Unexpected Monday Market Rally

MONDAY MARKET UPDATE: The first day of the fourth quarter saw UK markets rally strongly, with over 90% of FTSE 100 stocks posting gains

Alanna Petroff 1 October, 2012 | 5:54PM
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Equity markets started the month of October with a strong rally.

"It might be a dreary day in London, but the markets have begun the final quarter in excellent form,” said Chris Beauchamp, market analyst at IG. 

On Monday, the FTSE 100 index shot up by 78 points, or 1.4%, to finish the day at 5,820. The FTSE 250 index also posted a triple-digit rally, rising by 133 points, or 1.1%, to close at 11,867.

“With the Spanish banking stress test results no longer hanging over markets, the focus has shifted back to stocks and shares," said Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG.

One of the main equity stories moving the markets was the Glencore-Xstrata deal. Xstrata's (XTA) board of directors announced that they would recommend that shareholders vote in favour of Glencore's (GLENsweetened merger terms.

"[We believe] the deal will be consummated under the revised terms," said Morningstar analyst, Daniel Rohr in his latest research report. "Xstrata's board indicated the deal is expected to close by year-end, but regulatory approvals in the European Union, China, and South Africa remain outstanding issues. The basic terms of the merger are mostly unchanged from those outlined in Glencore's 11th hour revised pitch from 7 September. Xstrata shareholders would receive 3.05 Glencore shares for each Xstrata share (a modest step-up from the original 2.8). Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg will assume the CEO role at the combined entity following a six-month period post-deal where Xstrata CEO Mick Davis will hold the job"

Shares in Xstrata rallied by nearly 2.5% on Monday, while shares in Glencore edged down by 0.3%.

Looking to Europe, investors were relieved about results from Spain's bank stress tests.

"Spain’s bank re-capitalisation requirements, disclosed in the results of the latest round of stress tests that were released on Friday, show a €60 billion shortfall, easily covered by the €100 billion earmarked for them from EFSF rescue funds," said Kathleen Brooks from FOREX.com. "That is one hurdle out of the way, and because the tests were conducted by an independent company the market has taken them seriously." 

Today's market rally follows a week of declines, where the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 indices both lost nearly 2%. 

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
Glencore PLC357.10 GBX0.85Rating

About Author

Alanna Petroff

Alanna Petroff  is a financial journalist with Morningstar UK.

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