ADVFN III | Morning Euro Markets Bulletin | |||
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Thursday, 02 August 2012
ADVFN III | Morning Euro Markets Bulletin | |||
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ADVFN III | Morning Euro Markets Bulletin | ||
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London open: Footsie flat despite falls for BP, Weir and Fresnillo Market Movers
- BP, Weir and Fresnillo provide some downward pressure - UK consumer confidence remains subdued - Markets await the Fed and ECB Some disappointing results from BP, Weir Group and Fresnillo were preventing gains for the Footsie on Tuesday morning; meanwhile, consumer confidence data in the UK showed that sentiment remained subdued in July. The GfK consumer confidence index was unchanged this month at -29, in line with consensus forecasts. Analysts at Barclays Capital said this morning: "Consumer confidence remains subdued and it has been at these low levels (between -29 and -33) for over a year now. Although inflation has fallen and the unemployment rate has edged down, we think the uncertainty about the economic outlook, the continued austerity measures and weak earnings growth are likely to keep consumer sentiment at subdued levels in the near term." Investors were also showing caution following some strong gains the day before as markets hope for central bank action in the US and Europe this week. The Federal Reserve kicks off its two-day policy meeting today, while the European Central Bank (ECB) will reveal its decision on Thursday. Many are expecting the ECB to resume bond-buying after its President Mario Draghi said last week that the bank will do "whatever it takes to preserve the euro and believe me, it will be big enough". FTSE 100: Heavy falls from BP, Weir and Fresnillo early on Weaker oil and gas prices and a cut in output due to an extensive maintenance programme hit BP's profits hard in the second quarter. Shares dropped over 3% early on. |
US Market Report |
US close: Stocks drift lower as markets await the Fed
Nasdaq: 22,946 (-0.41%) S&P 500: 1,385 (-0.05%) Meanwhile, optimism was driving gains on equity markets across the pond after European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi pledged last week to do "whatever it takes to preserve the euro and believe me, it will be big enough". The Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting begins tomorrow, and investors are hoping that the poor labour, manufacturing and GDP data as of late have added to expectations that the Fed will act. "Both ECB and Fed announcements will be key drivers of price-action in the near term, so we can expect volatility to continue head of the central bank actions later this week," said Ishaq Siddiqi, market strategist at ETX Capital. The US Government is also due to release an employment report this week that most observers expect to show a slowdown in recruitment in July. COMPANIES Drinks titan Coca-Cola gained as investors celebrated the company's plans to restructure the company's division. At the end of the year, the business will be divided into three units: Coca-Cola International, Coca-Cola Americas and Bottling Investments Group. Investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co was among the worst performers on the Dow after analysts at Deutsche Bank downgraded their rating on the stock from 'buy' to 'hold'. Apple was gaining as the company begins a major court battle with rival Samsung over smartphone technology patents. Apple is demanding $2.5bn in damages from the South Korean firm. S&P 500 - Risers Supervalu Inc. (SVU) $2.24 +12.56% Sprint Nxtel Corp. (S) $4.51 +4.64% Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN) $34.27 +3.82% QEP Resources Inc (QEP) $30.25 +3.03% Franklin Resources Inc. (BEN) $115.39 +2.83% Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) $9.15 +2.81% SAIC Inc. (SAI) $11.46 +2.69% Range Resources Corp. (RRC) $64.29 +2.55% Cardinal Health Inc. (CAH) $43.31 +2.29% Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (COG) $42.99 +2.28% S&P 500 - Fallers Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $73.25 -5.86% Loews Corp. (L) $39.54 -5.18% Avon Products Inc. (AVP) $15.45 -4.45% Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $125.87 -4.27% MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) $1.82 -4.21% Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) $27.22 -4.12% DeVry Inc. (DV) $19.04 -3.79% Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) $35.39 -3.70% Red Hat Inc. (RHT) $53.76 -3.67% Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) $49.96 -3.65% Dow Jones I.A - Risers Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $81.12 +1.39% Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $15.87 +1.15% United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $74.97 +0.93% Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $63.21 +0.78% AT&T Inc. (T) $37.43 +0.78% Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $74.98 +0.62% Chevron Corp. (CVX) $109.82 +0.51% McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $89.33 +0.16% International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $196.68 +0.15% Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $87.56 +0.13% Dow Jones I.A - Fallers JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $36.14 -2.03% Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) $18.26 -1.64% Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $44.48 -1.36% Intel Corp. (INTC) $25.76 -1.00% Boeing Co. (BA) $74.86 -0.86% Home Depot Inc. (HD) $53.25 -0.86% General Electric Co. (GE) $20.80 -0.57% Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $85.69 -0.55% Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $23.71 -0.48% 3M Co. (MMM) $91.28 -0.47% Nasdaq 100 - Risers Expedia Inc. (EXPE) $56.12 +2.22% Staples Inc. (SPLS) $12.74 +2.17% Logitech International S.A. (LOGI) $8.93 +1.71% Apple Inc. (AAPL) $595.03 +1.69% Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $30.43 +1.40% Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $33.36 +1.40% Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $49.96 +1.30% Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $15.87 +1.15% Foster Wheeler AG (FWLT) $17.92 +0.96% eBay Inc. (EBAY) $45.60 +0.85% Nasdaq 100 - Fallers Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $73.25 -5.86% Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) $27.22 -4.12% Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) $48.32 -3.97% Nll Holdings Inc. (NIHD) $6.79 -3.96% Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) $49.96 -3.65% Sandisk Corp. (SNDK) $41.17 -2.99% Symantec Corp. (SYMC) $15.47 -2.89% Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $31.01 -2.77% Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (MRVL) $11.33 -2.45% Altera Corp. (ALTR) $35.21 -2.30% |
Newspaper Round Up |
Tuesday newspaper round-up: BP, Yahoo, Lloyds The US Treasury Secretary urged Europe's leaders to follow through on their promises to do "whatever it takes" to save the euro as he embarked on a whirlwind round of diplomacy in Germany. Tim Geithner stoked speculation about a co-ordinated transatlantic push to bolster the single currency as he met Wolfgang Schäuble, the German Finance Minister, at a holiday resort island in Schleswig-Holstein. In a joint statement, the pair "expressed confidence in euro area member states' efforts to reform and move towards greater integration", before Mr Geithner flew to Frankfurt to see Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank's President, The Times says. Bankers found to have rigged Libor could face jail after the Serious Fraud Office said it will look to bring criminal charges against those who attempted to manipulate Libor, a key global borrowing rate. David Green QC, director of the SFO, said existing legislation could be used to bring criminal actions against banks implicated in the Libor rigging scandal. Mr Green did not specify the precise charges that could be brought but it is possible bankers found guilty of manipulation could receive prison sentences of up to 10 years, according to The Telegraph. BP's oligarch partners in TNK-BP have piled pressure on the oil major ahead of its half-year results on Tuesday by refusing to approve the payment of a $1bn (£637m) dividend by the Russian joint venture. BP's oligarch partners in TNK-BP have piled pressure on the oil major ahead of its half-year results on Tuesday, by refusing to approve the payment of a $1bn (£637m) dividend by the Russian joint venture. BP proposed earlier this month that TNK-BP pay the special dividend, which would have provided a welcome boost to its coffers at a time when the venture's regular payouts are suspended amid disagreement between the partners. The proposal required the approval of the four oligarchs of the Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) group who sit on the joint venture's board - and who yesterday announced they had voted against it, The Telegraph reports. Ross Levinsohn, the interim chief executive of Yahoo! is leaving the company today, two weeks after the company announced that he had lost out on the top job to Google executive Marissa Mayer. He will leave with the payments outlined in his 2010 offer letter and 2011 severance agreement, plus an equity award of 67,000 restricted stock units and 250,000 stock options. The options have an exercise price of $15.80, the closing price on Friday, giving them a value of just over $5m. Mr Levinsohn took temporary control in May after Scott Thompson left unexpectedly over inaccuracies in his CV. He had been the principal internal candidate for the chief executive position. His sudden departure is regarded as a setback for Ms Mayer and many staff had apparently hoped that he would stay to run the company in tandem with his new boss, writes The Times. It's time for investors in pub group Greene King to stop filling their glasses, according to Liberum Capital analyst Patrick Coffey, who called last orders on his stock recommendation and cut the company to "hold" from "buy". "Having rallied strongly over the last two months, we believe the shares are likely to pause for breath," Mr Coffey said, although he boosted his target to 593p from 575p. Indeed, the stock has had a good run, climbing 24% since the start of June. Greene King also reported a 7% increase in full-year pre-tax profit last month, bolstered by growth in food sales. However, Liberum's change of heart put pressure on the pub group and the stock slipped 3½ to 607½p, The Telegraph reports. Lloyds Banking has pledged to lend £5bn to first-time buyers over the course of 2012, creating more than 140 new homeowners every day. This should mean more than 50,000 of them will be able to buy their own property this year. In the first six months of the year, the Group has already helped more than 25,000 people take their first steps onto the property ladder. It provides one in three mortgages on affordable housing schemes and new build properties in the UK and 25 per cent of the funding for the Government's NewBuy scheme, which is targeted at first-time buyers. Last week Lloyds cut rates by up to 0.2 percentage points on a range of loans, including some aimed at first-time buyers, The Times says. |
ADVFN III | Morning Euro Markets Bulletin | |
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London open: Market extends losses on euro worries Market Movers
- Footsie continues to fall as Spanish yields rise - Moody's turns 'negative' on Germany, Netherlands and Luxembourg - Miners, banks provide a drag in London - Moody´s criticizes gradualist approach to crisis resolution - Goldman Sachs AM President calls for radical ECB action -BBC UK stocks edged lower on Tuesday morning as markets extended losses from the day before on the back of concerns over the financial health of both Spain and Greece. The Footsie slumped 2.09% on Monday after 10-year Spanish bond yields surged to a euro-era record of 7.565% on rumours that Spanish regions Murcia and Catalonia are joining Valencia in asking for government aid. Markets are now concerned that this will lead to a full-scale bailout for the southern European nation. Yields hit a new record-high of 7.567% this morning. Meanwhile, it is feared that the International Monetary Fund might not provide any additional funds for Greece, prompting concerns that the country will default on its debt. Yesterday, however, the Washington based lender reiterated its support for Greece. Markets will likely be cautious today after Moody's Investors Service revised the outlooks on the triple-A ratings of Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to 'negative' from 'stable' due to the rising uncertainty regarding the outcome of the Eurozone debt crisis and the increased likelihood of Greece's exit from the single-currency region. Particularly worth noting, Moody´s criticizes the gradualist approach being taken to crisis resolution in the Eurozone, from which those potentially more elevated risks arise. There's a barrage of economic data due out today across the globe, including purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) from the Eurozone. In China, the preliminary HSBC manufacturing PMI rose from 48.2 to 49.5; while the sector is still contracting, the PMI is at a five-month high. FTSE 100: Aberdeen leads the risers after broker comments Fund manager Aberdeen Asset Management was a strong performer early on following yesterday's third-quarter update in which it reported assets under management slipped 1%. This morning, Societe General upgraded the stock to 'buy', JP Morgan Cazenove raised its target, while UBS and Morgan Stanley maintained their positive ratings. |
UK Event Calendar |
Tuesday July 24 INTERIMS APR Energy, Croda International, CSR, International Personal Finance, Man Group, Norsk Hydro ASA, OJSC Magnit GDR (Reg S), Provident Financial INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS BBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30) House Price Index (US) (15:00) Q2 CSR, Norsk Hydro ASA, Virgin Media Inc. FINALS PZ Cussons ANNUAL REPORT Vertu Motors IMSS Carpetright, Daily Mail and General Trust A (Non.V), Great Portland Estates, Halma, Sage Group AGMS Aberdeen All Asia Inv Trust, Aqua Bounty Technologies Inc. (Reg S), Downing Planned Exit VCT 3, Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 'A' Shares, Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 'C' Shares, Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 'D' Shares , Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 'E' Shares , Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 F Shares, Fidelity China Special Situations , Halma, Helical Bar, New World Oil And Gas, Scapa Group, Tau Capital, TR Property Inv Trust, TR Property Inv Trust Sigma Shares, Ventus 2 VCT, Ventus 2 VCT 'C' Shares, Ventus VCT, Ventus VCT 'C' Shares, Vertu Motors, Vodafone Group TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS APR Energy, Kofax FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Fuller Smith & Turner |
Europe Market Report | ||||||||
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Moody´s cuts outlook on German and Dutch debt -LCH raises margin requirements for trading in periphery debt -Chinese manufacturing PMI rises -Mixed results at Spanish bill auction -Spanish 5 year bond yields rise above 10 year yields FTSE-100: 0.18% Dax-30: 0.12% Cac-40: 0.13% FTSE-Mibtel: -0.57% Ibex 35: -2.05% Stoxx 600: 0.09% The main European equity benchmarks, with slight gains in most ‘core’ markets but another large drop in Madrid´s Ibex 35 and modest losses in Milan. That following yesterday´s torrent of selling and as investors digest a bevy of important news out overnight. Particularly worth noting is rating agency Moody´s decision to slash its rating on the outlook for the sovereign debt ratings of Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The outlook on Finland´s, however, was reaffirmed at “stable.” One of the main reasons for the above is the gradualist approach being taken by the Eurozone to the resolution of the Eurozone crisis. For Moody´s that entails larger potential risks for the those economies who will bear the burden of providing aid, due to both the resulting larger contingent liabilities and the potential for losses on the same which a slower approach entails. In that same vein, in an interview with the BBC the President of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O´Neill, has called for the European Central Bank (ECB) to take radical actions to stem the crisis. Peugeot wants government aidFrench car maker Peugeot wants government aid on top of wage concessions as a condition for averting a second French auto plant closure, Reuters reports. Dutch telecommunications group KPN has slashed its 2012 dividend by more than half. European chipmaker STMicroelectronics posted second-quarter revenue in line with expectations but warned that bookings softened in June. From a sector stand-point, and if one looks at the DJ Stoxx 600, the worst performance is now to be seen in shares of: insurance (-0.94%), utilities (-0.60%) and banks (-0.59%). Weak manufacturing dataThe Eurozone manufacturing sector purchasing managers´ index has come in at 44.1 for the month of July, versus 45.1 in the month before (Consensus: 45.3). Some analysts are calling attention to the drop seen in domestic orders, which for them constitutes a further step towards a further deterioration in the crisis. The Eurozone service sector purchasing managers´ index has come in at 47.6 for the month of July, versus 47.1 in the month before (Consensus: 47.3). Other asset classes little changedThe euro/dollar is now off by 0.02% to the 1.2110 dollar level. Front month Brent crude futures are rising by 0.387 dollars to the 103.66 dollar per barrel mark on the ICE. |
US Market Report |
US close: Stocks tank over concerns for Spain and Greece
Nasdaq: 2,890 (-1.20%) S&P 500: 1,351 (-0.89%) In spite of the deal reached last Friday to shore up Spain's banks, the yield on a 10-year Spanish bond set new records today, rising to 7.565% and well beyond the 'unsustainable' level of 7%. Borrowing costs surged today on rumours that both Murcia and Catalonia, both Spanish regions, are joining Valencia in asking for government aid. Markets are now concerned that this will lead to a full-scale bailout for the southern European nation. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told the European Union (EU) that it will not provide any additional funds for Greece, prompting concerns that the country will default on its debt. German Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler said he is "very skeptical" that the Troika can rescue Greece. Also weighing on sentiment were comments from a Chinese policy-maker who said that economic growth will slow from 7.6% to 7.4% in the third quarter. In other news, John Williams, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said that the US will make little headway in reducing unemployment unless it takes "further action." In economic news, the Chicago Fed's national activity index improved from -0.48 to -0.15 in June. McDonald's provides a drag in New York |
Newspaper Round Up |
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Dividends, Northern Rock, Solar panels Investors enjoyed an 18 per cent leap in dividends paid by UK-quoted companies during the second three months of 2012. The amount paid was 22.6bn pounds - a second quarter record and taking the total for the year so far to 41.bn pounds. The figures were boosted by special dividends, including 1bn pounds from insurer Old Mutual, which sold off its Nordic business. GlaxoSmithKline and Antofagasta also made extra one-off payments. Capita Registrars estimates the full-year total will be 78.3bn pounds - an annual record - thanks to the faster growth rate of shareholder payouts: dividend payments have risen every quarter for the past 18 months. Many firms put the brakes on spending bumper cash piles on investment, be it capital expenditure or buying other firms, due to uncertainty caused by the weak global economic. Cash flow is still strong, yet corporate investment is very depressed,' said Charles Cryer, chief executive of Capita Registrars. 'Dividends are one destination for the large cash surpluses that companies have accumulated as a result,' the Daily Mail reports. British taxpayers will receive a further 538m pounds from Virgin Money after the bank that acquired Northern Rock last year agreed to increase the purchase price and bought a portfolio of government-owned mortgages. Virgin Money, the banking arm of Sir Richard Branson's company, paid the Treasury an additional 73m pounds in cash on top of the 747m pound initial sale price for Northern Rock. The payment reflects a higher than expected calculation of the net asset value of Northern Rock when it was sold at the start of this year. At the time the deal was announced, UK Financial Investments, which manages the government's stakes in banks and oversaw the sale of Northern Rock expected the additional payment to be about 50m pounds, The Financial Times says. China has made a dramatic swoop on the North Sea oil industry, buying up assets that account for more than 8 per cent of the UK's entire oil and gas production. Chinese state-controlled group CNOOC agreed a 15.1bn dollars (9.7bn pounds) offer to buy Canada's Nexen, which is the second biggest oil producer in the UK North Sea. Its net UK production of both oil and gas is 114,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd). In a separate deal, China's Sinopec splashed out 1.5bn dollars on a 49 per cent stake in the UK unit of Canada's Talisman Energy, which produced an average of 71,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day last year. Talisman said its joint venture with Sinopec would "invest more in the UK than Talisman would have on its own". Both Nexen and Talisman rank within the top 10 oil and gas producers in the UK North Sea, The Telegraph reports. Italy's financial outlook darkened on Monday amid warnings that 10 cities are at risk of bankruptcy and schools may not be able to open in the autumn because of drastic spending cuts. The cities at risk of running out of money include Naples, Palermo in Sicily and Reggio Calabria, on the toe of the Italian boot, according to the Italian press. "The situation is becoming worse by the day," said Graziano Del Rio, the president of a national association of municipal councils. The warning came just days after Mario Monti, the prime minister, expressed fears that Sicily, which has a high degree of fiscal autonomy, was on the brink of a default. Cities and towns in southern Italy have for years been plagued by mismanagement, corruption, the wasteful use of EU funds and infiltration by the Mafia. But the "black list" of cities at risk also includes some in the north of Italy such as Alessandria, in the Piedmont region, The Telegraph says. The number of out-of-work Britons struggling with payday loans has quadrupled over the past three years, the national debt charity said yesterday. A total of 1,243 unemployed people with an average payday loan of £918 contacted the Consumer Credit Counselling Service last year asking for help. At the height of the recession three years ago, the charity was approached by only 283 people in the same situation. Delroy Corinaldi, of the counselling service, said: "Unemployment is the biggest single driver of debt problems in the UK, and people who have lost their job after taking out extremely expensive payday loans are finding it particularly difficult to cope." He said that payday lenders must recognise the problem, adding that when the industry announces its new codes of practice this week, the CCCS expects to see clear commitments to freeze interest and charges when borrowers experience a shock to their income that leaves them unable to repay, writes The Times. Europe's solar panel manufacturers are poised to launch a trade complaint against their Chinese rivals, marking a further escalation in trade tensions between China and the west over green technology. The anti-dumping complaint, led by Germany's SolarWorld, will accuse Chinese manufacturers of selling photovoltaic cells in the EU below the cost of production, allowing them to dominate the market, according to people familiar with the matter. Under EU rules, the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, would have 45 days from the case's filing to decide whether to open an investigation, The Financial Times reports. The UK's cost of borrowing plunged to an all-time low yesterday as panicking investors sought safe havens from the financial firestorm engulfing Spain. Investors piled into UK gilts as the embattled Eurozone member's economic woes deepened and markets panicked over the latest threat to Madrid's creaking finances from struggling regional governments. Global stock markets tumbled as Spain's cost of borrowing hit a euro-era high of 7.44% well into the territory which forced Greece, Ireland and Portugal to seek a bailout from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. In contrast, the UK's cost of borrowing hit a record low 1.4% well below the current 2.4% rate of inflation as nervous dealers shunned returns on their cash and simply looked for shelter from the latest storm, writes The Independent. |
ADVFN III | Morning Euro Markets Bulletin | |
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Footsie edges higher, but Kingfisher falls Market Movers techMARK 2,076.47 +0.47% FTSE 100 5,695.22 +0.17% FTSE 250 11,180.83 +0.86% Kingfisher leads fallers on the Footsie Upbeat European earnings lift sentiment Fed says US expanding at 'modest to moderate' rate UK stocks edged higher in early trading on Thursday on the back of some upbeat earnings reports from heavyweight European stocks AkzoNobel, Sandvik and Novartis. Investors will be digesting last night's release of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book which said that the US economic grew at a "modest to moderate" pace over the last month. Stocks closed higher yesterday after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that he does not expect the US economy to slip back into recession. Analyst Cooper Howes from Barclays Capital said:"The Fed will not feel compelled to act (or not act) on this report alone, and the decision of whether or not to pursue further monetary stimulus will depend on developments in the economic data and financial markets between now and the meeting." FTSE 100: Rainfall dampens growth at Kingfisher Kingfisher, Europe's largest home improvement retailer, was among the worst performers after sales were hit by the extraordinary bad weather in the second quarter, though trading in the UK and Ireland was resilient. Engineering groups IMI, GKN and Weir was high risers after Swedish peer Sandvik released better-than-expected second-quarter results. Meanwhile, Croda International gained on the back of positive read-across from AkzoNobel. Gas group BG was under the weather after Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to 'neutral' and cut its target from 1,660p to 1,500p. Mining firm Vedanta dropped after HSBC slashed its target from 1,320p to 1,000p, though it maintained its 'overweight' rating. Banking group Lloyds fell after it agreed with the Co-op to sell hundreds of its branches for an initial consideration of £350m, and up to an additional £400m in present value. FTSE 250: Stocks jump after board changes Halfords advanced after saying that Chief Executive David Wild is on his bike leaving the non-executive Chairman Dennis Millard in charge of the shop while the struggling seller of bikes and car parts looks for a replacement. The group also reported that LFL sales gained 0.9% in the five weeks to June 29th. Oilfield services firm Wood Group rose after saying that Chairman Sir Ian Wood is to retire in November and will be succeeded by the group's CEO, Allister Langlands. West Africa-focused gold miner Avocet Mining was also in demand after it revealed that CEO Brett Richards is to resign and will be replaced by the group's Chief Operating Officer (COO). Digging deeper at the Simrit-2 exploration well in the Kurdistan region of Iraq has paid off for oil exploration firm Afren as the well's total net oil pay has increased to 460 metres. Shares jumped 7%. Elsewhere, AIM-listed sports retailer JJB dropped after saying that it is having to slow down its refurbishment programme as poor sales mean the group will need an injection of cash from its backers earlier than planned. FTSE 100 - Risers IMI (IMI) 813.50p +2.84% Smiths Group (SMIN) 1,103.00p +2.70% Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,265.00p +2.68% Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,502.00p +2.53% Weir Group (WEIR) 1,526.00p +2.35% ARM Holdings (ARM) 487.90p +2.05% GKN (GKN) 217.20p +1.97% Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,093.00p +1.96% Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,203.00p +1.61% International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 158.70p +1.54% FTSE 100 - Fallers Kingfisher (KGF) 269.00p -2.25% Vedanta Resources (VED) 893.00p -1.81% BG Group (BG.) 1,294.00p -1.78% Smith & Nephew (SN.) 650.00p -1.29% G4S (GFS) 242.60p -0.94% National Grid (NG.) 664.50p -0.89% United Utilities Group (UU.) 691.00p -0.72% Tesco (TSCO) 320.40p -0.56% Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 259.20p -0.50% Hammerson (HMSO) 461.90p -0.45% FTSE 250 - Risers Halfords Group (HFD) 213.50p +8.16% Afren (AFR) 127.70p +7.40% Fenner (FENR) 352.60p +4.47% Cookson Group (CKSN) 633.50p +4.28% Ruspetro (RPO) 144.30p +3.81% Elementis (ELM) 193.70p +3.25% Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 483.90p +3.24% Paragon Group Of Companies (PAG) 179.60p +3.22% Spectris (SXS) 1,532.00p +2.89% Avocet Mining (AVM) 71.20p +2.89% FTSE 250 - Fallers TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 184.40p -2.85% Ultra Electronics Holdings (ULE) 1,574.00p -1.44% Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 424.20p -1.30% Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (ASL) 585.00p -1.18% SEGRO (SGRO) 235.00p -1.09% Gem Diamonds Ltd. (DI) (GEMD) 210.80p -1.08% Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 783.00p -0.89% Rathbone Brothers (RAT) 1,329.00p -0.82% British Assets Trust (BSET) 118.00p -0.76% NMC Health (NMC) 198.50p -0.75%
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