The FTSE 100 is seen slightly lower today following today's losses in Asia and MOnday's retreat on Wall Street. Today’s economic data will include UK balance of trade and an earnings report from chipmaker Intel Corp (NYSE: INTC) in the US.
The blue chip index is seen 0.1% lower after gaining as much during Monday’s session. Home Retail Group (LSE: HOME) emerged atop the leaderboard with a 5% gain. Business management software developer Sage Group (LSE: SGE) followed, tacking on nearly 3%. Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s (LSE: SBRY) and banking group Barclays (LSE: BARC) added more than 2%. Retailers Marks & Spencer (LSE: MKS) and Next (LSE: NXT) moved up 1.5%. British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS) and London Stock Exchange Group (LSE: LSE) were the only other FTSE 100 constituents to add more than 1%, rising 1.3% and 1.2% respectively.
Chipmaker ARM Holdings (LSE: ARM) was at the bottom of the index with a loss of nearly 4%. Airline British Airways (LSE: BAY) and quality and safety services provider Intertek (LSE: ITRK) shed 2.1%. Miners Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) and Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) lost nearly 2%.
US stocks closed with marginal gains on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1% higher, while the broader S&P 500 index added 0.2% and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite rose 0.15%.
Asian stocks mostly declined. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.55%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 0.8% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.65%, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.4% and South Korea’s KOSPI was flat.
Commodities
Oil prices were lower. May Brent Crude retreated to US$84.69/barrel, while US light, sweet crude dropped to US$84.04/barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).
Precious metals were lower. Gold declined to US$1,153/oz, while silver and platinum moved down to US$18.16/oz and US$1,717/oz respectively.
Base metals followed as nickel and zinc pulled back to US$11.50/lb and US$1.06/lb, while copper held steady at US$3.55/lb.