Daily News – 5 March 2018
Investment Market Update
Asia
Asian stocks slid for a fifth-straight day amid continued concern about US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs plan as well as market unrest over gains by anti-establishment groups in Italy’s election.
US
US stocks closed well off session lows on Friday, helped by a sharp rise in health care shares. The market recovered most of their early losses as 2018 keeps up a highly-volatile year on the exchanges.
UK
UK stocks closed lower on Friday, at its lowest since December 2016, unnerved by President Donald Trump’s promise to tax aluminium and steel imports.
Headlines
Energy firms will be banned from charging catch-up bills for gas and electricity used more than 12 months earlier. Regulator Ofgem’s new rule, to start in May for domestic customers, should stop shock bills of thousands of pounds.
China has set its 2018 economic growth target at approximately 6.5%, looking to clamp down on any financially risky operations which have threatended to cause the collapse of major firms.
Market data
| Price | 1d | YTD | 2017 | |
| UK (£) | ||||
| FTSE 100 | 7,069.90 | -1.50% | -8.00% | 7.60% |
| FTSE 250 | 19,386.54 | -0.80% | -6.50% | 14.70% |
| FTSE All Share | 3,899.70 | -1.40% | -7.60% | 9.00% |
| FTSE Small Cap | 5,675.51 | -1.10% | -4.00% | 14.90% |
| Europe (€) | ||||
| Euro Stoxx 600 | 367.04 | -2.10% | -5.70% | 7.70% |
| DAX 30 | 11,913.71 | -2.30% | -7.80% | 12.50% |
| CAC 40 | 5,136.58 | -2.40% | -3.30% | 9.30% |
| US (US$) | ||||
| S&P 500 | 2,691.25 | 0.50% | 0.70% | 19.40% |
| Dow Jones Ind | 24,538.06 | -0.30% | -0.70% | 25.10% |
| NASDAQ | 7,257.87 | 1.10% | 5.10% | 28.20% |
| Asia | ||||
| Hang Seng | 30,188.71 | -1.30% | 0.90% | 38.50% |
| Nikkei 225 | 21,042.09 | -0.70% | -7.60% | 19.10% |
| Australia 200 | 5,895.03 | -0.60% | -2.80% | 7.00% |
| MSCI AC Asia Pacific | 174.445 | -0.70% | 0.40% | 28.70% |
| World (US$) | ||||
| MSCI World (Developed) | 2,089.84 | 0.00% | -0.60% | 20.10% |
| MSCI AC World (Dev & Em) | 511.338 | -0.10% | -0.30% | 21.60% |
| MSCI Emerging Markets | 1,182.06 | -0.90% | 2.00% | 34.20% |
| MSCI AC World Value | 219.416 | -0.20% | -2.10% | 15.20% |
| MSCI AC World Growth | 280.585 | 0.00% | 1.40% | 28.30% |
| Fixed Income | ||||
| FTSE Gilts All Stocks | 3,539.70 | 0.10% | -1.40% | 3.00% |
| FTSE Index Linked All Stocks | 634.49 | 0.00% | -2.10% | 2.30% |
| ML Sterling Corporate Bonds | 394.197 | 0.00% | -1.60% | 5.70% |
| ML Global High Yield Bonds | 376.876 | 0.00% | -0.10% | 9.70% |
| Commodities (US$) | ||||
| Brent Crude Oil | 64.37 | 0.80% | -2.60% | 14.50% |
| Gold | 1,320.68 | 0.80% | 1.10% | 11.80% |
| UK Sectors | ||||
| Basic Materials | 5,966.71 | -2.40% | -5.50% | 25.00% |
| Consumer Goods and Services | 19,395.33 | -0.80% | -13.30% | 13.60% |
| Financials | 5,147.53 | -1.60% | -4.90% | 13.30% |
| Health Care | 8,842.24 | -0.80% | -7.10% | -3.70% |
| Industrials | 3,899.70 | -1.40% | -7.60% | 9.00% |
| Oil & Gas | 8,159.01 | -1.70% | -9.90% | 6.00% |
| Technology | 2,032.43 | -0.80% | -11.70% | 23.50% |
| Telecommunications | 2,896.41 | -1.70% | -14.40% | 0.10% |
| Utilities | 6,401.82 | -0.50% | -12.70% | -14.80% |
| Currencies | ||||
| $ per £ | 1.3735 | -0.50% | 1.60% | 9.50% |
| € per £ | 1.1248 | 0.40% | -0.10% | -4.00% |
| ¥ per £ | 146.70799 | 0.50% | -3.60% | 5.30% |
| Indicators | ||||
| VIX Index (Volatility) | 19.59 | -12.80% | 77.40% | -21.40% |
| Baltic Dry Index | 1,207.00 | 0.90% | -11.60% | 42.14% |