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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Endeavour Mining PLC | 2,184.0 | 6.4% |
| Shell PLC | 2,434.5 | 2.7% |
| Associated British Foods PLC | 2,159.0 | 2.6% |
| Barratt Redrow PLC | 438.6 | 2.6% |
| Admiral Group PLC | 3,258.0 | 2.5% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Bunzl PLC | 2,290.0 | -25.6% |
| Diploma PLC | 3,824.0 | -3.4% |
| Intermediate Capital Group PLC | 1,756.0 | -3.3% |
| Informa PLC | 691.4 | -3.3% |
| Melrose Industries PLC | 419.4 | -3.1% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 8,276 | 0.3% | 5.5% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 39,669 | -1.7% | 5.1% |
| DAX INDEX | 21,311 | 0.3% | 19.9% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 34,367 | 1.3% | -9.6% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 7,819 | 0.8% | 2.8% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 63.10 | 1.01% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 66.40 | 0.84% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 3,331 | -0.4% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 466 | -1.7% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 called to open -30 points this morning at 8,245. The UK 100 looks set to open slightly lower this morning, giving back all of yesterday’s gains, albeit the index has seen a 7.63 point dividend paid out this morning to BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce & the London Stock Exchange group but to name three.
Stocks fell sharply on Wall Street on Wednesday as a stark warning from Nvidia roiled global tech and concerns from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell about the economic impact of tariffs raised alarm among skittish investors. The Dow Jones lost 699.57 points, or 1.73%, closing at 39,669.39. The S&P dropped 2.24% to end at 5,275.70, led down by the information technology sector. The Nasdaq pulled back 3.07% to close at 16,307.16. The tech-heavy index ended the day about 19% off its closing high, sliding closer to bear market territory.
However, futures tied to the Dow Jones added 265 points, or 0.66%. S&P 500 futures have advanced 0.75%, while Nasdaq futures climbed 0.81%.
Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose Thursday, breaking ranks with Wall Street. India’s benchmark Nifty 50 opened 0.49% lower while the broader BSE Sensex fell 0.1%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index increased 1.65% while Mainland China’s CSI 300 was flat in choppy trade. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei rose 0.85%, while the broader Topix index added 0.83%. In South Korea, the Kospi index was up 0.68% while the small-cap Kosdaq moved up 1.52%, after the central bank held interest rates at 2.75%, as expected by economists polled by Reuters. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 increased 0.57%.
Dunelm has reported strong sales growth for the 13-week period ending 29 March 2025, with total sales rising by 6.3% to £462m. The retailer said its positive performance was driven by broad-based growth across both homewares and furniture categories, alongside a solid start to its new Spring/Summer ranges. Digital sales also showed progress, making up 41% of total sales—up from 37% in the same period last year. Gross margin improved by 30 basis points year-on-year, and full-year guidance remains unchanged at 51.5%–52.0%. Profit before tax for FY25 is expected to be in line with analyst consensus, with a forecast of £208m.
Rentokil Initial reported a modest revenue growth of 1.5% in the first quarter of 2025, with organic revenue growth at 1.8%. Despite challenges in North America due to subdued lead flow, the company remains optimistic about long-term growth, supported by its global reach and diverse customer base. The company is enhancing its growth initiatives through digital lead generation and expanding its satellite branches, while also launching a door-to-door sales program. Internationally, the company saw stronger growth, particularly in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific regions.
Rio Tinto delivered a mixed performance in the March quarter of 2025, with strong output from its copper and bauxite operations offset by significant weather-related disruptions in iron ore production and shipments in Western Australia. Copper production rose 16% year-on-year to 210,000 tonnes, with record monthly output at the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in March.
Rio Tinto and India-based AMG Metals & Materials (AMG M&M), on Thursday, signed a memorandum of understanding to study the possibility of a low-carbon aluminium project in India.
Sainsbury’s today reported a 8.6% rise in underlying profits to £761 million, boosted by a strong end to its financial year. Revenues for the year to 1 March rose 3.1% to £31.5 billion, with the final quarter of the period showing supermarket sales up 4.1% and Argos up 1.9%. At a time of discounting by rivals Asda and Tesco, the group highlighted a strong competitive position at the start of the new financial year. It added: “We expect to continue to grow grocery volumes ahead of the market and we have started the year with good trading momentum across all our brands.” Retail underlying operating profit for 2024/25 rose 7.2% to £1.04 billion, with double-digit growth at Sainsbury’s partially offset by lower profits at Argos. It expects to deliver a figure of around £1 billion in the current financial year. The group plans to open a total of 15 new supermarkets during 2025/26, while over the next two years it is making its biggest investment in new space for many years.
UK
Sainsbury (J) (SBRY)
Rentokil Initial (RTO)
US
American Express (AXP) PMO
Blackstone (BX) PMO
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) E
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) PMO
Netflix (NFLX) AMC
UK
None – Bank Holiday
US
None – Bank Holiday
German Producer Price Index
ECB Main Refinancing Operations Rate
ECB Monetary Policy Statement
ECB Rate On Deposit Facility
US Building Permits
US Housing Starts
US Initial Jobless Claims
Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Survey
ECB Press Conference
Fed’s Barr speech
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 17th April 2025:
Fresnillo
Unite Group
Convatec Group
BAE Systems
Antofagasta
Weir Group
Rolls-Royce Holdings
London Stock Exchange Group
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 17th April 2025:
Dowlais Group
TwentyFour Income Fund
Grafton Group
Jupiter Fund Management
Travis Perkins
Merchants Trust
JPMorgan American Investment Trust
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