Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

UPDATE 1-FTSE 100 lingers in the red ahead of Fed meeting

Wed, 18th Sep 2019 09:30

* FTSE 100 down 0.1%, FTSE 250 up 0.1%

* Fed meeting conclusion eyed

* Kingfisher falls after earnings report

* Sirius Minerals steepest mid-cap faller
(Adds company news items, analyst comments, updates share
moves)

By Muvija M

Sept 18 (Reuters) - London's main index see-sawed in early
Wednesday trading as investors awaited the outcome of the U.S.
Federal Reserve meeting to get a sense of how far policymakers
in the world's largest economy will go to tackle a global
slowdown.

By 0746 GMT, the blue-chips were down 0.1%, while
the more domestically-focussed midcap bourse added 0.1%.

The Federal Reserve is set to conclude its latest policy
meeting later in the session, with expectations that it will cut
interest rates for the second time this year as it looks to
cushion the economy from an ongoing trade war with China.

"The question facing the market is how many more (rate cuts)
there are to come," Markets.com analyst Neil Wilson wrote. "Are
we at the end of the mid-cycle adjustment, or the early stages
of a full-blown easing path? Will we get yet another flip-flop?"

"Traders are increasingly less confident in the number of
cuts the FOMC will carry out this year."

This week has brought in more uncertainty to market
participants and analysts who witnessed a more than 10% surge in
crude prices after attacks on Saudi oil facilities shut 5% of
global oil output.

The FTSE 100 is set to close this week in the red, after
three consecutive weeks of gains.

On Wednesday, industrials weighed the most on the index,
with losses in contractor BAE Systems and engine maker
Rolls Royce after the British government ordered an
investigation into the $5 billion buyout of defence company
Cobham by a U.S. private equity firm.

Cobham gave up 1% on the midcap bourse.

Home improvement retailer Kingfisher gave up 2%
after posting a fall in underlying earnings due to weak
performance at its French business.

Luxury brand Burberry, which has significantly
outshone its European peers that have come under pressure due to
the Hong Kong protests, climbed 1% after UBS analysts hiked
price target while it downgraded the sector.

Sirius Minerals lost another 10% on the midcap index
after plunging over 50% on Tuesday when it cancelled a $500
million bond sale and delayed a project to mine for fertiliser
under a national park in northern England.

Another significant FTSE 250 faller was Metro Bank
that slipped 5% after it flagged in a prospectus on Tuesday that
it may incur significant expense relating to the resolution of
an accounting error it disclosed earlier this year.

Small-cap Pendragon fell 9% to a more than
seven-year low after it cancelled annual dividend and issued a
weak annual forecast as deep price cuts to offload used car
inventory pushed it to a first-half loss.
(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru
Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Related Shares

More News
24 Apr 2024 17:06

CORRECT: No record close for FTSE 100; mixed trade in US

(Correcting day of the week in the opening sentence.)

24 Apr 2024 17:00

LONDON MARKET CLOSE: No record close for FTSE 100; mixed trade in US

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London closed lower on Thursday, with the FTSE 100's recent rally taking a pause for breath, but not after hitting a...

24 Apr 2024 16:47

Luxury sector outlook clouded by China's slow recovery

PARIS, April 24 (Reuters) - Sales updates from Europe's big luxury brands have offered scant reassurance that Chinese demand for high-end fashion is...

17 Apr 2024 09:33

LONDON BROKER RATINGS: BofA cuts Ashmore; JPMorgan lifts Fresnillo

(Alliance News) - The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Wednesday morning and Tuesday:

17 Apr 2024 08:48

LVMH Q1 meets expectations, reassuring luxe sector

profit warning

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.