Indices news & headlines

London-listed stocks ended lower on Friday as the U.K.’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index erased its weekly gains on a record increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States that left investors questioning if the prospect of a quick economic recovery is still on the table. The commodity-heavy index opened at 6,240.36 on Friday and closed 1.3% lower at 6,144.82. Oil and gas companies, including Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum, contributed the most...

The UK blue-chip FTSE 100 index dropped slightly in the morning session as global COVID-19 cases climbed over 10 million. Owing to a weaker sterling and optimism of more stimulus, however, the index closed more than 1% up on Monday. Senior economic adviser, Vicky Redwood, of Capital Economics commented on Monday: “With the right government policies, many economies should be able more or less to revert to the path of output they were on before the...

The UK blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended on a slightly upbeat note on Friday helped primarily by the consumer stocks. The commodity heavy index opened at 6,147.14 and closed about 0.4% higher on 6,176.22. The FTSE 100 briefly touched an intraday high of 6,258.37 on Friday. The domestically heavy FTSE 250 index, on the other hand, closed almost flat on Friday. The midcap index jumped more than 1% in the afternoon session but lost all of its intraday...

London-listed stocks were reported under pressure as the number of new COVID-19 cases climbed globally on Monday. The increased risk of prolonged lockdowns and further damage to the global economy pushed investors to the backfoot. UK shares had ended on a hawkish note last week on the optimism of the monthly retail sales report. The UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index posted an intraday decline of 0.8%. The index opened at 6,292.60 on Monday but closed...

London-listed stocks were upbeat on Friday as the UK’s Office for National Statistics revealed a 12% increase in retail sales last month. The rebound in May supported expectations of a quick recovery after the Coronavirus pandemic that halted economic activity in recent months. Energy stocks were also hawkish as oil prices topped £32.37 per barrel on Friday. The UK blue-chip FTSE 100 index opened at 6,224.07 on Friday and closed the regular sessi...

The UK blue-chip FTSE 100 index remained under pressure on Monday as China reported a significant increase in new COVID-19 cases again. The FTSE 100 opened at 6,105.18 but closed less than 1% down at 6,059.33 after posting a three-week low of 5,957.49 in the morning session. On the year to date basis, the blue-chip index is still more than 25% down. FTSE 250 ended flat on Monday The midcap FTSE 250 also remained weighed as Beijing reported underw...

London-listed stocks pulled out of a 4-day losing streak as cyclical stocks recovered on Friday. Overall gains, however, remained slim as the country revealed its economy to have seen an unparalleled contraction in April. Cyclical stocks, including insurers (.FTNMX8570), banks (.FTNMX8350) and oil and gas (.FTNMX0530) contributed the most to the intraday gain on Friday. UK’s benchmark indices post their sharpest weekly declines The UK’s blue-chip...

The UK blue-chip FTSE 100 index remained under pressure on Tuesday as British American Tobacco (LON: BATS) lowered its full-year forecasts for profit and revenue. BAT posted a 3.1% intraday decline as it revealed a significant hit to its sales in recent months due to the Coronavirus lockdowns in its key markets like Mexico, South Africa, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.    Aviva Investors, a leading HSBC shareholder, expressed its discomfort in...

UK shares concluded the regular session at close to 3-month highs on Friday. The rising optimism of a fast economic recovery in the United Kingdom after COVID-19 marked the 3rd consecutive week of gains as investors continued to return to riskier assets. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index and the domestically focused FTSE 250 were both reported 2.3% up on the daily chart at the end of Friday. On the weekly chart, both indices recorded their best perfor...

DAX Index has finally managed to get above 12000 as investors continue to push the index higher. After it gained 6.7% in May, DAX has continued to trade in the same direction in the first week of June on the expected €1.85 trillion recovery package unveiled by the EU last week. Fundamental analysis: New massive stimulus for economies  The European Union’s Commission presented a €1.85 trillion recovery package last week, which seeks to boost...

UK stocks concluded the regular trading session on a hawkish note on Monday as the United Kingdom continues to ease Coronavirus restrictions. Consumer stocks were reported to have performed the best on Monday. The UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index climbed about 1.5% on Monday The index opened at 6,076.60 and closed at 6,171.54 after briefly touching an intraday high of 6,177.22 in the morning session. Associated British Foods jumps 8% on Monday Assoc...

U.K. shares concluded the regular trading session on Friday on a dovish note as tension flared again between the U.S and China over the latter’s attempt to tighten control over Hong Kong. The earlier optimism of a timely recovery from the Coronavirus driven economic fallout, as a result, was pushed to the background. The U.K.’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index posted a 2.3% decline on Friday with the travel index (.FTNMX5750) sliding the most. On the wee...

DAX Index, Germany’s benchmark stock index, is trading nearly 2% higher today as the markets shift towards a risk-on environment. The price action is now approaching the key resistance around 12000.  Fundamental analysis: Germany to allow travel from mid-June Germany is preparing to introduce a new range of measures to relax travel restrictions. The government is aiming to allow travel to 31 European countries (EU member states + the UK, Ice...

FTSE MIB is on the way to record the third consecutive day with gains as Italy’s benchmark index recovers after printing a 7-year low in March. Italy has reopened its restaurants, shops and cafes this week as serious concerns over the state of the economy still persist. Fundamental analysis: Reopening starts The Italian government has allowed restaurants, cafes, museums and shops to reopen this week after almost three months in lockdown. Ho...

The UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index posted a 1.2% increase on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced further easing in Coronavirus restrictions that will allow more retailers to reopen stores. The British government also said that it plans on slowly easing restrictions on tourism that fuelled a wave of celebration in travel stocks. The blue-chip index opened at 5993.28 on Tuesday and closed the regular session on 6,069.66 after hitting 6...

The U.K.’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index remained downbeat on Friday as China proposed new security laws to be imposed on Hong Kong that weighed on Asia-focused banks and added to the already complicating trade tensions between the United States and China. As per research analyst Ian Williams of Peel Hunt: “Investors may have been more focused on the continued unhelpful dialogue between the U.S. and China, hence they chose to trim some risk exposure.”...

The UK’s blue-chip index, FTSE 100, recorded its best performance on Monday since the last week of March as investors expressed confidence that the global economy will recover from COVID-19 driven recession faster than initially thought. The commodity-heavy index posted a 4.3% gain on Monday after closing the regular session on Friday around 2% down on the weekly chart. Monday marked a significant increase in oil demand that saw its price recordi...