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(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were largely higher in early dealings on Monday, while the pound also was supported as new UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to make an emergency statement in a bid to calm markets.
The FTSE 100 index rose 8.49 points, or 0.1%, to 6,867.28 on Monday morning.
The FTSE 250 was up 61.32 points, or 0.4%, to 17,094.14. The AIM All-Share dipped 0.75 of a point, 0.1%, at 779.05.
The Cboe UK 100 opened 0.1% lower at 686.07, the Cboe UK 250 inched up 0.1% to 14,593.81, and the Cboe Small Companies traded flat at 12,277.77.
In European equities on Monday morning, the CAC 40 in Paris declined marginally, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt edged 0.1% lower.
Hunt, the fourth person to have the keys to Number 11 Downing Street since the start of 2022, will make an emergency statement on Monday to calm the chaos in the financial markets.
Markets re-opened on Monday for the first time since the Bank of England ended its government bond-buying scheme, with all eyes on the reaction in gilt trading.
Gilt prices surged early Monday. The yield on the 30-year UK government bond narrowed to 4.47% around 0845 BST from 4.85% late Friday.
The bank stuck to its guns by ending its emergency gilt-buying programme on Friday despite fears it would see a return to volatile market conditions which sparked a damaging sell-off in gilts that left some pension funds on the verge of collapse.
"Under pressure to outline his economic strategy after a weekend of media interviews, the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is bringing forward some of his tax and spending announcements to today. His aim is to reassure the markets and the electorate that he is focused on fiscal discipline and sustainable public finances by reversing some of his predecessor’s unfunded mini-budget announcements a fortnight ahead of schedule," Interactive Investor analyst Victoria Scholar commented.
"Among other potential U-turns, the chancellor could delay the 1 pence reduction in income tax to 19 pence by a year. Hunt said he will be looking across all government departments to find spending cuts and said some taxes may even need to rise, in yet another dramatic U-turn from the Truss administration. It is estimated that there is a GBP72 billion black hole that the treasury must fill, prompting fears of a new era of austerity."
All eyes are also on the future of UK Prime Minister Liz Truss. Her fiscal plans were left in tatters after a series of U-turns, including plans to reverse a rise in corporation tax announced by Rishi Sunak, her former leadership rival who was the chancellor up until July.
Truss will try to save her premiership this week, with her fate hinging on the mood of the market and her own backbench MPs.
Crispin Blunt, Andrew Bridgen and Jamie Wallis called on the PM to quit on Sunday, while other senior figures within the parliamentary party expressed deep unease with Truss's leadership but stopped short of calling for her to go.
The pound was quoted at USD1.1262 early Monday UK time, up from USD1.1235 at the London equities close on Friday.
The euro stood at USD0.9743, down from USD0.9758. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JPY148.60, up from JPY148.38.
In Asia on Monday, stock prices were mostly lower. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo closed down 1.2%, while the S&P/ASX 200 gave up 1.4% in Sydney. In China, the Shanghai Composite ended 0.4% higher, though the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was down 0.2% in late trade.
In London, Standard Chartered shares rose 1.8%, among the best large-cap performer. Morgan Stanley raised the stock to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight'.
MS moved the opposite direction with Lloyds Banking, cutting its recommendation to 'equal-weight' from 'overweight'. Lloyds shares were 0.9% lower.
ITV shares climbed 6.4%. The FTSE 250 constituent is mulling options for its ITV Studios arm, producer of shows such Love Island, the Financial Times reported.
Citing people familiar with the discussions, the FT said ITV has fielded "expressions of interest" in the production division.
The FT noted that some analysts have put a price tag on the unit that is chunkier than ITV's own market capitalisation, currently about GBP2.68 billion.
ITV also has its Media & Entertainment arm, which is home to its family of channels and platforms.
Asos shares fell 7.4%. It said it is in talks to amend covenants in a credit facility, a move the online retailer believes will offer it better "financial flexibility" amid the current economic uncertainty.
Asos said it is in the "final stages" of sealing an amendment to future financial covenants in its revolving credit facility. The RCF matures in July 2024.
"This action will give Asos significantly increased financial flexibility, against the uncertain economic backdrop. Asos retains a strong liquidity position and this is a prudent step in the current environment," the company said.
Sky News over the weekend had reported that Asos's biggest lenders called on advisers, after the retailer had approached the banks to ask for changes to borrowing arrangements.
Sky News also noted that one major credit insurer for Asos's suppliers has reduced its support. This could force Asos to pay for products upfront.
Made.com surged 34% amid progress in its formal sales plan. The sofa seller has received a "number of non-binding indicative proposals" during its formal sale process.
It has invited a number of possible bidders to progress towards firm offers by the end of this month, after due diligence.
"The proposals provide a range of different transaction structures, including possible offers for the issued and to be issued share capital of the company," Made said.
It added that the suitors are aware of the need of "interim financing" at the time of firm offers being made.
Brent oil was quoted at USD92.32 a barrel early Monday, up from USD91.96 late Friday. Gold was trading at USD1,652.57 an ounce, up from USD1,648.48.
By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com
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