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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Bae Systems PLC | 1,186.5 | 2.8% |
| Standard Chartered PLC | 1,007.5 | 2.1% |
| London Stock Exchange Group PLC | 11,645.0 | 1.9% |
| Pershing Square Holdings LTD | 4,094.0 | 1.9% |
| Relx PLC | 3,761.0 | 1.7% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| St. James’s Place PLC | 820.5 | -4.9% |
| United Utilities Group PLC | 976.6 | -4.7% |
| Barratt Redrow PLC | 401.2 | -4.5% |
| Jd Sports Fashion PLC | 97.5 | -3.9% |
| Legal & General Group PLC | 221.3 | -3.9% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 Year |
| UK 100 INDEX | 8,251 | 0.1% | 7.2% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 42,551 | 0.1% | 12.4% |
| DAX INDEX | 20,330 | -0.1% | 21.6% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 39,981 | -0.3% | 18.4% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,349 | 0.8% | 11.0% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 73.20 | -1.41% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 76.07 | -1.27% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 2,657 | 0.3% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 427 | 1.7% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 called to open +20 points at 8,271. The UK 100 looks set to open higher this morning, as the UK’s bluechip index appears to havr cautious optimism ahead of a string of financial updates from some of the UK’s biggest retailers.
Stateside yesterday saw the S&P added 0.16%, closing at 5,918.25, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.06% to 19,478.88. The Dow Jones outperformed, rising 106.84 points, or 0.25%, to end at 42,635.20. The three major averages are on pace for a second straight weekly loss.
B&M European Value Retail S.A. announced a positive trading update for the third quarter of FY25, highlighting a 3.5% year-to-date revenue growth on a constant currency basis. The company declared a special dividend of £151 million, reflecting strong cash generation driven by increased volume momentum. B&M UK and B&M France showed robust performance, with the latter achieving a 12.5% revenue increase. The company plans to open 73 new stores in FY25 and is considering relocating its parent company’s domicile to Jersey or Ireland. The announcement underscores B&M’s strong market positioning and strategic focus on value retailing, aiming to drive volume growth and maintain high return on capital, benefiting both operations and shareholders.
Greggs has reported it has surpassed £2bn in its full year trading period, in what its chief executive described as a “another year of good progress”. Total sales in the 52 weeks to December 28 reached £2.014bn, up 11.3% compared with 2023.
Marks & Spencer today reported “another good Christmas” after like-for-like sales rose 6.4% in the 13 weeks to 28 December. Comparable sales in the Food department lifted by 8.9% on a year earlier and by 1.9% in Clothing, Home and Beauty. Chief executive Stuart Machin said: “This was another good Christmas for M&S, building on a strong performance in the prior year.”
Tesco said it delivered its biggest ever Christmas after UK like-for-like sales growth accelerated to 4.1% in the six weeks to 4 January. The festive performance followed 3.8% growth in the quarter to 23 November, leaving Tesco’s market share at the highest since 2016 at 28.5%. Across the group, retail like-for-like sales were 3.8% higher in the Christmas period and 2.8% stronger in the third quarter. The grocer continues to expect an operating profit for the 2024/25 year of around £2.9 billion, in line with the upgraded guidance at half-year results.
No New Broker Comments
UK
B&M European Value Retail
Greggs
Marks & Spencer
Tesco
Unite
US
None
UK
Sainsbury (J)
US
BlackRock
Delta Air Lines
German Industrial Production
German Trade Balance
EU Economic Bulletin
EU Producer Price Index
EU Retail Sales
US Challenger Job Cuts
US Initial Jobless Claims
Fed’s Harker speech
Fed’s Schmid speech
BoE’s Breeden speech
Fed’s Bowman speech
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 9th January 2025:
Experian
Sage Group
Ashtead Group
Games Workshop Group
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 9th January 2025:
QinetiQ Group
XPS Pensions Group
Workspace Group
Greencore Group
AJ Bell
Primary Health Properties
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