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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| 3I Group PLC | 4,130.0 | 5.8% |
| St. James’s Place PLC | 900.4 | 4.2% |
| Intermediate Capital Group PLC | 1,816.0 | 3.8% |
| Segro PLC | 669.8 | 3.8% |
| Fresnillo PLC | 1,058.0 | 3.7% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Diageo PLC | 2,036.0 | -3.5% |
| Glencore PLC | 256.0 | -1.6% |
| Pershing Square Holdings LTD | 3,352.0 | -1.1% |
| Rentokil Initial PLC | 334.2 | -0.5% |
| Astrazeneca PLC | 10,280.0 | -0.4% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 8,249 | 1.4% | 5.5% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 40,369 | -0.4% | 6.8% |
| DAX INDEX | 21,254 | 1.4% | 19.6% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 33,726 | -1.6% | -12.3% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 7,758 | -0.1% | 2.2% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 60.63 | -1.14% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 63.97 | -1.08% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 3,288 | 1.8% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 462 | -1.4% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 called to open -44 points this morning at 8,205. The UK 100 looks set to follow other global markets lower this morning the bluechip index looks set to give back around half of yesterdays gains at the open.
Data out this morning showed China’s first-quarter economic growth beat expectations, underpinned by solid consumption and industrial output even as policymakers brace for the impact of U.S. tariffs that analysts say pose the biggest risk to the Asian powerhouse in decades.
Asian equity markets declined on Wednesday, following U.S. stock futures lower as caution prevailed, with investors awaiting further clarity on the Trump administration’s trade policies while continuing to parse the fast-moving tariff developments. The benchmark Hang Seng Index was down 2.5% by midday in Hong Kong, led by consumer-oriented internet stocks like Meituan and JD.com, which dropped 7.4% and 6.2%, respectively. China’s Shanghai Composite Index was 0.9% lower. Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average shed 0.9%. The Kospi of South Korea, another export-driven and tech-heavy economy, fell 0.6%.
U.S. stock futures slipped early Wednesday as investors looked ahead to the release of a key retail sales report and more earnings from the first-quarter season. Dow Jones futures dropped 328 points, or 0.8%. S&P futures and Nasdaq futures dipped 1.49% and 2.29%, respectively. In extended trading, shares of Nvidia dropped more than 6% after the chip giant said it will post a $5.5 billion quarterly charge related to exporting its H20 graphics processing units to China and other nations.
This comes after U.S. stocks posted modest losses on Tuesday as investors analysed the latest batch of first-quarter earnings reports and enjoyed a recent decline in market turmoil. The Dow lost 155.83 points, or 0.38%, to close at 40,368.96. The S&P declined 0.17% and ended at 5,396.63. The Nasdaq was down 0.05% and settled at 16,823.17.
Barratt Redrow said on Wednesday its forward sales – a key gauge of near-term demand – were 10.1% lower at March-end from a year earlier but reiterated its target of building between 16,800 and 17,200 homes this year. Mounting concerns about the outlook for the UK and the global economy amid a tariff war have further undermined confidence of potential homebuyers already struggling with elevated borrowing costs and sticky inflation. The company said its private home order book stood at 5,503 homes as at March 31, 3.5% lower than a year ago. However, the value of the order book was 3.3% higher due to modest inflation and a change in sales mix.
WH Smith on Wednesday reported slightly lower profit of 45 million pounds ($59.7 million) for the first-half of the year compared with 46 million pounds a year ago, as high inflation and tighter budgets led to lower passenger numbers at travel hubs.
UK
Barratt Redrow (BTRW)
WH Smith (SMWH)
Hunting (HTG)
US
Abbott Laboratories (ABT) PMO
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
Fed’s Cook speech
Chinese Gross Domestic Product
Chinese Industrial Production
Chinese Retail Sales
UK Consumer Price Index
UK Producer Price Index
EU Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
US Retail Sales
US Industrial Production
Fed’s Hammack speech
Fed’s Chair Powell 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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