Market Report - Midday
London midday: Stocks extend gains amid weak pound, Sainsbury's surges on Asda deal
London stocks had extended gains by midday on Monday, underpinned by a weaker pound and deal news after Sainsbury's announced plans to merge with Walmart's UK unit, Asda.
London midday: Stocks push higher as pound plunges on weak GDP
London stocks had extended gains by midday on Friday as the pound fell below $1. 38 for the first time since the start of March on the back of weak UK growth figures.
London midday: Stocks turn higher as Barclays gains; ECB presser eyed
London stocks had shaken off small early losses to trade a little higher by midday on Thursday as Barclays turned up, with traders preparing for the latest policy announcement from the European Central Bank and ensuing press conference.
London midday: Stocks stay red but Sky jumps as Comcast makes formal bid
London stocks fell further into the red by midday on Wednesday, taking their cue from a selloff on Wall Street amid rising bond yields, despite higher takeover offers boosting Sky and Shire.
London midday: Stocks maintain gains as investors mull data; Shire surges
London stocks were holding on to gains by midday on Tuesday as investors digested the latest government borrowing figures, with Shire pacing the advance as it was said to be nearing a preliminary agreement with Japan's Takeda.
London midday: Stocks nudge lower despite pound falling to five-month low
London stocks had nudged a touch lower by midday on Monday even as the pound fell to its worst level in five weeks against the dollar amid a new parliamentary Brexit conflict, with investors looking for fresh catalysts following an easing of geopolitical tensions.
London midday: Stocks maintain gains amid mixed signals on rate hikes
London stocks rose were holding on their gains by midday on Friday as investors mulled dovish comments from Bank of England governor Mark Carney against a more hawkish tone from rate-setter Michael Saunders.
London midday: Stocks bask in sun despite gloomy retail data; Shire surges
London stocks were holding on to small gains by midday on Thursday as investors shrugged off disappointing retail sales data, with Shire surging to the top of the leaderboard amid reports of a takeover offer from Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical.
London midday: Stocks up, pound down as inflation data casts doubt over BoE hike
London stocks extended gains by midday on Wednesday as the pound took a hit from the latest round of inflation data, which raised doubts over a rate hike by the Bank of England next month.
London midday: Retailers lead equity gains as pound slips back on wage data
London stocks were higher by midday on Tuesday as the pound slipped back following the latest wage growth figures for the UK.
London midday: FTSE dragged lower by energy shares, stronger pound
London stocks extended losses by midday on Monday, weighed down by energy shares and a stronger pound, as investors continued to assess the impact of US-led airstrikes in Syria at the weekend, although Whitbread and Shire were bright spots.
London midday: Stocks flat as investors eye US earnings; Hammerson tanks
London stocks were steady by midday on Friday as investors kept an eye on the geopolitical situation, with the latest Chinese trade data in focus and US bank earnings eyed.
London midday: Stocks reverse losses as Trump appears to backtrack
London stocks had reversed earlier losses by midday on Thursday, helped along by solid performances from Shire and Tesco, as US President Trump graced his Twitter feed yet again with a message suggesting he was backtracking on his earlier aggressive stance on Syria.
London midday: Stocks maintain losses as manufacturing data disappoints
London stocks were still in the red by midday on Wednesday following an unexpected drop in UK manufacturing and a sharp fall in construction output, as the bright spot of Tesco's results was overshadowed by investor caution over geopolitical tensions and ahead of US inflation figures and Federal Reserve minutes.
London midday: Stocks gain as China's Xi soothes trade spat fears
London stocks were holding on to gains by midday on Tuesday, with sentiment underpinned by a pledge from Chinese leader Xi Jinping to open up the country's economy and lower import tariffs.
London midday: FTSE flattens out as US sanctions hit Russia-exposed stocks
London equity markets had flattened out by midday on Monday, weighed down by weakness in stocks with exposure to Russia, although Rolls-Royce and WPP put in solid performances.
London midday: Stocks maintain mild losses as Trump makes new tariff threat, payrolls eyed
London stocks were still a little weaker by midday on Friday after US President Donald Trump said he might slap $100bn more tariffs on China, with investors looking ahead to the latest non-farm payrolls report.
London midday: Bargain-hunting boosts shares as trade worries recede
London stocks were holding on to solid gains by midday on Thursday despite weaker-than-expected data that showed activity in the UK services sector slowed to a 20-month low in March, as worries about a trade war between the US and China eased.
London midday: Stocks take a hit as US-China trade spat escalates
London stocks were in the red by midday on Wednesday following a steady start, tracking broader losses as the tit-for-tat trade spat between the US and China intensified.
London midday: Stocks pare losses after manufacturing data; Sky rallies
London stocks were off lows by midday on Tuesday as it emerged that UK manufacturing output unexpectedly picked up last month, although the downbeat tone persisted after a selloff in the US technology sector and amid renewed trade tensions.