FTSE 100 to start quiet Thanksgiving Thursday slightly higher

The FTSE 100 is set to start Thursday lightly higher on what will likely be a quieter day, as across the pond America celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday. CFD and spreadbetting firm IG sees London’s blue-chip benchmark rising around 16 points, as it makes a price of 6,395 to 6,398 with just over an hour to go until the open. On the eve of Thanksgiving it appears investors and Wall Street traders were cashing out after the recent COVID vaccine positivity, ahead of the public holiday. “Yesterday, there was a sense that some dealers were winding down for the week, even though the NYSE will be open for limited trading on Friday. Any of the financial markets that are open today will probably experience low volatility,” said David Madden, analyst at CMC Markets. Into the somewhat checked-out market the Federal Reserves released its monthly meeting minutes, from its early November get-together, indicating the central bank’s policy makers may mull further stimulus, via asset purchase mechanisms. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones finished Wednesday down 173 points or 0.58% at 29,872. The S&P 500 marked its close at 3,629, down 0.16%, whilst the Nasdaq was up 0.48% ending the session at 12,094. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei was up 240 points or 0.91% trading at 26,537 whilst the Hang Seng moved 0.23% higher to 26,731. The Shanghai Composite was down a sliver at 3,360. Around the markets The pound: US$1.3393, up 0.1% Gold: US$1,810 per ounce, up 0.18% Silver: US$23.30 per ounce, down 0.22% Brent crude: US$48.78 per barrel, up 1.9% West Texas Intermediary: US$45.92 per barrel, up 2.2% Bitcoin: US$17,959, down 5.11%