Markets: FTSE 100 down 0.1%

FTSE 100 down 0.1% to 6,200
Gold up 1.5% to $1,257.90/oz
£/$ 1.4239

FTSE 100

Housebuilders were again among the day's worst performers Berkeley Group lost 4%, Taylor Wimpey fell 3.4% and Persimmon was 3.3% lower.

In Europe, the Paris CAC 40 rose 0.2% to 4,312, and the German Xetra Dax added 0.6% to 9,682.

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In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% to 17,556, the S&P 500 lost 0.3% to 2,041, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.4% lower at 4,833.

Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 15,928, and the broader Topix index gained 1.5% to 1,299. And in China, the CSI 300 lost 0.4% to 3,218, and the Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to 3,023.

Brent spot was trading at $42.99 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $40.48. Spot gold was trading at $1,259 an ounce, silver was at $15.92 and platinum was at $991.

In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.4252 and against the euro at 1.2482. The dollar was trading at 0.8758 against the euro and 108.20 against the Japanese yen.

And in the UK, online clothing retailers ASOS reported a big rise in profits in the second half of the year. Pre-tax profits rose by 18% to £21m in the six months to 29 February, despite a loss of £2.7m in its Chinese division.

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