The FTSE 100 Futures is trading at 6,035.20 up with +0.47% percent or +28.20  point. The CAC 40 Futures is trading at 5,028.00  up with +0.33%percent or +16.50 point. The DAX Futures is trading at 13,132.80 up with +0.37% or +49.00 point. The EURO Stoxx 50 Futures trading at 3,336.00 up with +0.36% percent or +12.00 point.

TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

London stocks were set to nudge up at the open on Thursday as investors eyed a speech by Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole banking symposium.

The FTSE 100 was called to open five points higher at 6,050.

CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: “A fairly decent set of US durable goods numbers for July, helped underpin the positive mood, and looks set to see some positive spill over to markets here in Europe, ahead of today’s keenly anticipated speech by Fed chair Jay Powell, where there is some speculation that he could well explore or hint at a new policy of AIT, or average inflation targeting.

YESTERDAY ACTIVITY

For the day the FTSE 100 closed at 5,999.99  with a loss of –0.75% percent or –45.61 point. France’s CAC  40 closed at 5,015.97 with a loss of –5,015.97 percent or –32.46 point.Germany’s DAX closed at 13,096.36  with a loss of -0.71% percent or –93.79 point.

WORLD MARKETS

For the day the Dow is trading at 28,492.27 up with +0.57% percent or +160.35 point. The S&P 500 is trading at 3,484.55 up with +0.17% percent or ++5.82 point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 11,625.34 with a loss of -0.34% percent or -39.72 point.

In other parts of world, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is trading at at 22,882.65 with a loss of –1.41% percent or –326.21 point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading at 25,697.26 up with +1.65% percent or +416.11  point. China’s Shanghai  Composite is trading at 3,401.69 up with +1.54% percent or +51.58  point. India’s BSE Sensex is trading at 39,500.25 up with +0.99% percent or +386.78 point at 12:15 PM.