LONDON MARKETS: FTSE 100 Rallies As Commodity-related Stocks Drive Gains
August 07 2018 - 10:15AM
Dow Jones News
By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch
The U.K.'s main stock benchmark was headed for its best close in
more than a week on Tuesday, inspired by gains for Asia and the
U.S., with commodity-related stocks taking the lead.
How markets are performing
The FTSE 100 rose 1% to 7,743.46, after closing up by less than
0.1% to end at 7,663.78 on Monday. The index could see its highest
finish since July 31, when it ended the session up 0.6%.
Stocks may have seen some support from the pound , which erased
earlier gains to trade at $1.2941, not far off where it closed late
Monday in New York. Sterling was bruised Monday after Liam Fox, the
U.K.'s international trade secretary, said in a weekend interview
(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/liam-fox-says-there-is-a-6040-chance-of-no-dealbrexit-lpsgm2gdf)
that there's a 60% chance the country will crash out of the
European Union without a deal with the trade bloc.
A softer pound can boost the FTSE 100, as the index's
multinational companies generate most of their sales in other
currencies.
What's moving markets
U.K. stocks and other assets perceived as risky were getting a
boost after the S&P 500 brushed off trade jitters Monday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-wobble-as-trade-worries-rumble-on-2018-08-06)
to close just shy of a record close reached in late January. U.S.
stocks were off to a higher start on Tuesday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sp-500-poised-to-rise-near-records-as-wall-street-joins-global-market-climb-2018-08-07),
buoyed by London and Europe gains and a rebound for Chinese stocks
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-advance-as-stocks-in-china-bounce-back-2018-08-06).
Given the heavy representation of commodity stocks in London's
benchmark, higher materials prices also gave the U.K. index a
boost, with copper and platinum prices climbing. Oil prices added
to Monday's gains, inspired in part by the reimposition of U.S.
sanctions on Iran, something that could block crude exports from
the country.
Don't miss:A top London startup's CEO flags the biggest Brexit
threat to his industry
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-top-london-startups-ceo-flags-the-biggest-brexit-threat-to-his-industry-2018-08-06)
Global trade tensions hovered in the backdrop as China kept up
its war of words with the U.S., with a late Monday editorial in
China's People's Daily
(http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/0806/c90000-9488193.html) saying the
country won't give in to "trade blackmail." China threatened
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-threatens-new-tariffs-on-60-billion-of-us-products-2018-08-03)
to place tariffs on $60 billion of American goods last week if the
White House goes ahead with its plans to impose new levies on
Chinese products.
What are strategists saying?
"With copper up 0.7% the likes of Rio Tinto and Anglo
Americanand 2%, " said Connor Campbell, financial analyst at
Spreadex, in a note to clients.
"BP and Shell jumped 0.8% and 0.5%, respectively, as Brent crude
crossed $74 per barrel following the resumption of the USA's
sanctions on Iran," he added.
Stocks in focus
Among heavily weighted commodity shares, miners took the lead,
with Rio Tinto PLC (RIO.LN) (RIO.LN) up 2.4% and BHP Billiton Ltd.
(BLT.LN) (BHP.AU) rising over 3%. Among major oil companies, BP
PLC(BP.LN) (BP.LN) rose 1.5% and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN)
(RDSA.LN) up over 1% each.
Shares of investment company Standard Life Aberdeen PLC(SLA.LN)
rose 2.6% after posting results and saying it would launch a share
buyback plan worth 1.75 billion pounds
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/standard-life-aberdeen-operating-profit-falls-8-2018-08-07)
($2.27 billion) in the next few days.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 07, 2018 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
FTSE 100
Index Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
FTSE 100
Index Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024