Daily News – 9 March 2018
Investment Market Update
ASIA
Asian stocks rose and the yen dropped on news of an agreement for an unprecedented summit between the leaders of the US and North Korea, defusing geopolitical concerns tied to the nuclear-armed dictatorship in northeast Asia.
US
US stocks closed higher after President Donald Trump announced tariffs that were narrower than some traders had anticipated on steel and aluminium.
UK
UK stocks closed up following other European markets higher. Germany’s Dax and France’s Cac 40 gained 1% and 1.5% respectively, after the European Central Bank kept eurozone interest rates on hold.
Headlines
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump are to meet in person as early as May, it has been announced, an extraordinary overture after months of mutual hostility. News of the meeting was delivered by South Korean officials after talks with Mr Trump at the White House. They passed a verbal message from Mr Kim, saying the North Korean leader was “committed to denuclearisation”.
Restaurant chains Wagamama and TGI Fridays have each been fined an undisclosed amount for failing to pay staff the National Minimum Wage. They were among 43 employers in the hospitality sector on the government’s latest list of firms breaking the law. Wagamama has repaid an average of £50 to 2,630 employees. TGI Friday’s had to repay £25 each to 2,300 staff.
Market data
| Price | 1d | YTD | 2017 | |
| UK (£) | ||||
| FTSE 100 | 7,203.24 | 0.6% | -6.3% | 7.6% |
| FTSE 250 | 19,968.01 | 1.0% | -3.7% | 14.7% |
| FTSE All Share | 3,979.76 | 0.7% | -5.7% | 9.0% |
| FTSE Small Cap | 5,758.30 | 0.4% | -2.6% | 14.9% |
| Europe (€) | ||||
| Euro Stoxx 600 | 376.62 | 1.0% | -3.2% | 7.7% |
| DAX 30 | 12,355.57 | 0.9% | -4.4% | 12.5% |
| CAC 40 | 5,254.10 | 1.3% | -1.1% | 9.3% |
| US (US$) | ||||
| S&P 500 | 2,738.97 | 0.4% | 2.4% | 19.4% |
| Dow Jones Ind | 24,895.21 | 0.4% | 0.7% | 25.1% |
| NASDAQ | 7,427.95 | 0.4% | 7.6% | 28.2% |
| Asia | ||||
| Hang Seng | 30,957.13 | 1.0% | 3.5% | 38.5% |
| Nikkei 225 | 21,469.20 | 0.5% | -5.7% | 19.1% |
| Australia 200 | 5,963.23 | 0.3% | -1.7% | 7.0% |
| MSCI AC Asia Pacific | 175.04 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 28.7% |
| World (US$) | ||||
| MSCI World (Developed) | 2,125.28 | 0.4% | 1.0% | 20.1% |
| MSCI AC World (Dev & Em) | 519.65 | 0.4% | 1.3% | 21.6% |
| MSCI Emerging Markets | 1,195.24 | 0.5% | 3.2% | 34.2% |
| MSCI AC World Value | 221.98 | 0.3% | -0.9% | 15.2% |
| MSCI AC World Growth | 286.37 | 0.5% | 3.5% | 28.3% |
| Fixed Income | ||||
| FTSE Gilts All Stocks | 3,532.83 | 0.1% | -1.6% | 3.0% |
| FTSE Index Linked All Stocks | 629.67 | 0.2% | -2.8% | 2.3% |
| ML Sterling Corporate Bonds | 393.76 | 0.2% | -1.8% | 5.7% |
| ML Global High Yield Bonds | 377.91 | -0.1% | 0.1% | 9.7% |
| Commodities (US$) | ||||
| Brent Crude Oil | 63.61 | -1.1% | -3.8% | 14.5% |
| Gold | 1,321.87 | -0.3% | 1.2% | 11.8% |
| UK Sectors | ||||
| Basic Materials | 6,028.30 | -1.2% | -4.6% | 25.0% |
| Consumer Goods and Services | 19,743.90 | 1.5% | -11.7% | 13.6% |
| Financials | 5,235.60 | 0.6% | -3.3% | 13.3% |
| Health Care | 9,097.87 | 1.4% | -4.4% | -3.7% |
| Industrials | 3,979.76 | 0.7% | -5.7% | 9.0% |
| Oil & Gas | 8,260.82 | 0.2% | -8.8% | 6.0% |
| Technology | 2,104.64 | 0.8% | -8.6% | 23.5% |
| Telecommunications | 3,001.08 | 1.3% | -11.3% | 0.1% |
| Utilities | 6,702.42 | 1.2% | -8.6% | -14.8% |
| Currencies | ||||
| $ per £ | 1.39 | 0.5% | 2.8% | 9.5% |
| € per £ | 1.12 | -0.1% | -0.5% | -4.0% |
| ¥ per £ | 147.09 | 0.3% | -3.4% | 5.3% |
| Indicators | ||||
| VIX Index (Volatility) | 16.54 | -6.9% | 49.8% | -21.4% |
| Baltic Dry Index | 1,197.00 | 0.5% | -12.4% | 42.1% |