FTSE100 made a bright start to the week as banks rallied following comments that there won’t be any more full-blow lockdowns in the UK from the Health Secretary yesterday. London’s blue-chip index rose by 32 to 7,060 in early trades.
Boris Johnson will spell out tomorrow what this year’s coronavirus winter is going to look like for UK residents. The PM is set to confirm scrapping the introduction of vaccine passports and the ending of some emergency powers said today’s reports.
Associated British Foods PLC (LSE:ABF) said sales tumbled in the fourth quarter but underlying operating profit for both Primark and its food businesses this year will top current expectations. The fast-fashion retail chain is expected to have an operating profit margin of over 10% due to lower labour costs, as it didn’t replace staff after they retired or resigned.
"Fortnite" game maker Epic Games intends to appeal a ruling in its antitrust case against Apple even though many thought it scored a victory. The iPhone maker was ordered to relax controls rules on developers but is allowed to continue its ban on third-party, in-app payment systems.
Among the small caps, MGC Pharmaceuticals has achieved a new landmark for the UK cannabis market. Its CannEpil+ treatment for epilepsy has been approved for import by the UK authorities.
IqGeo Group experienced a boom in demand thanks to the rollouts of fibre and 5G services across its markets. The geospatial software solutions group expects momentum to keep up over the coming months.
Horizonte Minerals has secured funding for its Araguaia ferro-nickel project in Brazil. The miner received approval from the Danish and Finnish export credit agencies.