The FTSE 100 closed up 0.2% on Thursday as investors speculated
that the U.K.'s traffic light system for managing the coronavirus
pandemic might be scrapped. British Airways-owner International
Consolidated Airlines, easyJet PLC and Wizz Air Holdings PLC were
among London's top performers in the session, with the October
half-term set to provide the travel sector its next big
opportunity, AJ Bell's financial analyst Danni Hewson says.
Meanwhile, supply shortages have had varying implications for
certain companies. In particular, while Drax Group PLC made gains
on soaring energy prices, shares in Marks & Spencer Group PLC
fell on difficulties in getting products onto shelves in France,
which has prompted the retailer to close 11 of their stores there,
Ms. Hewson said.
Companies News:
Chamberlin Expects to Restore Profitability in FY 2022, Shares
Rise
Shares in Chamberlin PLC rose Thursday morning after the
castings and engineering group said that it expects to return to
profitability in the second half of the fiscal year.
---
Ecotricity's Good Energy Bid Accepted by Shareholders With 2.1%
Stake
Ecotricity Group Ltd. said Thursday its offer for Good Energy
Group PLC has been accepted by shareholders representing a 2.1%
stake in the capital of the renewable-energy retailer.
---
CMC Markets Agrees $18.3 Mln ANZ Share Investing Client Base
Transition Deal
CMC Markets PLC said Thursday that Australia & New Zealand
Banking Group Ltd.'s share investing client base will transition to
CMC for 25 million Australian dollars ($18.3 million).
---
Hilton Food's 1H FY 2022 Pretax Profit Fell
Hilton Food Group PLC on Thursday reported a decline in pretax
profit for the first half of fiscal 2022 and said that its growth
prospects remain strong.
---
Gemfields Anticipates 1H Net Profit of $23.8 Mln
Gemfields Group Ltd. said Thursday that it expects to report a
net profit of $23.8 million for the first half of the year.
---
Symphony Environmental Technologies Swung to 1H Pretax Loss
Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC said on Thursday that it
swung to a pretax loss after booking higher costs for the first
half, and that the board was confident about delivering meaningful
revenue growth in the short to medium term.
---
Oxford Nanopore to Raise GBP300 Mln in London IPO -- Update
Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. said Thursday that it intends
to raise around 300 million pounds ($415.3 million) at its initial
public offering in London, half of which will be provided by
Texas-based software provider Oracle Corp.
---
Regional REIT Swung to 1H Pretax Profit
Regional REIT Ltd. said Thursday that it swung to a pretax
profit for the first half, and that the U.K.'s economic activity
rebound stemming from an easing of the pandemic's restrictions
bodes well for the rest of the year.
---
Marley Group Considers London IPO
Marley Group Ltd. said Thursday that it is considering listing
on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
---
McColl's Retail Appoints Karen Bird as Chief Operating
Officer
McColl's Retail Group PLC said Thursday that it has appointed
Karen Bird as chief operating officer with immediate effect.
---
Novacyt to Revise Down 1H Revenue Due to UK Covid-19 Contract
Dispute -- Update
Novacyt SA said Thursday that its revenue for the first half of
the year will be lower than originally announced as a result of its
dispute with the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care over a
supply contract, and that it will also book higher costs.
---
John Lewis Narrowed 1H Loss, But Signals Uncertainty Ahead
John Lewis Partnership PLC narrowed its first-half loss as sales
grew and it cut costs, but said its full-year outlook was uncertain
on supply-chain and cost pressures.
---
UK Competition Watchdog to Investigate Sony's AWAL
Acquisition
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it
will launch an in-depth investigation into Sony Group Corp.'s
acquisition of music distributor AWAL.
---
Good Energy Shares Climb as Ecotricity Raises Bid to GBP69.9
Mln
Shares in Good Energy Group PLC jumped Thursday after Ecotricity
Group Ltd. raised its bid for the renewable-energy supplier to 69.9
million pounds ($96.8 million).
---
Citi Beefs Up Commodities Team by Hiring Energy Market
Veteran
Citigroup Inc. said Thursday that it has hired Yoven Moorooven
to its commodities team to fill the newly created role of global
head of new business ventures.
Market Talk:
Shorter-Dated Gilt Yields Look 'Too High', says HSBC
1237 GMT - The yield on U.K. benchmark two-year government bonds
trades at the highest level since the pandemic broke out in
mid-February 2020, Tradeweb data shows, as expectations of higher
interest rates surged. The jump in interest rate expectations drove
shorted-dated gilts yields "too high," says HSBC. Sterling
Overnight Index Average(Sonia) one-month forwards are more than
100% priced for a 15 basis-point rate rise to 25 bps in May 2022,
and imply near-certainty about a further 25 bp rise back to 50 bps
by the end of next year, he says. However, "even the most hawkish
Monetary Policy Committee member Michael Saunders does not seem to
think much tightening will be needed," he adds.The two-year gilt
yield trades last at 0.279%, more than a 1.5-year high, according
to Tradeweb.
---
HSBC Falls Out of Love with Investment-Grade Corporate Bonds
1206 GMT - Investment-grade corporate bonds are one of HSBC's
least preferred asset classes at the moment, says multi-asset
strategist Max Kettner. The U.K.-based bank retains a preference
for growth/quality in equities, with an overweight--or larger than
the benchmark it tracks-- position in U.S. equities and has closed
a longstanding underweight position in Japan equities on the rising
likelihood of renewed fiscal stimulus, he says. "We fund this by
moving IG credit from overweight to underweight, as it's one of the
least preferred asset classes on our valuation and momentum
framework," he adds.
---
Ryanair's Back-Handed Boeing Compliment
0803 ET - Ryanair says it baulked at a new Boeing 737 MAX order
for now after the plane maker "raised prices," before gushing about
the plane at its annual meeting. The low-cost giant already has 210
of the jets coming over the next five years, and said the
performance of the first batch exceeded expectations and helped
bump its five-year growth forecast to 50% from 33%, some 25M more
passengers. Shares up more than 7%.
---
Kier Shares Still Look Under-Valued After FY Results
1201 GMT - Kier Group drops 1% to 124 pence after the
construction and infrastructure-service company swung to a pretax
profit in the year to June, but reported lower revenue. The results
matched a trading update in July, Peel Hunt says. Cost inflation
remains manageable and management has reiterated its medium-term
financial aspirations. The brokerage, which has Kier as a corporate
client, is keeping its pretax profit forecast for the year to June
2022 of GBP93.5 million, versus market consensus expectations of
GBP96.6m, giving earnings per share of 16.5p. "We believe the
shares remain materially under-valued," Peel analyst Andrew Nussey
says. "We reiterate our buy recommendation and 200p target
price."
---
High Inflation Expected to Give Sterling Limited Boost
1148 GMT - Sterling has edged higher since data on Wednesday
showed a higher-than-expected U.K. inflation rate, the highest in
nearly a decade, with EUR/GBP falling to a four-week low of 0.8508
on Thursday, according to FactSet. Any boost to the pound should be
limited, however, as higher inflation should be temporary--with
much of August's rise due to government support given to
restaurants and hotels last year--while Brexit and Covid-19
continue to hamper the U.K. economy, says Commerzbank analyst
Esther Reichelt. "GBP bulls cannot simply bank on a
stronger-than-expected rise in inflation in their hope of an
imminent monetary policy turn-around," she says, adding that Brexit
and pandemic effects will continue to impact the economy over the
coming months.
---
Renewable Energy Funds Have Limited Exposure to Power Price
Rally
1136 GMT - Renewable infrastructure funds have only limited
exposure to the recent sharp spike in power prices because they
have hedging and fixing programs in place for their
electricity-generation revenue, Jefferies says. Greencoat UK Wind
is a notable exception, and the strength in prices will be
reflected in its cash-flow generation as we enter the windier
period, the bank says. However, an environment of high prices also
increases political risks. In the U.K., the opposition Labour Party
has called on the government to act to protect consumers and
businesses, Jefferies notes.
Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires; Write to Sarka
Halas at sarka.halas@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 16, 2021 12:19 ET (16:19 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Easy Jet (QX) (USOTC:ESYJY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Oct 2024 to Nov 2024
Easy Jet (QX) (USOTC:ESYJY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2023 to Nov 2024
