This report is not a personal recommendation and does not take into account your personal circumstances or appetite for risk.
| UK 100 Leaders | Close (p) | Chg (p) | % Chg | % YTD |
| CRH PLC | 1456 | 39.0 | 2.8 | 0.6 |
| Smiths Group PLC | 1300 | 34.0 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| Hargreaves Lansdown PLC | 1109 | 29.0 | 2.7 | 8.4 |
| AstraZeneca PLC | 4201.5 | 109.0 | 2.7 | 30.3 |
| ARM Holdings PLC | 930.5 | 23.5 | 2.6 | 5.7 |
| Aggreko PLC | 1749 | 39.0 | 2.3 | 5.9 |
| International Consolidated Airlines Group SA | 339.6 | 7.0 | 2.1 | 5.0 |
| Intertek Group PLC | 2865 | 57.0 | 2.0 | -9.5 |
| UK 100 Laggards | Close (p) | Chg (p) | % Chg | % YTD |
| British Land Co PLC | 724.5 | -6.0 | -0.8 | 23.9 |
| Randgold Resources Ltd | 5030 | -35.0 | -0.7 | 13.8 |
| Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC | 5255 | -35.0 | -0.7 | 14.2 |
| Land Securities Group PLC | 1092 | -6.0 | -0.6 | 18.4 |
| RSA Insurance Group PLC | 437.8 | -1.6 | -0.4 | -19.2 |
| Prudential PLC | 1415.5 | -4.5 | -0.3 | 19.2 |
| Fresnillo PLC | 1003 | -2.0 | -0.2 | 4.8 |
| Royal Mail Group PLC | 435.1 | -0.5 | -0.1 | 0.0 |
| Major World Indices | Mid/Close | Chg | % Chg | % YTD |
| UK UK 100 | 6,741.3 | 52.2 | 0.78 | -0.1 |
| UK | 15,796.4 | 128.6 | 0.82 | -0.9 |
| FR CAC 40 | 4,230.7 | 56.3 | 1.35 | -1.5 |
| DE DAX 30 | 9,245.3 | 152.7 | 1.68 | -3.2 |
| US DJ Industrial Average 30 | 16,838.7 | 175.8 | 1.05 | 1.6 |
| US Nasdaq Composite 100 | 4,508.3 | 43.4 | 0.97 | 7.9 |
| US S&P 500 | 1,971.7 | 16.7 | 0.85 | 6.7 |
| JP Nikkei 225 | 15,458.2 | 135.6 | 0.89 | -5.1 |
| HK Hang Seng Index 48 | 24,960.4 | 5.0 | 0.02 | 7.1 |
| AU S&P/ASX 200 | 5,625.7 | 38.6 | 0.69 | 5.1 |
| Commodities & FX | Mid/Close | Chg | % Chg | % YTD |
| Crude Oil, US Light Sweet ($/barrel) | 94.13 | 0.18 | 0.19 | -4.8 |
| Crude Oil, Brent ($/barrel) | 101.84 | 0.55 | 0.54 | -8.6 |
| Gold ($/oz) | 1300.95 | 1.65 | 0.13 | 7.8 |
| Silver ($/oz) | 19.66 | 0.04 | 0.22 | 1.0 |
| Platinum ($/oz) | 1447.50 | -11.50 | -0.79 | 5.3 |
| GBP/USD – US$ per £ | 1.672 | – | -0.02 | 1.0 |
| EUR/USD – US$ per € | 1.336 | – | -0.02 | -2.8 |
| GBP/EUR – € per £ | 1.252 | – | 0.01 | 3.8 |
Click graph to enlarge
See Live Macro Calendar for full data line-up, incl. consensus expectations
UK 100 called to open up 16pts at 6765, a fifth straight day of gain on the cards?
The UK 100 Index advanced 52pts yesterday. 89 of the UK 100 companies rose in value on reports of positive talks between Ukraine and Russia eased fears of further violence in the region.
The gains were spread among a variety of sectors, the best performing stock was building supplies company CRH (CRH.L). Shares rose 2.75% ahead of first half number due this morning. Sector peer Travis Perkins (TPK.L) gained 1.36% as a result.
Money flowed back into house builder stocks, and related companies, on a punchy first half trading statement from Bovis Homes (BVS.L).
Bovis Homes reported an increase in pre-tax profit of 166% derived from a record number of completions. Shares in the listed house builder advanced 4.49% which in turn lifted UK 100 peers Persimmon (PSN.L) by 1.75% and Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) by 1.22%.
BREAKING NEWS - Persimmon (PSN.L) reports a 57% increase in first half pre-tax profits. CRH reports a 4% increase in first half sales to €8.3bn. Watch for the market reaction at 8am.
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL..L) continued its recovery having fallen from 1500p to 1000p since March, shares gained 2.69% yesterday to 1109p.
ARM Holdings (ARM.L) shares added 2.59% as influential broker Goldman Sachs added the company to its 'conviction buy' list and issued a target price of 1400p. Shares closed at 930.50p.
Randgold Resources (RRS.L) down 0.69% and Fresnillo (FRES.L) down 0.20%, were among the eleven declining stocks of the UK 100 as the price of gold dropped below $1300 as traders dumped the safe haven commodity in favour of equities.
U.S. markets joined the equity party, the Dow Jones edging ever closer to the 17,000 level yet again after closing 175pts higher at 16,838 after confidence in the U.S. housing industry climbed to the highest level in seven months.
The S&P 500 closed at 1,971pts, within less than 1% from an all-time high as the possibility of a serious deterioration of the Russia-Ukraine situation receded.
The combination of easing geopolitical tensions and equity market routs in the west ensured Asian markets headed higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index is on target for its highest closing level since May 2008, while the Nikkei 225, ASX 200 and Sensex 30 all advanced.
In commodities, gold held below $1300 an ounce as tensions eased in Ukraine and the Middle East, however of note we have the Fed minutes released tomorrow.
Brent continued to fall yesterday hitting a 14 month low of $101.85 a barrel, whilst WTI bucked the trend to finish positive by 0.5% to $96.80 a barrel.
In FX, the dollar strengthened against the euro after a report showed confidence among U.S. homebuilders reached the highest level in seven months, bolstering the case for an accelerating U.S. economy.
In focus today we have UK CPI released at 9:30am expected to come in lower than last month, followed by US CPI and US Building Permits at 13:30pm.
For any help you may require placing trades or in terms of market information, put a call in to our trading floor – it’s all part of the service.
See Live Macro Calendar for full data line-up, incl. consensus expectations
This research is produced by Accendo Markets Limited. Research produced and disseminated by Accendo Markets is classified as non-independent research, and is therefore a marketing communication. This investment research has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote its independence and it is not subject to the prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research. This research does not constitute a personal recommendation or offer to enter into a transaction or an investment, and is produced and distributed for information purposes only.
Accendo Markets considers opinions and information contained within the research to be valid when published, and gives no warranty as to the investments referred to in this material. The income from the investments referred to may go down as well as up, and investors may realise losses on investments. The past performance of a particular investment is not necessarily a guide to its future performance. Prepared by Michael van Dulken, Head of Research