The FTSE 100 is expected to decline marginally this morning after tacking on 28 points (0.45 percent) to end Monday’s session at 6,017. Chipmaker ARM Holdings (LON:ARM) led the blue chips yesterday, closing with a 2.7 percent gain. Commercial property company British Land (LON:BLND), Financial Times publisher Pearson (LON:PSON), software developer Autonomy Corporation (LON:AU) and food processing company Tate & Lyle (LON:TATE) all added a little more than 2 percent. Oil and gas major Cairn Energy (LON:CNE) was at the bottom of the FTSE 100 pile with a 3.3 percent loss on Monday. Part-nationalised bank Lloyds (LON:LLOY) followed, shedding 1.8 percent. Commodities trader Glencore (LON:GLEN) and bailed out bank Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) both lost around 1.5 percent. US markets were closed for the Independence Day holiday yesterday. Trading in New York will resume today. In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose marginally to reach 9,970 just before close of play. China’s Shanghai Composite Index inched lower to stand at 2,812 just before the end of the session. Today’s macroeconomic data will include an update on US factory orders. Commodities US light, sweet crude for August delivery edged lower to US$94.93/barrel overnight in Asia. August Brent crude traded at US$111.21/barrel this morning. Precious metals were in decline this morning. Gold fell to US$1,493/oz. Silver and platinum dropped to US$33.92/oz and US$1,714/oz respectively. Base metals moved in the same direction as precious metals. Copper and nickel declined to US$4.26/lb and US$10.43/lb respectively this morning. Zinc stood at US$1.062/lb.

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