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FTSE preview: Shares up; retailers in focus

By Reuters
Updated: 02:55 EDT, 16 December 2010

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The FTSE 100 is expected to open higher, marking time after weaker showings on Wall Street and in Asia, with future and options expiries likely to provide volatile trading conditions.

People walk past London's Stock Exchange

Taking stock: Retail data will give direction today.

The UK blue chip index ended down 9.03 points, or 0.2% on Wednesday at 5,882.18, snapping a four-session winning streak, having finished at its highest close for 30 months on Tuesday.

'Quadruple witching' will bring with it volatile trading today. The term refers to a day a day on which contracts for stock index futures, stock index options, stock options and single stock futures all expire.

British retail sales data will be the main macroeconomic focus on Thursday, with growth of 0.4% expected in November, after a 0.5% rise in October, giving a year-on-year increase of 0.7%, after a 0.1% fall in the previous month.

Across the Atlantic, the latest US weekly jobless claims numbers will be released together with November housing starts, while December's Philly Fed index will be released.

There will be updates today from Severn Trent, Sports Direct, Chrysalis Group and Cohort.

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