The FTSE 100 is projected to start 0.5% lower today after dipping 0.15% on Wednesday.
Builders merchant Wolseley (LON:WOS) emerged atop the leaderboard with a 6.5% gain. Oil and gas supermajor BP (LON:BP) and turbine manufacturer Rolls-Royce (LON:RR) advanced 4% and 3.5% respectively. Essar Energy (LON:ESSR) tacked on 2.7%. Car insurer Admiral Group (LON:ADM), caterer Compass Group (LON:CPG) and engineering company Weir Group (LON:WEIR) rose 2%.
Base metal miner Vedanta Resources (LON:VED) was the heaviest faller in the FTSE 100 with a 4.2% decline. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) and satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat (LON:ISAT) lost nearly 2%. Oil and gas producer BG Group (LON:BG), bank HSBC (LON:HSBA), oil and gas engineering firm Petrofac (LON:PFC) and engineering company Smiths Group (LON:SMIN) retreated 1.5%.
US stocks closed in the negative yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the broader S&P 500 index slid 0.2%, while NASDAQ composite lost 0.1%.
Asian stocks were mixed today. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 0.3%, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rallied 1.5%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 2%, South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.35% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.9%.
Commodities
Oil prices moved slightly lower after making gains yesterday. November Brent Crude retreated to US$80.53/barrel, while US light, sweet crude for November delivery slid to US$77.58/barrel.
Precious metals were in decline. Gold slid to US$1,307/oz, while silver and platinum dropped to US$21.88/oz and US$1,636/oz respectively.
Base metals followed. Copper and nickel moved down to US$3.62/lb and US$10.50/lb, while zinc pulled back to US$0.987/lb.
US jobless claims and an update on the Chicago PMI index will be out in the US today as well as the final reading on Q2 US GDP.