August 31: FTSE100 Performance Analysis For This Day

Average percentage change for this day	-0.078 %
Standard deviation	0.756
No. of times the FTSE has gone down today since 1984	4
No. of times FTSE has gone up today since 1984	6

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Metals data for today

	Gold	Silver	Platinum	Paladium
Day ranking (out of 365)	137	255	170	115
Avg. % change	0.121%	-0.162%	0.072%	0.068%
Standard deviation % change	0.895	1.391	1.046	0.288
No. of times price has gone up	6	5	11	2
No. of times price has gone down	10	13	5	1

Gold:since 1970, Silver : 1970, Platinum: 1976, Paladium: 1996

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Yahoo European Business
European stocks set to make modest gains (FT.com)
France calls for more EU dialogue with ECB (FT.com)
EU trade chief warns of economic 'pain'if Chinese textiles not allowed into Europe (Canadian Press)
European stocks recover from shock of 70-dollar oil price (AFP)
European stocks set for opening gains (FT.com)
Survey: German Consumer Sentiment on Rise (AP)
Economic growth faster than expected in second quarter (AFP)
British Economy Grows at Faster Rate in 2Q (AP)
Shares manage to end off lows as Wall St. creeps higher (AFP)
Lloyds TSB gains on Wells Fargo bid talk (Reuters)
Euro weakens against dollar, unable take advantage of good German data (AFP)

On this day
1955 The first sun-powered automobile was demonstrated, in Chicago.

BBC - On This Day
1997: Princess Diana dies in Paris crash
Diana, Princess of Wales, is killed after her car crashes in a Paris underpass - the driver and her friend Dodi Fayed are also dead.
1994: IRA declares 'complete' ceasefire
The IRA announces a "complete cessation of military operations"after 25 years of bombing and killing.
1959: Anglo-US TV debate makes history
British prime minister Harold Macmillan and American president Dwight Eisenhower give an historic live television broadcast from Downing Street.
1977: Smith keeps power in Rhodesia
Ian Smith's ruling Rhodesian Front wins an overwhelming victory in the country's general election.
1989: Royal couple to separate
Buckingham Palace confirms that after 16 years of marriage Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips are to live apart.
1957: Malaya celebrates independence
The Federation of Malaya becomes independent from Britain after a midnight handover ceremony.

Wikipedia On This Day
Wikipedia entry for August 31