(Alliance News) – London’s FTSE 100 closed higher on Monday as gains for British banks helped end a recent run of losses.
The FTSE 100 index rose 52.80 points, or 0.7%, to 8,125.19. The FTSE 250 index closed up 203.57 points, or 1.0%, at 20,721.49. The AIM All-Share gained 3.57 points, or 0.5%, to 737.93.
The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.7% to 815.50, the Cboe UK 250 rose 1.1% to 18,160.09 but the Cboe Small Companies fell 0.4% to 16,177.81.
In Europe, the CAC 40 in Paris and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt both rose 1.2%.
U.S. stocks were higher, building on Friday’s record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8%, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.1%.
The dollar received further support as investors weighed the implications of looser fiscal policy and possible tariffs from new President Donald Trump.
“The Trump trade came under pressure late last week,” said Kathleen Brooks at XTB, and the question now is whether that can continue.
“In recent days, Mr. Trump has been tough on tariffs and illegal immigration. Both are inflationary policies: one by increasing tax rates, the other by reduction in labor supply,” she noted.
“This took some excitement away from the federal funds futures market. The probability of a rate cut in December fell to 64%, down from 80% before the election. “As a result, the Trump market could turn in the coming days. The frenzied rally that followed Trump’s victory could face headwinds,” Mr. Brooks suggested.
Brown Brothers Harriman analysts expect the dollar to rise further.
Beyond the “Trump Trade”, the American economy is in a favorable situation and outperforms other advanced economies. Furthermore, the prospect of looser fiscal policy under a Trump administration and limited easing room from the Fed points to a stronger dollar.”
The pound was quoted at 1.2875 USD late Monday afternoon in London, compared to 1.2926 USD at the close of stock markets on Friday. The euro settled at USD 1.0654, down from USD 1.0731. Against the yen, the dollar traded higher at 153.81 yen from 152.62 yen.
On London’s FTSE 100, NatWest rose 3.7% after buying back £1 billion worth of shares from the UK Treasury, as the British government continues to sell its stake in the lender.
The government now owns a 12% stake in NatWest, having held 84% following the taxpayer bailout of what was then the Royal Bank of Scotland Group during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.
Until 2018, the Treasury held a 62% stake in NatWest, but it has gradually sold it since. NatWest said it would cancel all repurchased shares. It continues to target a CET1 ratio of 13 to 14%.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould said the decision to sell NatWest shares close to their highest level in nine years vindicated Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision in July to abandon the takeover bid. purchase “Tell Sid” of the remaining government stake.
Abandoning the share sale was one of the first things she did after Labor won the general election, declaring it a “poor use of taxpayers’ money “, given that the initiative created by the previous government was to offer the shares at a potentially significant discount to the market price in order to entice the public to buy them.
Mr Mold noted that the borrowing increases unveiled in the Budget have pushed up gilt yields and changed the outlook for interest rates.
“The market now believes rates could stay relatively high for longer, which creates a more favorable backdrop for banks’ ability to charge higher rates for loans,” he said.
This translated into gains for Barclays, up 3.6%, and Lloyds Banking Group, up 3.1%.
Leading the FTSE 100 risers, Croda rose 5.2%, following a reassuring trading update.
In a trading update, the Yorkshire-based specialty chemicals company said third-quarter sales rose 5% to £407 million, compared to £387 million a year ago.
Its outlook for the full year remains unchanged, with the company targeting adjusted pre-tax profit of between £260m and £280m at constant currencies. Adjusted profit before tax in 2023 was £308.8 million.
“Stocks have had a tough year, so the third quarter revenue growth and retained profit guidance contained in the latest update were welcomed by relieved investors,” Mr Mold observed by AJ Bell.
But Citi analysts noted that the rise in the pound implies total adjusted pre-tax profit of £256 million, 2% below the company’s consensus.
Additionally, Citi said consensus FY25 pre-tax profit of £309m implies growth of around 20% and could prove challenging without a further recovery in the demand environment , given the implied execution rate of the second half.
“We see downside risk to 2025 consensus earnings estimates,” Citi concluded.
A sharp drop in the price of gold put Endeavor Mining and Fresnillo in the hot seat, with declines of 3.9% and 1.7%, respectively.
The yellow metal was quoted at 2,617.20 USD per ounce late Monday afternoon, down sharply compared to Friday at the same time (2,685.63 USD).
Fawad Razaqzada of City Index noted that the rising dollar has made gold more expensive for foreign buyers, which could stifle demand, while higher bond yields increase the opportunity cost of holding assets non-productive like gold and silver.
“Although the rise in gold has been significant, the recent price action could be a sign of a natural and necessary correction from too high levels. In this context, the short-term forecast for gold has become slightly bearish,” he added.
On the FTSE 250, Kainos shone, rising 6.2%.
The London-based IT services company said its profits rose more than 10% in the first half of the current financial year and announced the launch of a 30 million share buyback. pounds sterling.
Trustpilot also rose 4.7% as Deutsche Bank began covering the stock with a “buy rating”.
On the AIM, shares of Aquis Exchange more than doubled after the company agreed to be bought by Six Group, the Swiss stock exchange operator.
The 727 pence per share takeover offer from Zurich-based Six Exchange values Aquis at £225 million on a fully diluted basis.
For its part, Aquis said it recognized that the European foreign exchange market remained highly competitive and required continued investment in technology and distribution. It said it accepted Six’s offer after extensive discussions and “several unsolicited proposals” from Six.
“Aquis will be better positioned to execute its strategy of developing innovative capital markets solutions from a position of greater scale,” the company said in a statement.
Brent oil fell to USD 71.76 a barrel by the close of trading in London on Monday, down from USD 73.58 at the end of the day on Friday.
Tuesday’s local business calendar includes third-quarter results from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, gambling operator Flutter Entertainment and half-year results from telecommunications company Vodafone.
The global economic calendar includes UK unemployment and wage growth figures at 0700 GMT and German CPI data also at 0700 GMT.
By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter
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