News for Spread Betters

Previous

Next

There's a new Investor Edition of CMC Markets' spread betting platform... and it's exclusive to DigitalLook.com users...

Get full details about Marketmaker:Investor Edition here.

News for Spread Betters

Previous

Next

There's a new Investor Edition of CMC Markets' spread betting platform... and it's exclusive to DigitalLook.com users...

Get full details about Marketmaker:Investor Edition here.

Unsecured Loans

Previous

Next

Lighten the load of all those repayments with a low rate unsecured loan. This month's selected offers:

1. Barclays Loans
2. Halifax Loans

AMEX Platinum

Previous

Next

Money back on your spendings? With American Express Platinum MoneyBack card, you can get

• 5% Money Back* during your first 3 months, then
• standard Money Back rate up to 1.5% with
• typical APR 18.9% variable

Why look further? Apply now!

Digital Look's Best Picks

Previous

Next

Your money can work for you! Get it going with one of this month’s high interest current accounts:

1. A&L Premier Direct
2. Coventry First Account
3. Co-operative Current Plus

Date: Thursday 21 Aug 2008

LONDON (ShareCast) - Concern about more credit crunch casualites pushed the Nikkei lower Thursday, with banking stocks spearheading losses.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed down 99 points at 12,752, its lowest close since 1 April 2008.

Fresh concern about the US financial sector, prompted by another decline in mortgage financiers Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, put the sector under pressure. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and Mizuho Financial fell. Shares in the latter were also downgraded by HSBC.

Australian investment bank Babcock & Brown was another casualty as it reported a 25% drop in half year profits. News that chief financial officer Michael Larkin will replace Phil Green did little to stop the group's shares go into freefall.

Trading houses were mostly higher as crude prices settled higher in New York. Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi both gained.

Oil explorer Inpex also made headway however exporters lost out with shares in Toyota Motor and both down around 1%.

Credit woes also pushed the Hang Seng lower with financial giants such as Bank of East Asia weighing heavily.

China Citic Bank fell after it said it holds $1.18bn of home mortgages secured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The US mortgage financiers fell sharply in the US overnight as speculation increases that the US Treasury will need to issue a rescue package for them.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed down 539 points at 20,392.

Heavyweights China Mobile, HSBC and China Life were also big decliners.

In earnings news shares in Hutchison Whampoa reported better than expected first half profit as it slashed losses at its 3G unit. The unit is now expected to make a profit next year.

• News Channel