FTSE 100 opened lower as strong jobs numbers added to concerns that UK interest rates might go up this year. London’s blue chip index dropped 60 points to 7,086 in early trades.
Fuel shortages are starting to feed through into retail sales numbers, which are at their lowest since lockdown, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Barclaycard also said that concerns over fuel and supplies are hitting consumer confidence.
EasyJet said it will post a loss of up to £1.18bn in the year to September as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More passengers are flying now however, it said, with capacity expected to be up to 70% of 2019 in the current quarter against 58% in the past three months.
Marley Group, a manufacturer of pitched roof systems, has postponed its proposed stock exchange listing, citing market volatility. Marley was planning to list on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange and intended to announce the offer price after a book-building process.
Among the small caps, Greatland Gold PLC (AIM:GGP, OTC:GRLGF) could become the second lowest cost gold company globally. With its partner Newcrest, it has just released a pre-feasibility study for the Havieron project in Australia.
Fellow miner BlueRock Diamonds PLC (AIM:BRD) posted record quarterly production at the Kareevlei mine in South Africa. The group is enjoying a solid market for rough diamonds.
InnovaDerma PLC (LSE:IDP) has appointed Instagram influencer and former Love Island contestant Liberty Poole as a Skinny Tan brand ambassador. The skincare firm wants to increase brand awareness by tapping to Poole’s 1.5mln Instagram followers.