London open: Stocks little changed in early trading

Stocks in the UK have started the session slightly lower, despite the record highs notched up overnight by the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite in the US.

Source: Sharecast

As of 0901 BST, the FTSE 100 is trading 0.06% lower at 9,007.77, alongside a 0.20% dip on the FTSE 250 to 21,966.88.

On Monday, the benchmark S&P 500 settled above the 6,300 point level for the first time ever, although the breadth of stocks' advance continued to be quite narrow.

On the economic calendar for later in the session, Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, was scheduled to deliver remarks at a conference in Washington D.C. from 1230 BST.

Earlier, at 0915 BST, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey was also set to take to the podium at 0915 BST.

The Office for National Statistics reported an increase in the UK's public sector net borrowing requirement from £17.44bn in May to £20.68bn for June (consensus: £15.6bn).

Light news calendar

Food services business Compass Group upgrading FY25 profit guidance due to strong organic growth and a better-than-expected M&A performance. Compass Group also announced it has agreed to acquire Vermaat Groep, a leading premium food services business in Europe, for approximately €1.5bn.

Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Tuesday that it plans to invest $50.0bn in the US for medicines manufacturing and R&D by 2030. AstraZeneca said its investment will support its ambition to reach $80.0bn in revenues by 2030, with 50% generated in the US.

Inchcape has agreed to acquire Icelandic automotive distributor Askja for an undisclosed sum. Askja generated revenue of £150.0m in fiscal 2024 and employs 260 people. During FY24, Iceland's total industry volume for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles was around 12,000 units, of which Askja holds a 16% market share, Inchcape said.

Market Movers

FTSE 100 (UKX) 9,007.31 -0.06%
FTSE 250 (MCX) 21,963.35 -0.22%
techMARK (TASX) 5,157.57 -0.19%

FTSE 100 - Risers

Compass Group (CPG) 2,635.00p 4.40%
Centrica (CNA) 163.10p 4.12%
Glencore (GLEN) 321.40p 2.77%
Entain (ENT) 973.60p 1.52%
Rio Tinto (RIO) 4,671.00p 1.32%
British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,870.00p 0.89%
SSE (SSE) 1,944.00p 0.78%
Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,970.00p 0.69%
WPP (WPP) 416.40p 0.63%
Anglo American (AAL) 2,321.00p 0.61%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Admiral Group (ADM) 3,266.00p -2.39%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 4,708.00p -2.10%
Spirax Group (SPX) 6,095.00p -1.69%
Beazley (BEZ) 903.50p -1.58%
Barratt Redrow (BTRW) 379.50p -1.53%
Legal & General Group (LGEN) 256.40p -1.46%
Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,054.00p -1.40%
Aviva (AV.) 630.00p -1.38%
Barclays (BARC) 348.30p -1.28%
Croda International (CRDA) 2,825.00p -1.19%

FTSE 250 - Risers

Bakkavor Group (BAKK) 237.00p 6.76%
Pennon Group (PNN) 536.50p 2.00%
Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) 365.20p 1.67%
Patria Private Equity Trust (PPET) 559.00p 1.64%
Mony Group (MONY) 207.00p 1.47%
Senior (SNR) 200.50p 1.37%
Mitie Group (MTO) 139.20p 1.31%
B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 243.40p 1.29%
Ruffer Investment Company Ltd Red PTG Pref Shares (RICA) 285.00p 0.71%
Inchcape (INCH) 788.00p 0.70%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Kier Group (KIE) 199.60p -4.95%
Vistry Group (VTY) 599.20p -2.19%
Hochschild Mining (HOC) 265.20p -1.85%
Bridgepoint Group (Reg S) (BPT) 319.40p -1.72%
Oxford Instruments (OXIG) 1,952.00p -1.71%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 310.30p -1.62%
Close Brothers Group (CBG) 408.00p -1.50%
RS Group (RS1) 569.00p -1.47%
Trustpilot Group (TRST) 264.00p -1.35%
Bellway (BWY) 2,532.00p -1.25%

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