Shell Plc A Shares (4.13%), BP Plc (3.18%), Glencore Plc (2.45%), Unilever Plc (1.19%)
Top five FTSE100 losers
AVEVA Group plc (-5.66%), Sage Group plc (-4.27%), Intermediate Capital Group plc (-4.12%), Taylor Wimpey plc (-3.93%), JD Sports Fashion plc (-3.67%)
European Markets
Major European market indexes are trading in the red. The German blue-chip DAX index is down by 1.13% at 15,396, while the benchmark index of France, CAC 40, was at 6,553, down by 1.47%. European markets are trading downward due to a combination of factors like rising bond yield, China’s Evergrande Group’s ongoing crisis, and inconclusive German election results.
Currency Markets
The pound declined against the dollar, trading at the lowest level since January at 1.3543, down by 1.12%, while the EUR/ GBP currency pair traded at 0.8622, up by 1.03%. The dollar trades higher against the major currencies as the rise in the US Treasury yield made the dollar more attractive to investors.
Commodities
WTI crude oil future contract traded at USD 76.03, up by 0.77%, while the Brent crude oil trades near to 80-dollar mark at USD 79.14, up by 0.53%. Crude oil prices are trading upward following an upbeat forecast from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC published its 2021 world oil outlook report, which stated a rise in the demand for crude oil over the few years due to global economic recovery after the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the gold futures contract traded in the red, down by 0.96% at USD 1,734 per ounce.
Asian Markets
Except for China and Hong Kong stock market, other major Asia Pacific indexes closed in the red. Australia’s ASX200 closed at 7,275, down by 1.47%, Nikkei 225 of Japan was down by 0.19% at 30,183. India’s Nifty 50 closed at 17,748, down by 0.60%.
China’s Shanghai Composite closed at 3,602, up by 0.54%, while the Hang Seng index closed at 24,500, up by 1.20%.
