Daily News – 4 April 2018
Investment Market Update
Asia
Asian stocks were mixed as traders awaited China’s response to the latest step in an escalation of trade tensions between the world’s top two economies.
US
US stocks closed higher after a choppy session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose almost 390 points, or 1.6%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.3%. The Nasdaq added 1%.
UK
UK markets closed lower as Mediclinic was the biggest faller, falling 4.6%, while Micro Focus added 2.4% to be the top riser. On the mid-cap FTSE 250, Fidessa jumped 13.8% after revealing the other potential offers we mentioned earlier.
Headlines
Beijing has vowed to retaliate after the United States published a list of about 1,300 Chinese products it plans to hit with a 25% tariff. The White House said the proposed extra tax on the imports was a response to unfair Chinese practices around intellectual property rights. The wide-ranging list includes items such as medical products, televisions and motorcycles.
Shares in Spotify fell back on the first day of trading on the US stock market after the music streaming firm’s highly anticipated launch. The shares opened at $165.90, more than a quarter higher than the $132 guide price set by the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. After going as high as $169, they lost ground to close at $149.01. That makes the Swedish company worth about $26bn, well above the value of other tech firms such as Twitter.
Market data
| Price | 1d | YTD | 2017 | |
| UK (£) | ||||
| FTSE 100 | 7,030.46 | -0.4% | -8.6% | 7.6% |
| FTSE 250 | 19,398.01 | -0.3% | -6.4% | 14.7% |
| FTSE All Share | 3,881.04 | -0.3% | -8.1% | 9.0% |
| FTSE Small Cap | 5,610.32 | 0.3% | -5.1% | 14.9% |
| Europe (€) | ||||
| Euro Stoxx 600 | 369.07 | -0.5% | -5.2% | 7.7% |
| DAX 30 | 12,002.45 | -0.8% | -7.1% | 12.5% |
| CAC 40 | 5,152.12 | -0.3% | -3.0% | 9.3% |
| US (US$) | ||||
| S&P 500 | 2,614.45 | 1.3% | -2.2% | 19.4% |
| Dow Jones Ind | 24,033.36 | 1.6% | -2.8% | 25.1% |
| NASDAQ | 6,941.28 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 28.2% |
| Asia | ||||
| Hang Seng | 30,002.52 | -0.6% | 0.3% | 38.5% |
| Nikkei 225 | 21,356.55 | 0.3% | -6.2% | 19.1% |
| Australia 200 | 5,761.40 | 0.2% | -5.0% | 7.0% |
| MSCI AC Asia Pacific | 172.07 | -0.3% | -1.0% | 28.7% |
| World (US$) | ||||
| MSCI World (Developed) | 2,048.80 | 0.5% | -2.6% | 20.1% |
| MSCI AC World (Dev & Em) | 501.89 | 0.4% | -2.2% | 21.6% |
| MSCI Emerging Markets | 1,170.15 | 0.1% | 1.0% | 34.2% |
| MSCI AC World Value | 215.46 | 0.5% | -3.8% | 15.2% |
| MSCI AC World Growth | 275.29 | 0.4% | -0.5% | 28.3% |
| Fixed Income | ||||
| FTSE Gilts All Stocks | 3,589.81 | -0.2% | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| FTSE Index Linked All Stocks | 644.09 | -0.5% | -0.6% | 2.3% |
| ML Sterling Corporate Bonds | 394.74 | -0.2% | -1.5% | 5.7% |
| ML Global High Yield Bonds | 376.43 | 0.0% | -0.3% | 9.7% |
| Commodities (US$) | ||||
| Brent Crude Oil | 68.12 | 0.7% | 3.6% | 14.5% |
| Gold | 1,334.01 | -0.4% | 2.1% | 11.8% |
| UK Sectors | ||||
| Basic Materials | 5,926.88 | 0.2% | -6.2% | 25.0% |
| Consumer Goods and Services | 19,467.28 | -0.3% | -12.9% | 13.6% |
| Financials | 5,050.93 | -0.2% | -6.7% | 13.3% |
| Health Care | 9,354.64 | -0.6% | -1.7% | -3.7% |
| Industrials | 3,881.04 | -0.3% | -8.1% | 9.0% |
| Oil & Gas | 8,224.86 | -0.1% | -9.2% | 6.0% |
| Technology | 1,699.55 | 1.7% | -26.2% | 23.5% |
| Telecommunications | 2,792.36 | -0.5% | -17.5% | 0.1% |
| Utilities | 6,720.21 | -1.2% | -8.4% | -14.8% |
| Currencies | ||||
| $ per £ | 1.40 | -0.2% | 3.9% | 9.5% |
| € per £ | 1.14 | -0.4% | 1.4% | -4.0% |
| ¥ per £ | 148.79 | -0.6% | -2.3% | 5.3% |
| Indicators | ||||
| VIX Index (Volatility) | 21.10 | -10.7% | 91.1% | -21.4% |
| Baltic Dry Index | 1,016.00 | -3.7% | -25.6% | 42.1% |