Blue-chip stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Wednesday ahead of a Canadian interest rate decision and consumer price index inflation data from the US.
The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.16 points, 0.3%, at 8,253.20. The FTSE 250 was down 79.67 points, 0.4%, at 20,894.27, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.58 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.99.
The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% lower at 828.28, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3% at 18,409.88, and the Cboe Small Companies fell 0.1% at 16,281.18.
The CAC 40 was down 0.2% in Paris. The DAX 40 in Frankfurt was 0.1% lower.
The pound rose to $1.2747 early Wednesday in London, flat from $1.2748 at the time of the London equities close on Tuesday. The euro faded to $1.0502 from $1.0507. Versus the yen, the dollar fell to JP¥151.65 from JP¥152.02.
Brent oil was quoted at $72.36 a barrel, declining from $72.65. Gold rose to $2,694.17 an ounce from $2,690.00.
US consumer price inflation is expected to have crept up to an annual rate of 2.7% in November, according to FXStreet cited consensus, from 2.6% in October.
XTB analyst Kathleen Brooks commented: ‘We do not think that the outcome of this report will detract from the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates next week, there is currently an 86% chance of a rate cut priced in by the Fed Fund Futures market. However, a hot inflation print, that pushes headline inflation well above estimates, could lead to questions being asked about the wisdom of cutting interest rates when inflation remains high, and before the new Trump administration comes in with policies that could trigger even more price pressure down the line.
‘The Fed’s mandate is not purely price stability, it also needs to ensure full employment. It is doing well on the second part of its mandate, the November NFP report showed that the US economy created 227,000 jobs last month, even though the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, the highest level since August. Thus, it would make sense for the Fed to concentrate more on prices, especially since the disinflation trend has come to a halt in 2024, with headline inflation stuck in a range between 2.4% and 3%. Thus, the outcome of this report may carry more significance than some may think.’
The inflation data is released at 1330 GMT.
The next Fed decision is next week Wednesday. Before that, there is a Bank of Canada decision this afternoon at 1445 GMT.
The European Central Bank’s final decision of the year is on Thursday.
ING analysts commented: ‘It has been a very quiet week on the European data calendar as investors await the main event of the week – tomorrow’s ECB decision. Market pricing has settled on a 25bp ECB rate cut – with which we agree – although a dovish press conference from President Lagarde could keep the euro offered.’
In London, International Consolidated Airlines Group was the best large-cap performer, and equipment hire firm Ashtead Group the worst.
IAG added 1.5% as Deutsche Bank lifted the stock to ’buy’ from ’hold’.
Ashtead, after sliding 14% after a guidance cut on Tuesday, shed another 3.5% early Wednesday. Goldman Sachs cut the stock to ’neutral’ from ’buy’.
Kainos added 7.7%. IT firm Kainos re-appointed Brendan Mooney as its chief executive officer, just over a year after he stepped down from the position. Mooney replaces Russell Sloan in the post, who leaves the Workday partner with ‘immediate effect’.
Mooney has worked for Kainos since 1989 and was CEO for more than two decades before he left the position in September of last year.
Chair Rosaleen Blair said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Brendan back to the role of CEO. Having overseen a hugely successful period of growth for Kainos, he needs very little introduction to anyone connected with the group. Brendan’s knowledge of the group, its challenges and opportunities is unsurpassed and we look forward to a clear focus on a return to growth. I would also like to thank Russell for the enormous contribution that he has made to Kainos in his 25 years with the group. He played a key role in the development of Kainos. In his time with the business, it went from a small private company to an international business operating in over 20 countries. He leaves with our gratitude and respect and we wish him every success in the future.’
On the decline, ProCook shed 14%. The pots and pans seller reported a slow start to its key third-quarter, amid weak footfall ahead of the UK budget.
It also reported its pretax loss in the half-year to October 28 was unchanged annually at £3.2 million. Revenue rose 7.5%, however, to £28.3 million from £26.3 million.
In the first eight weeks of the third-quarter, revenue was 7.5% higher on-year, up 0.9% like-for-like.
‘Retail performance was hampered by weak footfall during the early weeks of the second half, coinciding with the budget event, but has improved since. As a result, retail like for like revenue was -4.0%. New stores contributed a further [10.3 percentage] points to deliver total retail revenue growth of 6.3% over the eight weeks,’ ProCook added.
In New York on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each lost 0.3%.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 ended marginally higher on Wednesday. In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5%. In China, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.8%.
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