FTSE 100 seen 0.1% higher after Dow Jones, S&P 500 and NASDAQ close flat

The FTSE 100 is seen 0.1% higher today after shedding 0.4% on Tuesday. Global equity markets have not shown much movement so far this week as investors are being cautious ahead of Friday’s key US employment data.
US stocks didn’t show much movement yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, the broader S&P 500 index flat and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite added 0.25%.
Asian stocks were lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.15%, China’s Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.7%, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index was flat, South Korea’s KOSPI retreated 0.4% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.85%.
Just three FTSE 100 constituents added 1% or more. Oil and gas engineering firm Amec (LSE: AMEC) led the blue chips, advancing 3.2%. Insurer Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) followed with a 1.1% gain, while asset management firm Schroders (LSE: SDR) tacked on 1%.
Satellite communications company Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) was at the bottom of the pile with a 5.6% decline. Specialist banking group Investec (LSE: INVP) lost nearly 4%, Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) dropped 3.4% and insurer Standard Life (LSE: SL) slid 3.1%. Part-nationalised bank Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) was down 3%.
Commodities
Oil prices were unmoved. May Brent Crude held steady at US$81.29/barrel, while US light, sweet crude was at US$82.33/barrel.
Precious metals also were at about the same level as yesterday. Gold returned to US$1,108/oz, while silver and platinum inched higher to US$17.40/oz and US$1,633/oz respectively.
Base metals were mixed as while copper and zinc slid to US$3.50/lb and US$1.04/lb, nickel improved to US$11.01/lb.
Investors will be looking to updates on the Chicago PMI (Purchasing Managers Index), New York ISM and US factory orders, which are due today.

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