London pre-open: Stocks to fall as Johnson heads to Brussels
London stocks were set to fall at the open on Tuesday, with all eyes on Brexit talks as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to meet EU Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen in Brussels.
The FTSE 100 was called to open 10 points lower at 6,540.
CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: "If the PM thinks a visit to Brussels is worthwhile then that would suggest the doorway to a deal remains open.
"When looked at through this prism, and with the clock counting down, it’s almost incomprehensible that none of the divisions that have been quite visible for months now, aren’t any closer to being bridged, which would appear to suggest that a deal seems as far away as ever.
"Perhaps, in these strange pandemic afflicted times, this is what the choreography of a deal looks like, with both sides playing to their own domestic agendas, cognisant of the fact that for the sake of a small compromise on either side the route to a deal still remains within touching distance."
In corporate news, plumbing and heating products supplier Ferguson reported a rise in first-quarter core earnings and revenue driven by a strong performance in all regions.
The company, formerly known as Wolseley, said adjusted core earnings came in at $558m, up 12.7% on revenue of $5.3bn, a gain of 3.1%.