Date: Tuesday 21 Apr 2015
LONDON (ShareCast) - UK stocks ended a choppy session in the green as an afternoon rally saw the FTSE 100 erase losses and push back towards its record high.
"A good set of European earnings results sent stocks in Europe back towards all-time highs on Tuesday, sustained by ECB bond-buying and the lingering effects of the unexpected stimulus announced by China on Sunday," said analyst Jasper Lawler from CMC Markets.
Upbeat results from the likes of Sky and ARM Holdings helped London's Footsie finished 0.15% higher at 7,062.93. The index set an all-time closing high of 7,096 on 15 April.
Despite the positive finish, the FTSE 100 settled well below its intraday high of 7,105.13 as ongoing concerns about Greece's financial situation acted as a drag on stocks.
It emerged during the session that the European Central Bank was looking into measures to rein in emergency liquidity assistance to Greek banks if Athens fails to convince the Eurogroup that it can implement reforms and unlock further financial aid. Greece will present plans to reform the economy on Friday.
Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem was quoted as saying that "[Greece's] money is starting to run out", adding that a Greek exit from the Eurozone was "not an option".
The ongoing debt saga was having an effect on German economic confidence, which registered an unexpected decline in April. According to the ZEW institute, the headline sentiment index fell by 1.5 points to 53.5, below the 53.8 expected.
Sky and ARM impress, miners fall
Third-quarter results from Sky generated the most growth in 11 years, as near 70% growth in new customers fed through to a 20% increase in operating profits. The broadband and pay-TV group were topping the leaderboard on the FTSE 100, up over 5%.
Also firmly higher was smartphone and tablet microchip designer ARM Holdings which beat its own guidance with a 14% jump in dollar revenues in the first quarter of 2015. The company also gave an upbeat outlook, saying that dollar revenues for the full year should be "at least in line with current market expectations".
Mining stocks were pulling back after a decent performance on Monday with Rio Tinto, Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Glencore among the worst performers. Rio Tinto and Anglo American were under the cosh after Barclays Capital lowered its recommendations on both stocks after slashing their commodity prices forecasts across the board.
Associated British Foods dropped after profits fell in the first half as the surging performance of its Primark fast-fashion chain was outweighed by a weaker sugar business. Adjusted operating profits were down 5% to £474m.
Brewing group SABMiller was hit with a downgrade by Credit Suisse from 'neutral' to 'underperform', with the bank saying that its premium valuation is "unwarranted". The bank also quashed ongoing M&A speculation regarding Belgian brewer AB Inbev, saying that SABMiller is unlikely to be a bid target at current levels.
Kingfisher was lowered from 'hold' to 'sell' over at Investec, with the broker saying it sees no sign of a recovery at the DIY retailer any time soon.
International Personal Finance was boosted as the home-credit group escaped a fine from Poland's consumer protection authority.
Market Movers
techMARK 3,236.27 +0.79%
FTSE 100 7,062.93 +0.15%
FTSE 250 17,712.55 +0.62%
FTSE 100 - Risers
Sky (SKY) 1,105.00p +5.04%
ARM Holdings (ARM) 1,195.00p +3.91%
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2,880.00p +3.37%
WPP (WPP) 1,586.00p +2.72%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 586.50p +2.62%
Persimmon (PSN) 1,761.00p +2.62%
Pearson (PSON) 1,409.00p +2.55%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 1,007.00p +2.55%
easyJet (EZJ) 1,856.00p +2.32%
London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 2,552.00p +2.16%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,712.00p -5.27%
Weir Group (WEIR) 1,822.00p -3.60%
Rio Tinto (RIO) 2,812.00p -2.16%
Anglo American (AAL) 1,017.00p -2.02%
BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,463.00p -1.25%
Aviva (AV.) 536.00p -1.11%
Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 2,100.00p -0.99%
Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 558.00p -0.98%
Fresnillo (FRES) 709.00p -0.98%
Vodafone Group (VOD) 226.90p -0.92%
FTSE 250 - Risers
Aveva Group (AVV) 1,686.00p +7.12%
International Personal Finance (IPF) 501.00p +5.47%
Just Eat (JE.) 468.70p +5.28%
Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 456.50p +3.66%
Bodycote (BOY) 718.00p +3.46%
Investec (INVP) 616.00p +3.27%
Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 165.60p +3.05%
SSP Group (SSPG) 310.20p +2.95%
Micro Focus International (MCRO) 1,235.00p +2.92%
Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 2,575.00p +2.92%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 874.50p -4.16%
Premier Oil (PMO) 166.10p -4.04%
Serco Group (SRP) 138.50p -3.69%
Acacia Mining (ACA) 277.50p -3.24%
BlackRock World Mining Trust (BRWM) 296.50p -3.01%
Ophir Energy (OPHR) 156.50p -2.43%
Just Retirement Group (JRG) 170.60p -2.29%
Virgin Money Holdings (UK) (VM.) 386.00p -2.28%
Soco International (SIA) 177.90p -2.09%
Home Retail Group (HOME) 169.40p -2.02%
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