In mid-morning trade there is little change for the FTSE 100.

Honours are evenly split between blue-chip winners and losers so far today, with retailer Next topping the table and BT Group the biggest faller.

US shares had a sedate session on Thursday and it feels as if traders are taking their lead from them this morning, pausing after the Fed-inspired rocket yesterday.

Clearly though, indices spread betting markets are still on a bullish footing and the move to six-month highs by the FTSE this week has got some eyeing up the 6000 level as the next obvious medium-term target. In fact this doesn’t seem too ambitious over the next couple of months.

Looking ahead to the US open, after a slight drop yesterday, the Dow looks set to claw back losses today with a +25 start expected.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Financial Market Comments from David Jones, Chief Market Strategist, IG Index.

The above comments do not constitute investment advice and Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

The bulls are firmly in command once more this morning, as the ‘Bernanke bounce’ sends the market up around 50 points in mid-morning trade.

The knowledge that the Fed has put policy changes on hold until the dim and distant future of 2014 has tempted investors to come out and play once again.

The FTSE has put on yet more gains following a strong performance on Wall Street last night after the Fed announcement and press conference.

Once again Uncle Ben has come to the rescue, and equities, commodities and riskier currencies are all up as traders take heart from the belief that the Fed stands ready to help out should things turn ugly.

In addition to this, mining firms are sailing ahead today, after Anglo American issued upbeat production numbers, and gains in excess of 3% are quite commonplace across the sector.

Star performer among the heavyweight miners is Vedanta Resources, up 6%.

Dow futures have turned positive as the morning has progressed, indicating that yet more gains by Wall Street will be the order of the day this afternoon, and the Dow is expected to start around 40 points higher.

There is plenty of American economic data to chew over today, including durable goods, jobless claims and new home sales.

If this data can keep showing improvement, then the bulls really will have the upper hand.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Financial Market Comments from Chris Beauchamp, Market Analyst, IG Index.

The above comments do not constitute investment advice and Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

In mid-morning trade the FTSE 100 is down around 32 points, knocked back by a slightly weaker UK GDP reading.

Early gains for the FTSE 100 were wiped off the slate after figures showed that the UK economy shrank by more than expected during the final quarter of 2011.

A drop of 0.2% in GDP is not exactly dire, but with sentiment still so uncertain it provided an unfortunate surprise.

Manufacturing activity fell by 1.2%, while the services sector saw neither growth nor contraction.

Strong results from Apple last night, which smashed through expectations as usual, has lifted ARM Holdings by 4%.

In addition, fund managers Ashmore and Hargreaves Landsdown were boosted by an upgrade from Barclays Capital, just one day after being downgraded by RBS.

Aside from some home sales data during the afternoon, the main event in the US will be the latest Fed decision.

This will be the first time that all 17 policymakers will get to publicise their expectations for rates in 2012, together with an explanation.

Bulls will hope that none of the committee is getting itchy about the record low rates.

The Dow is expected to start the day slightly lower, down 30 points.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Financial Market Comments from Chris Beauchamp, Market Analyst, IG Index.

The above comments do not constitute investment advice and Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

In mid-morning trade we have seen a turnaround in the FTSE’s fortunes so far today, with the index down 40 points.

Weakness in the banking sector is weighing on sentiment this morning, with RBS and Lloyds both off around 3%.

This has pushed the FTSE lower but it’s hardly a rout, with the index still trading above Monday’s morning lows.

This banking weakness is a trend across Europe as talks with Greek debt holders once more appear to have hit the buffers.

Some would say that the shares spread betting market is being surprisingly patient regarding these ongoing negotiations, but if this lack of progress becomes a recurring theme it seems unlikely that traders will continue having such a sanguine view.

Looking ahead to the US a quiet session on Wall Street last night saw the Dow finishing in the middle of the range and overnight markets suggest a weaker start today, down around 45 points.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Financial Market Comments from Rupert Osborne, Futures Dealer, IG Index.

The above comments do not constitute investment advice and Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.

In mid-morning trade the FTSE has pushed slightly higher.

It’s another positive start to the week so far with the FTSE just scraping into double digit gains.

RBS is topping the blue-chip gainers so far with modest strength from other financials keeping the index underpinned.

Hopes are high that today’s meeting in Brussels, the latest in a long line between Euro finance ministers, will produce some positive plans to tackle the ongoing debt issues.

Spread betting investors will also be hoping that it will balance out some of the frustration felt by the inability of Greece to come to an agreement with its lenders.

With the economic summit in Davos also happening this week we could be in for another few days of low volatility trading as investors digest the thoughts of the great and the good.

But despite the quiet start to the year, US and European equity markets are still positive and at the moment there is clearly an appetite to be a buyer of any weakness in blue-chips.

Looking ahead to the US open this afternoon, overnight markets are indicating a start of around -35 points for the Dow Jones.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital. You may lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

Financial Market Comments from David Jones, Chief Market Strategist, IG Index.

The above comments do not constitute investment advice and Clean Financial accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of them.

Content provided by IG Index which is Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA Register number 114059.