London Stocks Close Marginally Higher

FTSE 100 ends 0.3% higher at 5666.28, eking out small gains as investors weigh better-than-expected US retail sales against signs of a slowdown in US manufacturing and worries about Spain. International Power ends +3.2% after GDF Suez sweetens its bid for the shares it doesn’t already own. Continue Reading…

May soybeans were trading 10 1/2 cents lower late in the overnight session. China futures were down 1% overnight. Palm oil futures in Malaysia closed down 0.3% overnight and closed down 2.6% last week after first hitting a 13-month high. Continue Reading…

May natural gas prices took on a slightly lower track during the early morning hours but were well contained inside of Friday’s narrow trading range. The natural gas market continues to overlook falling rig count data from Baker Hughes, which registered another 10-year low last week with a reading of 624. Continue Reading…

Like gold, the silver market has started out weaker with an initial slide down to the $31.17 level in the May silver contract. Silver did see evidence of rising quarterly silver production from a Russian miner overnight but that news might have been countervailed by a somewhat bullish silver price forecast from Citi Bank. Continue Reading…

July cocoa is finding moderate pressure at the start of this week’s trading but was able to rebound from early lows this morning. While equity markets in Europe and the US have recovered back into positive territory, modest strength in the USD may put additional pressure on cocoa prices this morning. Continue Reading…

May crude oil prices slumped to a new three-day low during the early morning hours, pressured by fresh European debt concerns from soaring Spanish Bond yields, disappointing US and Chinese economic data from Friday and further weakness in the Euro against the USD. Continue Reading…

May wheat was trading 6 1/2 cents lower late in the overnight session. Outside market forces look slightly negative with a stronger US dollar and weakness in energy and metal markets but firm trade in the US stock market may provide some support. Continue Reading…

With weakness in the grain markets and some other commodity markets this morning and a lack of a significant weather issue so far this season, the path of least resistance looks down. The market pushed to the highest level since April 4th on Friday before closing lower on the day. Continue Reading…

The Treasury market remains within striking distance of last week’s highs in the early action today and that is somewhat surprising considering the potential for a higher opening in the US equity markets. Continue Reading…

While some equity markets were able to carve out minor gains overnight, the overall macro economic outlook remains subdued and suspect. Fears of slowing in China, mixed signals from the US economy and lingering concerns toward the Euro zone appear to have given the risk off crowd a slight edge. Continue Reading…