LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Stocks called down ahead of US jobs data

(Alliance News) - Stocks in London are set to open lower on Thursday, as investors nervously look ...

Alliance News 8 August, 2024 | 5:47AM
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(Alliance News) - Stocks in London are set to open lower on Thursday, as investors nervously look ahead to the weekly US jobs data.

The data is particularly important, due to the global sell-off seen at the start of the week, which was triggered by a slew of US economic data and recession fears.

IG says futures indicate the FTSE 100 to open down 62.28 points, 0.8%, at 8,104.60 on Thursday. The index of London large-caps closed up 140.19 points, 1.8%, at 8,166.88 on Wednesday.

In the US on Wednesday, Wall Street ended lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.6%, the S&P 500 down 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite down 1.1%.

In the US, President Joe Biden said Wednesday he is "not confident" Donald Trump would concede peacefully if he loses the US election, as the Republican's rival Kamala Harris warned a Trump victory would usher in a lawless administration set on curtailing Americans' freedoms.

Trump has been impeached twice and indicted twice over various alleged attempts to cheat in the 2020 election – which he still has not acknowledged he lost – and was convicted of 34 felonies over a hush money scheme to deceive voters in 2016. His false claims of widespread fraud in 2020 preceded the storming of the US Capitol – and the wounding of more than 100 police officers – by a violent mob determined to prevent the certification of his defeat.

"If Trump loses, I'm not confident at all," Biden told US network CBS after he was asked if he expected a peaceful transfer of power in 2025.

"He means what he says. We don't take him seriously," Biden warned. "He means it."

In the UK, thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets in several English cities on Wednesday to oppose days of far-right violence that have had UK police on high alert.

Nightly riots – during which mosques and migrant-related facilities have been attacked – have erupted across towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland fuelled by a wave of misinformation surrounding the murder of three children on July 29.

But on Wednesday evening, it was anti-racism and anti-fascist counter-protesters who were out in greater numbers, holding rallies in cities up and down England including London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Newcastle.

"Whose streets? Our streets!" chanted protesters at a few-thousand-strong gathering in Walthamstow, northeast London, where some held banners saying "Stop the far right".

Sterling was quoted at USD1.2695 early Thursday, lower than USD1.2723 at the London equities close on Wednesday. The euro traded at USD1.0932 early Thursday, slightly lower than USD1.0934 late Wednesday. Against the yen, the dollar was quoted at JPY146.35, down versus JPY147.40.

In Asia on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo was down 0.3%. In China, the Shanghai Composite was up 0.2%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was up 0.6%. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney closed down 0.3%.

Gold was quoted at USD2,394.10 an ounce early Thursday, lower than USD2,399.30 on Wednesday. Brent oil was trading at USD78.39 a barrel early Thursday, lower than USD78.64 late Wednesday.

Thursday's UK corporate calendar has half-year results from insurer Beazley and housebuilder Persimmon.

The economic calendar has a US initial jobless claims reading at 1330 BST.

By Sophie Rose, Alliance News senior reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

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