London close: Stocks inch lower as US data comes in mixed
Despite setting a new intraday record just before the close, the FTSE 100 finished just a few points lower on Friday as investors took profits after a batch of mixed economic data from the States.
Banks
4,001.55
10:10 24/04/24
FTSE 100
8,078.75
10:10 24/04/24
FTSE 350
4,439.96
10:10 24/04/24
FTSE All-Share
4,394.02
10:10 24/04/24
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI)
176.60p
10:09 24/04/24
Intu Properties
1.78p
13:56 29/06/20
Lloyds Banking Group
51.32p
10:10 24/04/24
NATWEST GROUP
285.00p
10:10 24/04/24
Real Estate Investment Trusts
2,237.71
10:10 24/04/24
Standard Chartered
680.60p
10:10 24/04/24
Travel & Leisure
7,670.18
10:09 24/04/24
The Footsie ended the session down 3.07 points at 6,946.66, down just 0.04% from the all-time closing high of 6,949.73 reached on Thursday. The index rose as high as 6,962.51 in afternoon trade - the highest it has ever reached.
It was also a subdued start for stocks on Wall Street as a barrage of economic figures with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 also fluctuating near record highs.
Annualised US gross domestic product growth for the fourth quarter of 2014 was revised to 2.2% from the 2.6% originally estimated, but came in ahead of the +2.0% forecast; US pending home sales increased by a less-than-expected 6.5%; while the final reading of the February University of Michigan US consumer confidence index was revised higher to 95.4 but was still down from the 11-year high of 98.1 in January.
"Whilst this data didn’t cause a precipitous fall, it cemented a weak end the month after the US markets had seen such explosive gains as late as Tuesday," said Connor Campbell from Spreadex.
Not even the news that German parliament officially approved Greece’s request for a bailout extension could lift stocks, with the impact relatively muted impact given that a ‘yes’ vote had been widely expected.
IAG, StanChart and Lloyds rise, Intu and RBS drop
British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines was flying higher after reporting operating earnings 80.5% higher at £1.4bn for 2014, thanks partly to cheaper fuel, while its Iberia division swung from a loss to a profit. chief executive Willie Walsh said the Spanish unit’s “turnaround has been remarkable”.
Emerging markets-focused bank Standard Chartered was also up after unveiling a boardroom shake-up on Thursday, which included the departure of its chief executive, chairman and four other directors. The news prompted Canaccord Genuity to lift its rating on the stock from ’sell’ to ‘hold'.
UK lender Lloyds was trading higher despite 2014 results coming in below expectations, as investors celebrated the company’s resumption of a dividend for the first time in six years.
UK shopping centre owner Intu Properties declined after a fall in rents led to a 2.9% fall in underlying earnings per share, disappointing the City which had expected no change.
RBS’ share price was spending another day in the red on Friday as analysts reacted to the bank’s worse-than-expected 2014 results the previous session. Analysts at Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital and Societe Generale lowered their price targets for the stock on Friday, with the latter cutting its recommendation to 'sell'.
Meanwhile, shares in retinal imaging group Optos surged 31% after a cash offer from Nikon for £259m.
Market Movers
techMARK 3,160.27 -0.18%
FTSE 100 6,946.66 -0.04%
FTSE 250 17,273.82 +0.14%
FTSE 100 - Risers
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 580.00p +3.66%
Associated British Foods (ABF) 3,125.00p +2.49%
Intertek Group (ITRK) 2,530.00p +2.43%
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2,650.00p +2.12%
Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 3,193.00p +2.08%
Pearson (PSON) 1,420.00p +1.72%
Standard Chartered (STAN) 991.00p +1.54%
Kingfisher (KGF) 365.40p +1.42%
Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 5,860.00p +1.21%
St James's Place (STJ) 948.00p +1.17%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Intu Properties (INTU) 353.50p -5.10%
Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 367.20p -5.02%
Barclays (BARC) 256.90p -1.98%
Weir Group (WEIR) 1,704.00p -1.73%
Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 468.60p -1.53%
Royal Mail (RMG) 420.40p -1.52%
Meggitt (MGGT) 545.00p -1.45%
Friends Life Group Limited (FLG) 411.10p -1.34%
BG Group (BG.) 958.00p -1.24%
Aviva (AV.) 539.00p -1.19%
FTSE 250 - Risers
Allied Minds (ALM) 595.00p +15.98%
Rightmove (RMV) 3,029.00p +13.36%
PZ Cussons (PZC) 337.80p +6.97%
Just Retirement Group (JRG) 177.40p +4.72%
Rentokil Initial (RTO) 135.30p +4.40%
FirstGroup (FGP) 105.40p +3.94%
Moneysupermarket.com Group (MONY) 273.70p +3.67%
Card Factory (CARD) 285.00p +3.56%
National Express Group (NEX) 284.10p +3.35%
Synthomer (SYNT) 292.10p +3.14%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Afren (AFR) 8.61p -10.55%
Berendsen (BRSN) 1,100.00p -4.35%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 2,473.00p -3.74%
Redefine International (RDI) 56.20p -3.44%
William Hill (WMH) 377.70p -3.28%
Alent (ALNT) 352.40p -3.08%
PayPoint (PAY) 859.00p -3.05%
IMI (IMI) 1,381.00p -3.02%
Saga (SAGA) 184.00p -3.00%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 368.70p -2.97%