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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| DCC | 5,880.0 | 9.3% |
| Intertek Group | 4,766.0 | 3.7% |
| Mondi | 756.0 | 2.6% |
| Rightmove | 439.3 | 1.2% |
| Barclays | 431.0 | 1.0% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| St James’s Place | 1,177.5 | -6.0% |
| GSK | 1,918.0 | -5.4% |
| Persimmon | 1,027.0 | -4.4% |
| Fresnillo | 3,112.0 | -4.0% |
| Howden Joinery Group | 768.5 | -3.8% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 10,213 | 1.2% | 20.7% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 48,862 | 0.6% | 20.6% |
| DAX INDEX | 23,955 | 0.3% | 6.8% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 59,917 | 1.0% | 66.2% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,687 | 0.3% | 6.9% |
| Commodity | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 106.88 | 6.95% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 119.99 | 7.85% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 4,549 | 0.0% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 593 | 0.7% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 is called to open -3 points at at 10,210. The UK 100 looks set to open virtually flat on Thursday, as investors tread cautiously ahead of the Bank of England interest rate decision.
UK 100 futures indicate the index to open 3 points lower, at 10,210.71 on Thursday. The index of London large-caps closed down 1.2% at 10,213.11 on Wednesday.
The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged amid a “high level of uncertainty” as officials grapple with soaring oil prices. In a widely expected move, the central bank voted 11-1 to keep the federal funds rate target range at 3.50%-3.75%, with Governor Stephen Miran dissenting in favour of a quarter-point cut.
The Bank of England is due to announce its interest rate decision at 12.00pm, with consensus expecting a hold at 3.75%, while the European Central Bank is set to decide at 13.15pm, with the deposit rate also expected to remain unchanged at 2.00%.
In Asia on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo was down 1.3%. In China, the Shanghai Composite was marginally higher, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 1.2%, as data showed manufacturing activity in the country remained in expansionary territory in April.
Persimmon the UK 100 housebuilder, has warned of emerging supply chain inflation driven by the ongoing conflict in Iran, cautioning that higher energy costs are likely to weigh on second-half margins even as the group reported a solid start to 2026. In a trading update, the York-based group said there are early signs of increased inflationary pressure in its supply chain, which it attributed to higher energy costs linked to geopolitical uncertainty, with the impact expected to be felt in the second half of 2026 and into 2027. The warning came alongside an otherwise encouraging trading update for the period to 26 April 2026, in which private forward sales rose 7% year on year to £1.80 billion, supported by a 5% increase in the private average selling price to approximately £306,900. Total forward sales, including year-to-date legal completions, advanced 5% to £2.46 billion. Net private sales per outlet per week, excluding bulk sales, improved to 0.67 from 0.65 a year earlier, with the group operating from an average of 273 outlets, up from 268 a year ago. Persimmon said overall pricing on reservations remains robust, with total incentives continuing to run at around 4% to 5% on average.
Rolls-Royce Holdings said it has made a strong start to 2026 and kept its full-year guidance unchanged thanks to progress with its ongoing transformation plan and “self-help” actions. Ahead of the engine maker’s annual shareholder meeting, chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic said while the war in the Middle East has created uncertainty for the industry, the group is “taking the necessary actions to support our employees, customers, and suppliers”. The UK 100 group reported robust trading across all three divisions in the first quarter, led by Civil Aerospace. Engine flying hours rose to 115% of 2019 levels in the three months to March, reflecting continued recovery in long-haul travel. Business aviation activity also ran ahead of expectations. Defence and Power Systems also delivered strong growth. Defence benefited from higher aftermarket demand and increased original equipment deliveries, while Power Systems saw order intake for power generation jump around 50% year-on-year. A growing order book was highlighted, including widebody aircraft engine deals and contracts in marine and defence. A net cash position was reported, with the £2.5 billion share buyback programme ongoing. The company reiterated guidance for underlying operating profit of £4.0 billion-£4.2 billion and free cash flow of £3.6 billion-£3.8 billion for the 2026 financial year.
Standard Chartered’s impairment charges jumped in the first quarter as the bank set aside a hefty sum to cover volatility in the Middle East. The UK 100 giant booked $296m in credit impairment charges, with $190m of this coming from “precautionary management overlays” related to the war in Iran. The Asian-focused bank’s activity in the Middle East makes up around 6% of its total exposure. It added there was “no material impact” from the war, but it was taking measures to prepare for any potential sovereign downgrades and volatility in the oil and gas sector. Still, the bank was able to pick up a $2.5bn (£1.9bn) profit for the first three months of the year, breezing past the £2.1bn analyst estimate.
Unilever reported first-quarter underlying sales growth of 3.8% on Thursday, beating market expectations, on strong demand for its home care brands and beauty brands including Dove and Vaseline. The maker of Dove soap and Hellmann’s mayonnaise kept its 2026 sales and profit margin forecast unchanged. Analysts were expecting underlying sales growth of 3.6% for the three months ended March, according to a company-compiled consensus. The company posted underlying volume growth of 2.9% for the quarter, beating estimates of a 1.8% growth.
UK
Standard Chartered (STAN) – Q1 2026 results
Inchcape (INCH) – Q1 Trading Update
OSB Group (OSB) – Q1 Trading Update
Unilever (ULVR) – Q1 2026 Trading Statement
Endeavour Mining (EDV) – Q1 2026 Results
US
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) PMO
Caterpillar (CAT) PMO
ConocoPhillips (COP) PMO
Eli Lilly and Co (LLY) PMO
Mastercard (MA) PMO
Merck & Co (MRK) PMO
Willis Towers Watson (WTW) PMO
Amgen (AMGN) AMC
Apple (AAPL) AMC
Riot Platforms (RIOT) AMC
Rivian Automotive (RIVN) AMC
SanDisk (SNDK) AMC
Twilio (TWLO) AMC
UK
Natwest Group – Q1 2026 Results
US
Aon (AON) PMO
Chevron (CVX) PMO
Estee Lauder (EL) PMO
Exxon Mobil (XOM) PMO
Moderna (MRNA) PMO
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) AMC E
Chinese NBS Manufacturing PMI
Chinese NBS Non-Manufacturing PMI
Chinese RatingDog Manufacturing PMI
EU Gross Domestic Product
EU Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
BoE Interest Rate Decision
BoE Minutes
BoE Monetary Policy Report
BoE MPC Vote
BoE’s Governor Bailey speech
ECB Main Refinancing Operations Rate
ECB Monetary Policy Statement
ECB Rate On Deposit Facility
US Core Personal Consumption Expenditures
US Employment Cost Index
US Gross Domestic Product
US Initial Jobless Claims
US Personal Income
US Personal Spending
ECB Press Conference
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 30th April 2026:
Weir Group
IG Group Holdings
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 30th April 2026:
Senior
International Workplace Group
Greggs
Elementis
Genuit Group
4imprint Group
Bodycote
Alfa Financial Software Holdings
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