- FTSE 100 index adds 25 points
- Banks lead gainers on Brexit hope
- Builders also well bid
8.40am: Could the Brexit Santa be real?
The FTSE 100 index opened the final session before Christmas in the green with the Square Mile, along with the rest of the UK, waiting for official confirmation of a last-gasp Brexit deal.
The index of UK blue-chip stocks had largely anticipated the breakthrough. It opened up just 25 points at 6,521.51 on the half-day pre-Christmas trading session.
According to reports, there is likely to be a phased five-year agreement over fishing rights, while there will be no role for the European Court of Human Rights in the British legal system.
The Daily Mail said the official text governing the future relationship between Britain and the European Union runs to 2,000 pages and described the breakthrough as ‘Brexmas Time’.
The pound reacted positively as it pushed up 0.6% to U$1.3576, which also kept the lid on the internationally-focused Footsie.
David Madden, analyst at CMC Markets, summed up the mood: “The trade talks have been dragging on and on and people’s patience has been running low.”
On the market, banks reacted positively to the news of an imminent Brexit deal with Lloyds (LON:LLOY) leading the way with a 6.8% advance.
A no-deal departure from the world’s largest trading bloc would have caused untold chaos and cost for the British financial system.
It could also have heralded a period of sustained economic underperformance, which was why the housebuilders became a proxy for the status of Brexit talks.
On Thursday, they were well bid with Persimmon (LON:PSN) up 3.75% in the early exchanges.
Proactive news headlines:
[email protected] Capital PLC (LON:SYME), the fintech platform which provides inventory monetisation services to manufacturing and trading companies, said it has expanded its shareholder base. Five professional investors have acquired a combined 12.2% stake. Their interest followed the completion of transactions aimed at simplifying the company's ownership structure.
IXICO PLC (LON:IXI), the AI data analytics company focused on neuroscience, has landed a four-and-a-half-year contract worth £3.4mln. It is with an existing client working on a trial of a drug for the rare neurodegenerative condition Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph disease. Currently, there is no treatment to slow down or reverse the progressive course of this terminal condition.
BATM Advanced Communications Limited (LON:BVC) has said its test kit for coronavirus (COVID-19) is effective at diagnosing a new variant of the virus that is rapidly spreading in the UK and elsewhere. The networking and medical laboratory solutions firm said that it continually tests its kits against any mutations of the virus that are perceived to be clinically material to ensure they are accurately able to detect all known variants of COVID-19. BATM added that the kits also have 4+1 gene discovery capability compared with a market standard of one to three gene discovery, which enables it to provide more accurate results and reduce the risk of false positives and false negatives.
Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd (LON:FOG) has said nitrogen lift operations should start in the next few days at its Kyalla 117 N2-1H ST2 well in the Betaloo basin of the Northern Territory in Australia. The owners of the Betaloo licence decided earlier this month to execute operations without delay to re-enter Kyalla 117 with coiled tubing and apply nitrogen lift to lower the pressure in the wellbore and to assist with achieving and sustaining gas breakthrough. If successful, the operation will allow extended production testing to confirm at the well.
Galileo Resources PLC (LON:GLR), the exploration and development mining company, has said it is better placed after an “operationally difficult but extremely positive” year. In the group's results statement covering the year to the end of March 2020, Galileo executive chairman Colin Bird reassured shareholders that none of the company’s assets were adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which picked up pace after the end of the reporting period. “Whilst director and senior management visits were very restricted, the company managed to progress all of its obligations and maintain its rights during the period and up to the time of writing this report,” Bird said.
Cobra Resources PLC (LON:COBR), the gold exploration and mining company focused on the Wudinna Gold Project in South Australia, has announced significant gold intercepts at the Baggy Green deposit. The company noted that the Baggy Green JORC resource is currently estimated at 94,000 ounces and occurs as two deposits. It said 13 holes were drilled to the north and south of, and in between, the existing JORC resource zones, with a further six exploration holes targeting new mineralisation.
Emmerson PLC (LON:EML) said it has appointed its chief executive Graham Clarke to its board as a director of the company with effect from December 22, 2020. The potash development firm noted that Clarke is “a highly experienced fertiliser industry executive with 26 years' experience in underground potash mining”, with experience in managing all technical disciplines, due diligence processes and stakeholder engagement.
Strategic Minerals PLC (LON:SML) (OTCMKTS:SMCDY), a producing mineral company announced that it has been informed that Peter Wale, an executive director of the company, on Wednesday sold 3,875,000 Strategic Minerals ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each and purchased 3,875,000 ordinary shares through his personal Individual Savings Account (ISA). Following the dealings, the group noted that Wale's beneficial interest in the company is 76,767,266 ordinary shares representing 4.02% of the issued ordinary share capital.
Mineral & Financial Investments Limited (LON:MAFL)), the AIM-quoted resources investment company, has confirmed it will hold its annual general meeting (AGM) at 11.00am on January 21, 2021, at Censeo House, 6 St Peter's Street, St Albans, Herts. AL1 3LF. Given the current situation in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19), this year's AGM format will be a closed meeting and purely procedural in format. In addition, all resolutions will be taken on a poll (with votes cast by proxy)., and there will be no presentations or Q&A and no refreshments will be provided. Shareholders should therefore not attend the AGM in person this year and are encouraged to appoint the chairman of the meeting as their proxy rather than a named person who will not be permitted to attend the meeting.
6.35am: Goodwill to all of Europe
Reports that Britain and the EU are “within touching distance” of a Brexit deal has done wonders for the pound but not much for equities, which are only seen modestly higher on Christmas Eve.
Spread betting quotes suggest the FTSE 100 index will add to yesterday’s gains but only to the tune of 35 points at 6,531, with trading set to end at 12.30pm.
As Christmas tunes go, it is not exactly Darlene Love’s majestic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – but then who can come home this Christmas?
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is reportedly set to make an announcement this morning.
Breaking - Boris on route to Four Seasons Total Landscaping to unveil the new deal#BorisJohnson #BrexitDeal #BrexitShambles pic.twitter.com/lizGBpAK0S
— Popslurm (@retrobookshelf) December 23, 2020
“Still, it leaves the UK isolated internationally due to Covid-19, thousands of trucks marooned on each side of the English Channel and follows more of England’s regions being moved into a hard tier-4 lockdown. With Christmas in England starting to resemble one reminiscent of the wartime blitz, it is perhaps not surprising that Sterling's bullish reaction is underwhelming. Not helping is that the world is long enough Sterling to fill in the English Channel,” said Jeffrey Halley at OANDA. Grinchily.
Sterling was six-tenths of a cent higher at US$1.3557 against the dollar on Thursday having put on a bit of a spurt last night when news broke of a probable Brexit deal.
Not much else is expected to interfere with Brexit news today, particularly as it is a shortened trading day.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Nasdaq Composite lost ground while the Dow Jones Industrials Average and the S&P 500 made headway, in a reversal of the normal form.
The Nasdaq Composite ended 37 points higher at 12,771 while the Dow Jones was up 43 points at 6,496 and the S&P 500 climbed 3 points to 3,690.
Asian markets were mostly firmer this morning with the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo 113 points higher at 26,638 and the Hang Seng index 43 points to the good at 26,387.
Around the markets:
- Sterling: US$1.3557, up 0.61 cents
- 10-year gilt: 0.288%, up 10.35 basis points
- Gold: US$1,879.10, up US$1.00
- Brent crude: US$51.63 a barrel, up 42 cents
- Bitcoin: US$23,016, down US$282
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5wcm9hY3RpdmVpbnZlc3RvcnMuY28udWsvY29tcGFuaWVzL25ld3MvOTM3MzI4L2Z0c2UtMTAwLWZpbGxlZC13aXRoLS1icmV4bWFzLS1jaGVlci1iYW5rcy1hbmQtYnVpbGRlcnMtd2VsbC1iaWQtOTM3MzI4Lmh0bWzSAT5odHRwczovL3d3dy5wcm9hY3RpdmVpbnZlc3RvcnMuY28udWsvY29tcGFuaWVzL2FtcC9uZXdzLzkzNzMyOA?oc=5
2020-12-24 08:44:00Z
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