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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Entain PLC | 628.2 | 6.8% |
| Kingfisher PLC | 279.0 | 3.0% |
| Howden Joinery Group PLC | 739.0 | 2.4% |
| BT Group PLC | 172.0 | 2.4% |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC | 1,937.0 | 2.0% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Weir Group PLC | 2,264.0 | -2.1% |
| Standard Chartered PLC | 1,070.0 | -1.9% |
| Anglo American PLC | 2,111.0 | -1.7% |
| Rentokil Initial PLC | 337.8 | -1.5% |
| Intertek Group PLC | 4,528.0 | -1.4% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 8,417 | 0.0% | 3.3% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 40,228 | 0.3% | 4.8% |
| DAX INDEX | 22,272 | 0.1% | 22.9% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 35,840 | 0.4% | -6.7% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,071 | 0.9% | 5.7% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 61.47 | -0.93% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 65.26 | -0.91% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 3,323 | -0.6% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 489 | 0.0% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 called to open +28 points this morning at 8,445. The UK 100 looks set to open higher again this morning, as the UK’s bluechip index will be looking to extend its winning run to 12 consecutive sessions.
The S&P 500 inched higher Monday as Wall Street braced for a packed week of earnings and economic data. Investors are also awaiting any progress on trade deal negotiations. The broad market index gained 0.06% to close at 5,528.75, posting its fifth straight winning day. The Nasdaq ticked 0.1% lower and ended at 17,366.13. The Dow Jones rose 114.09 points, or 0.28%, to settle at 40,227.59.
Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose Tuesday tracking Wall Street after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said that it would move to reduce the impact of auto tariffs, while investors also assessed company earnings. Mainland China’s CSI 300 index fell 0.13% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index pared gains to 0.12%. India’s benchmark Nifty 50 added 0.22% while the broader BSE Sensex was flat. Over in South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.63% while the small-cap Kosdaq added 1.03%. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.96%. Japanese markets were closed for a public holiday.
Associated British Foods reported its interim results for the 24 weeks ending March 1, 2025, showing a mixed performance across its divisions. While the company saw growth in its Retail and Ingredients sectors, with Primark performing well in Europe and the US, its Sugar division faced challenges due to low European sugar prices and losses in its UK bioethanol business, Vivergo. The company remains optimistic about its long-term growth prospects, supported by a strong balance sheet and continued investment in capacity and technology.
AstraZeneca on Tuesday said it may face a fine of up to $8 million over suspected unpaid import taxes in China as the drugmaker works to boost business in its second-biggest market after scandals including the arrest of its China president last year. Despite boasting a strong pipeline, AstraZeneca is contending with headwinds in its two biggest markets, the United States and China: scandals in China, possible U.S. tariffs on pharmaceutical products, and a trade war between Beijing and Washington. AstraZeneca said it had received an opinion from authorities in Shenzen city that the suspected unpaid amount was about $1.6 million and a fine of one to five times that may be levied if it was found liable.
BP missed forecasts on Tuesday with an underlying replacement cost profit of $1.38 billion for the first quarter, below the $1.53 billion expected by analysts in a company-provided poll. BP bought back $750 million in shares, at the low end of its guided range, and announced plans to purchase a further $750 million worth this quarter. It said it would spend $14.5 billion this year, around $500 million less than its previous guidance, and reiterated its $13-$15 billion target for next year and 2027. In the first quarter last year, BP reported underlying replacement cost profit – its definition of adjusted net income – of $2.7 billion.
Howden Joinery reported a positive start to 2025, with a 3.0% increase in underlying group revenue compared to the previous year. The company has implemented strategic initiatives, including depot revamps, product innovations, and digital investments, to support its trade customers and maintain market share. The international segment showed significant growth, with a 17.0% increase in revenue. The company is also executing a £100 million share buyback program.
HSBC delivered a beat to the analyst consensus on first-quarter pre-tax profits and announced a share buyback of up to $3 billion. The Asia-focused lender recorded expected credit losses of $0.9 billion for the period, $0.2 billion higher than a year ago but $0.5 billion lower than in the fourth quarter. These allowances reflected “heightened uncertainty and a deterioration in the forward economic outlook due to geopolitical tensions and higher trade tariffs”. The bank reported profit before tax of $9.5 billion, down $3.2 billion year-on-year due to one-off gains a year ago from business disposals, but much better than the $7.8 billion that had been forecast. Underlying PBT increased 11% to $9.8 billion. Group revenue fell 15% year-on-year to $17.6 billion, but rose 7% excluding notable items on a constant currency basis, with net interest income declining by 4.6% to $8.3 billion, mainly due to the impact of disposals and currency swings. A first interim dividend of $0.10 per share was declared, with the new share buyback expected to begin after the annual general meeting on 2 May.
UK
BP (BP.)
Elementis (ELM)
Entain (ENT)
Howden Joinery Group (HWDN)
Travis Perkins (TPK)
Associated British Foods (ABF)
AstraZeneca (AZN)
HSBC Holdings (HSBA)
US
Coca-Cola (KO) PMO
General Motors (GM) PMO
The Kraft Heinz Co (KHC) PMO
PayPal Holdings (PYPL) PMO
Pfizer (PFE) PMO
Spotify Technology SA (SPOT) PMO
Booking Holdings (BKNG) AMC
Mondelez (MDLZ) AMC
Snap Inc A (SNAP) AMC
Starbucks Corp (SBUX) AMC
Super Micro Computer (SMCI) E
Visa (V) AMC
UK
Aberdeen Group (ABDN)
Coca-Cola HBC AG (CCH)
Haleon (HLN)
OSB Group (OSB)
PPHE Hotel Group Ltd (PPH)
Segro (SGRO)
Smith & Nephew (SN.)
Taylor Wimpey (TW.)
GSK (GSK)
US
Automatic Data Processing (ADP) PMO
Caterpillar Inc (CAT) PMO
Etsy (ETSY) PMO
Meta Platforms (META) AMC
Microsoft Corp (MSFT) AMC
Qualcomm Inc (QCOM) AMC
Teladoc (TDOC) AMC
German GfK Consumer Confidence Survey
ECB’s Cipollone speech
EU Business Climate
EU Consumer Confidence
EU Economic Sentiment Indicator
BoE’s Ramsden speech
US Housing Price Index
US Consumer Confidence
US JOLTS Job Openings
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 1st May 2025:
Glencore
Centrica
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 1st May 2025:
Senior
Inchcape
Greggs
Elementis
JD Wetherspoon
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