Good morning traders!

In the US last night, the Dow rose 24 points to 14,834, the Nasdaq added 23 points at
3,613 and the S&P500 gained 7 points at 1,640.

In Asia today, the Nikkei was recently down 57 points at 13,921 and the Hang Seng
off 86 points at 22,308.

WTI crude oil traded at $108.54 a barrel and Brent crude at $115.68.

Gold settled at $1,412 an ounce.

Good hunting!

G.

Morning All.

Bloomberg Top Headlines

Marketwatch

Global Markets

Asian Markets News



FTSE Futures Chart

UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Wednesday Sept. 4

LONDON, Sept 4 | Wed Sep 4, 2013 6:46am BST
(Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening flat on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on

* Stocks trading without the attraction of their latest dividend, namely Aggreko, ARM Holdings, BHP Billiton, Croda, IMI, Resolution , Shire, Serco and TUI Travel, will take 4.23 points off the FTSE 100.

Nikkei scales fresh 3-week high on futures-led buying; Canon up

Wed Sep 4, 2013 7:26am BST
TOKYO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - The Nikkei share average edged up
to a fresh three-week high on Wednesday, helped by futures-led
buying, marking its third-straight day of gains.

The benchmark Nikkei ended up 0.5 percent at
14,053.87, its highest closing since Aug. 14. The index has
surged 35 percent this year, but is 12 percent below its May
peak.

The broader Topix advanced 0.6 percent to 1,156.30
in relatively light trade, with 2.27 billion shares changing
hands.

Domestic demand-sensitive sectors, such as real estate and
financials, led the gains.

Index heavyweight Canon Inc also gained 3.8 percent
after the world's largest digital camera maker announced a share
buyback program, worth up to 50 billion yen ($501 million).

Still, gains were capped by caution ahead of U.S. payroll
data for August due out on Friday.

Spanish Services PMI 50.4 49.3 48.5

Italian Services PMI 48.8 49.2 48.7

FTSE100 modestly lower in early deals as airlines tumble

GBP Services PMI 60.5 59.3 60.2

EUR Retail Sales m/m 0.1% 0.5% -0.5%

EUR Revised GDP q/q 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%

British service sector soars in August - PMI

LONDON | Wed Sep 4, 2013 11:07am BST
(Reuters) - A rush of new business last month drove Britain's services sector to its fastest growth rate for more than six years, challenging the Bank of England's cautious outlook for the economy a day before a monetary policy meeting.

Wednesday's Markit/CIPS UK services purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 60.5 in August from 60.2 in July, adding to a run of data suggesting the UK economic recovery is gathering momentum.

FTSE100 firmly lower in midday trade on Syria concerns

CAD Trade Balance -0.9B -0.3B -0.5B

USD Trade Balance -39.1B -38.7B -34.2B

GM to Ford Sales Climb in Best Month for U.S. Since 2007

General Motors Co. (GM), Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Ford Motor Co. (F) reported U.S. sales gains for August that exceeded estimates as analysts projected the best month for industry demand in six years.

FTSE100 turns positive by the close as Wall Street rallies