Stock prices in London beat their counterparts in Paris and Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, edging slightly higher, despite a weaker oil price hitting Shell and BP.
Shell lost 0.4% and BP 0.2% on Middle East ceasefire hope.
The FTSE 100 index added 11.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,270.05. The FTSE 250 rose 36.35 points, 0.2%, at 20,605.00, and the AIM All-Share added 2.55 points, 0.4%, at 733.14.
The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 831.30, the Cboe UK 250 also added 0.1% at 18,073.09, and the Cboe Small Companies was down 0.2% at 15,638.86.
The CAC 40 in Paris lost 1.1%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt fell 0.3%.
In Tokyo on Wednesday, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.8%. The Shanghai Composite surged 1.5%, however, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong jumped 2.3%. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6%.
While European equities made a tentative start, stocks in New York powered higher on Wednesday, shaking off tariff worries that kept a lid on enthusiasm across the Atlantic.
In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 0.3% on Tuesday. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.6%.
‘It’s America first when it comes to stock market performance,’ XTB analyst Kathleen Brooks commented.
‘The US stock market narrative is starting to shift. Amazon was one of the top performers on Tuesday, as we wait for Black Friday. Sales are expected to reach a record, with more than $270bn expected to be spent in the US this weekend alone. Analysts are expecting a record-breaking weekend for retail sales. If that happens, then we could see a strong run for consumer discretionary stocks into the end of the year.’
The pound was quoted at $1.2599 early Wednesday, rising from $1.2548 late Tuesday. The euro stood at $1.0518, up from $1.0475. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JP¥151.64, slumping from JP¥153.52.
US Federal Reserve officials expect a gradual easing of monetary policy given that inflation is easing, and the labour market is solid, minutes on Tuesday showed.
The summary of November’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting showed Fed officials are confident that inflation is heading towards its 2% remit, even if month-on-month readings remain volatile. Some officials said it may take longer to hit target than planned.
As a result, officials said should data come in as expected, ‘it would likely be appropriate to move gradually toward a more neutral stance of policy over time.’
The minutes gave no steer as to the timing and pace of any possible cuts.
The minutes showed almost all officials judged that the risks to achieving the FOMC’s employment and inflation goals were roughly in balance.
Officials saw the labour market as ‘solid’, although it merited close monitoring with ‘elevated risks’ that the market could deteriorate.
Analysts at Lloyds Bank commented: ‘On inflation upside risks were described as ’little changed’ but that part of the story is set to come under challenge today. If the October core PCE deflator rises to 2.8% year-on-year as expected it will be a challenge to see this as consistent with the September Fed projections of 2.6% for Q4 as a whole.’
The personal consumption expenditures reading for October is among a US data dump released at 1330 GMT. There is also gross domestic product data, initial jobless claims and durable goods orders.
Brent oil was quoted at $72.54 a barrel early Wednesday, weakening from $73.42 at the time of the London equities close on Tuesday. Gold climbed to $2,650.93 an ounce, from $2,629.43.
Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza, a senior official in the Palestinian group said, hailing the ceasefire that took hold in Lebanon.
‘We have informed mediators in Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that Hamas is ready for a ceasefire agreement and a serious deal to exchange prisoners,’ the official told AFP, however accusing Israel of obstructing an agreement.
In London, easyJet rose 2.5% on strong yearly results, with British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group climbing 1.3% in a positive read across.
easyJet reported a jump in annual profit, reflecting higher capacity, rising prices, and growth in the firm’s package holidays business.
The Luton-based budget airline said pretax profit of £602 million for the financial year that ended September 30 was up 39% from £432 million a year prior. Headline pretax profit surged 34% to £610 million from £455 million.
Auction Technology jumped 11%, the best FTSE 250 performer. The operator of online auctions said pretax profit in the year to September 30 more than doubled to $18.4 million from $8.6 million. Revenue rose 5.0% to $174.2 million from $165.9 million.
‘ATG continued to deliver growth, generate strong cash flow and execute against investments that improve the user experience and capture more of the auction value chain, despite some continued headwinds in our end-markets,’ Chief Executive Officer John-Paul Savant said.
Trading in the first eight weeks of the new year ‘has continued to show positive momentum’, It expects revenue growth in financial 2025 of 4% to 6%.
Pets At Home fell 8.4%, the worst mid-cap performer, as it has grappled with a ‘subdued market’, though it noted it outperformed.
In the half-year to October 10, revenue rose 1.9% on-year to £789.1 million from £774.2 million. Pretax profit improved 47% to £51.1 million from £34.7 million.
‘However, we are operating in an unusually subdued pet retail market which we now expect to continue through H2. We are confident this will be temporary, and growth will return to historical norms with the longer-term attractive outlook for the UK pet care market unchanged,’ the pet care retailer said.
It now expects underlying pretax profit to grow ‘modestly’ in the full-year. In August, it predicted an outcome in line with consensus at the time of £144 million, which would have represented growth of 5.6%.
Elsewhere in London, Motorpoint raced 12% higher. The vehicle retailer reported a swing to half-year profit, despite a revenue decline. It also noted an improving market backdrop, with ‘macroeconomic pressures to generally ease’.
Pretax profit in the six months to September 30 totalled £2.0 million, swinging from a loss of £4.7 million a year prior. Revenue fell 7.3% to £563.1 million from £607.2 million.
Motorpoint said ‘strong momentum has continued’ into the second-half.
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