- FTSE 100 up 0.2% to 6,828
- Gold up 0.26% to $1,222.15/oz
- £/$ - 1.5384
Greek drinks bottler Coca Cola HBC was the day's highest climber, up 6.2%. Other top performers included safety testing firm Intertek, which added 4.9%, and pharmaceuticals company Shire, which gained 4.6%.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.6% to 17,972, the S&P 500 was 1% higher at 2,088, and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.2% to 4,857.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to 17,913, and the broader Topix index was unchanged at 1,449. And in China, the Shanghai Composite rose 1% to 3,203, and the CSI 300 added 0.8% to 3,469.
Brent spot was trading at $60.10 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $51.96. Spot gold was trading at $1,227 an ounce, silver was at $16.88 and platinum was at $1,200.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5388 and against the euro at 1.3461. The dollar was trading at 0.8747 against the euro and 118.90 against the Japanese yen.
And today, Rolls Royce reported a fall in profits for the year, blaming the fall in the oil price and reduced demand in Europe and China. Pre-tax profits for 2014 fell by 8% to £1.6bn. The company also warned on profits for 2015, saying they would be below expectations at between £1.4bn and £1.55bn.
David Stevenson, former MoneyWeek writer and director of The Fleet Street Letter, believessilver could be about to start a record climb. Click here(capital at risk)to read about the three irresistible forces David believes could push the price of silver through the roof.
-
Two thirds of easy access savings accounts come with restrictions – can you access your savings in an emergency?Out of the top 30 easy access savings on the market, 22 come with some sort of restriction on how fast you can access your money, according to new research.
-
Most popular London boroughs: Full list of in-demand places to move toA deluge of people move to or within Britain’s capital each year – but which area is the most popular? We look at the most in-demand London boroughs in 2025.
