Londonâs broader equity benchmark FTSE 100 index ended 24.81 points higher against its previous close, with Consumer Cyclicals and Telecommunications Services were top performing sectors on the FTSE 100 index in the Tuesdayâs session.[optin-monster-shortcode id="wxhmli4jjedneglg1trq"]
Global Updates: Shares in the United States were quoting higher in the Tuesday's session, with Dow Jones (.DJI), rose 37.32 points or 0.14% to 25,951.42, S&P 500 Index was quoting at 2,843.05, increased by 10.11 points or 0.36% and the technology benchmark Nasdaq Composite index rose by 34.10 points or 0.44% to 7,748.58 respectively.
Investors are optimistic about the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting, hoping for a more accommodative policy stance. Amidst the gloomy economic data reported this month, the market expects Federal Reserve will reinforce its stance to halt further interest rates hikes.
Brexit Updates: Prime Minister Theresa May is set to ask the European Union to delay Brexit by at least three months, though it was not immediately apparent how long a delay she would see. This came following the surprise ruling by the speaker of parliament not to allow the same agreement to be tabled again. Her spokesman said she wrote to European Council President Donald Tusk to ask for a delay.
European Market Update: European broader equity benchmark index FTSE 100 ended 24.81 points or 0.34% higher against its previous day close at 7,324.00, FTSE 250 index ended 64.59 points or 0.33% higher at 19,551.29, and the FTSE All-Share index gained 13.57 points or 0.34% in the Tuesday's session and closed at 4,013.60. Another European equity benchmark index STOXX 600 ended 2.18 points or 0.57% higher against its Monday's close at 384.29.
In Tuesday's session, FTSE 100 index rose for the seventh straight session and held on to its five-month high, boosted by oil majors and miners. The UK's labour market continues to defy expectations with the unemployment rate dropping to fresh 44-year low and reporting the strongest employment growth in more than three years.
London Stock Exchange Cues
Top Performers: Stocks like CHEMRING GROUP PLC (CHG), MICROGEN PLC (MCGN) and OCADO GROUP PLC (OCDO) were among the top performers on the London Stock Exchange and were up by 6.26 per cent, 6.01 per cent and 5.36 per cent respectively.
Top Losers: Stocks like WOOD GROUP (JOHN) PLC (WG.), GULF MARINE SERVICES PLC (GMS) and RESTAURANT GROUP PLC (RTN) were among the top losers on the London Stock Exchange and were down by 8.12 per cent, 7.41 per cent, and 6.64 per cent respectively.
Broader Market FTSE 100 Cues
Gainers: Stocks like OCADO GROUP PLC (OCDO), INFORMA PLC (INF) and SMURFIT KAPPA GROUP PLC (SKG) were among the top gainers in the Tuesdayâs session on the broader equity benchmark FTSE 100 index and were up by 5.36 per cent, 3.69 per cent, and 3.25 per cent respectively.
Laggards: Stocks like EVRAZ PLC (EVR), RELX PLC (REL) and STANDARD CHARTERED PLC (STAN) were among the top laggards on the FTSE 100 index in the Tuesdayâs session and were down by 3.81 per cent, 1.56 per cent, and 1.15 per cent respectively.
Top Active Volume Movers: Stocks like LLOYDS BANKING GROUP PLC (LLOY), VODAFONE GROUP PLC (VOD), and GLENCORE PLC (GLEN) were among the top active volume stocks on the FTSE 100 Index.
Sector Performance: Sectors like Consumer Cyclicals, Telecommunications Services, and Technology were among the top performing sectors on the FTSE 100 index and on the other hand Financials sector was the only laggard on the broader equity benchmark FTSE 100 index in the Tuesdayâs market session.
Commodity Cues*
- Brent Crude was trading at $67.72 per barrel.
- West Texas Intermediate was quoting at $59.33 per barrel.
- Gold was quoting at $1,307.05 an ounce.
London Metal Exchange Cues
Closing Price (as on Mar-18-2019)
- LME Aluminium was quoting at $1,879.00 per tonne.
- LME Lead was quoting at $2,028.00 per tonne.
Forex Cues*
- Currency Pair GBP/USD was quoting at 1.3272.
- Currency Pair EUR/GBP was quoting at 0.8557.
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Money Market Cues*
- US 10Y Treasury Bond yield was quoting higher at 2.609% in Tuesdayâs session.
- UK 10Y Bond yield was quoting higher at 1.189% in Tuesdayâs session.
*At the time of writing
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