FTSE 100 rose as a wave of results and reopening optimism boosted the mood on investors. Anglo American and Shell were good, BT not so much and the blue-chip index was up 45 at points at 7,061.
Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) PLC declared its first interim dividend after the recent removal of the Bank of England’s cap and said it is buying investment and retirement platform Embark Group. Net income in the second quarter of £2.74bn was just ahead of City expectations.
Facebook grew at its fastest since 2016 in its latest quarter but warned things are set to slow markedly. Revenue hit $29bn, above forecasts, and profits doubled to $10.4bn thanks to a boom in online advertising.
Diageo PLC, the maker of Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout, reported organic net sales growth across all regions over the past year but warned it expects volatility in some markets in the coming months. Chief executive Ivan Menezes said the group expects organic net sales momentum to continue into the new financial year.
Among the small caps, Kodal Minerals PLC (LON:KOD) found wide, high-grade intersections of gold mineralisation at the Nielle Concession in northern Côte d'Ivoire. The miner will soon move to the next phase of drilling.
Scancell Holdings PLC (FRA:SCP)(LON:SCLP) will go ahead with the phase I clinical trial of a potential next-generation COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of the year. The pharma group received the green light by South African regulators.
4D Pharma PLC (LON:DDDD) has secured a credit facility for up to US$30mln with Oxford Finance. The initial tranche will provide enough cash to carry on with activities for the whole of 2022.
