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| Yesterday’s UK 100 Leaders | Price (p) | % Chg |
| HSBC Holdings PLC | 898.1 | 1.9% |
| GSK PLC | 1,443.0 | 1.7% |
| Vodafone Group PLC | 66.4 | 1.5% |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC | 644.4 | 1.4% |
| Natwest Group PLC | 445.2 | 1.4% |
| Yesterday’s UK 100 Laggards | Price (p) | % Chg |
| Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC | 10,190.0 | -4.7% |
| Sainsbury (J) PLC | 251.0 | -4.0% |
| Tesco PLC | 382.3 | -3.7% |
| Marks And Spencer Group PLC | 347.0 | -3.2% |
| Airtel Africa PLC | 138.8 | -2.9% |
| Major World Indices | Price | % Chg | 1 YEAR |
| UK 100 INDEX | 8,767 | 0.0% | 13.4% |
| DOW JONES INDUS. AVG | 44,556 | 0.0% | 15.4% |
| DAX INDEX | 22,845 | 0.2% | 33.7% |
| NIKKEI 225 | 39,165 | -0.3% | 1.8% |
| S&P/ASX 200 INDEX | 8,419 | -0.7% | 9.8% |
| Commodities | Units | Price | % Chg |
| WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) | USD/bbl. | 72.22 | 0.51% |
| Brent Crude (ICE) | USD/bbl. | 76.18 | 0.45% |
| Gold Spot | USD/t oz. | 2,935 | 0.0% |
| Copper (Comex) | USd/lb. | 463 | -0.3% |
Click graph to enlarge
The UK 100 called to open +7 points at 8,774. The UK 100 looks set to open marginally higher this morning, despite this mornings inflation figure coming in higher than had been expected, the office for national statistics attributed the rise to the cost of foods and non- alcoholic beverages, particularly meat, bread and cereals, as well as a rise of nearly 13% in private school fees as new VAT rules came in to place.
In the US yesterday, the S&P 500 closed at a record highs after stocks rallied seconds before the closing bell, as investors shook off headwinds on the global trade and inflation fronts. The broad market index gained 0.24% to a record close of 6,129.58, after touching an intraday record of 6,129.63 before the final bell. The Nasdaq closed up 0.07% at 20,041.26, while the Dow Jones added 10 points, or 0.02%, to finish the session at 44,556.34.
In Asia, the Hang Seng index gave up some of its recent advance with a fall of 0.3% while the Shanghai Composite improved 0.8%.
BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence company, reported a 14% rise in full-year earnings to 3.02 billion pounds ($3.81 billion on revenue of 28.34 billion pounds, also up 14%, reflecting strong demand from its customers.
Glencore said on Wednesday lower commodity prices had weighed on its earnings last year, but returned $2.2 billion to shareholders, reintroducing a share buyback. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 16% to $14.36 billion in 2024, from $17.1 billion last year, in line with analysts' consensus estimates of $14.55 billion. Last year marked the second consecutive year of lower profit for the miner and commodity trader, following two record years on soaring metals' prices. The Swiss-based commodity giant's payout of $2.2 billion means shareholders will get 18 cents per share this year, compared with 13 cents last year. A year after completing its previous buyback programme, Glencore announced a new $1 billion share repurchase plan, a move analysts see as likely to bolster the company's undervalued stock price. Glencore's share price lost 25% of its value in 2024, more than other diversified miners - BHP and Rio Tinto's London shares lost 21% and 19% respectively, while Anglo's shares rose 20%.
HSBC reported this morning that headcount fell 3% last year and its staff bonus pool hardly changed as a new CEO sharpened focus on costs and initiated sweeping restructuring of the Asia-focused lender, showed its 2024 financial report issued on Wednesday. The bank's bonus cash pool reached $3.80 billion in 2024 versus $3.77 billion a year earlier, the report showed. HSBC posted annual profit that beat market estimates, helped by increased revenue in wealth and markets businesses. It also set stiff cost-cutting targets under CEO Georges Elhedery's push to boost returns with increasing attention on Asia where the London-headquartered bank earns the bulk of its profit. The bank also announced a share buyback of up to $2 billion.
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UK
BAE Systems (BA.)
Glencore (GLEN)
Rio Tinto (RIO)
HSBC (HSBA)
US
Fiverr International (FVRR) PMO
Etsy (ETSY) AMC
Jackson Financial (JXN) AMC
UK
Anglo American (AAL)
Centrica (CNA)
Hays (HAS)
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY)
US
Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) PMO
Unity Software (U) PMO
Walmart (WMT) PMO
Block (XYZ) AMC
Booking Holdings (BKNG) AMC
Newmont (NEM) AMC
Rivian Automotive (RIVN) AMC
UK Consumer Price Index
UK Producer Price Index
UK Retail Price Index
US Building Permits
US Housing Starts
FOMC Minutes
UK 100 companies going ex-dividend on 20th February 2025:
Imperial Brands
easyJet
Land Securities Group
GSK
AstraZeneca
BP
UK 250 companies going ex-dividend on 20th February 2025:
Moonpig Group
NCC Group
PRS REIT
Brunner Investment Trust
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