Miners Support FTSE

THURSDAY MARKET UPDATE: The FTSE 100 is closed at 5,901 after being pushed forward by miners and Standard Chartered

Alanna Petroff 6 December, 2012 | 6:26PM
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The mining and resources sector continued moving ahead on Thursday after posting a small rally on Wednesday. Antofagasta (ANTO), Vedanta Resources (VED) and Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC) were the top three gainers on the FTSE 100.

A surge in mining shares helped the benchmark index inch up by 9 points, or 0.2%, to close the trading day at 5,901. The FTSE 250 index, which tracks UK mid-cap companies, also made some gains, rising by 0.4% to close at 12,149.

StanChart Getting Out of Hot Water; Rolls-Royce Dipping In

Shares in Standard Chartered (STAN) also popped up by nearly 1% after the bank put a number on their settlement with US regulators over their dealings with Iran. Standard Chartered says it expects to pay a total of $670 million to US regulators to settle allegations that is collaborated with the Iranian government and hid financial transactions. Shares in the global bank plummeted in August when the allegations were made public.

Meanwhile, one of the main losers on the FTSE 100 was Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.). Shares took a steep plunge this morning after it announced that the Serious Fraud Office is investigating possible corruption and bribery at the firm.

"A big issue for investors right now is the credibility of UK-listed companies," said Will Hedden, a trader at IG. "It is hard enough to decide where to allocate capital, without the added worry that our biggest names are constantly releasing past skeletons into the open – so many have done so in the past year or two that one wonders when this trend will stop." 

Monetary Policy in the UK and Europe

On the monetary policy front, both the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council opted to leave policy unchanged.

"The MPC maintained the stance of policy, but doubts over the momentum of the recovery suggest there will still be some serious discussions over whether to sanction further asset purchases," said Investec's Philip Shaw.

The ECB also opted to hold its policy stance steady. "Whilst the decision was to sit tight on policy, a rate cut was discussed," said Investec's Victoria Clarke.

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
Antofagasta PLC1,790.00 GBX1.53
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC549.60 GBX0.15Rating
Standard Chartered PLC919.80 GBX0.66Rating

About Author

Alanna Petroff

Alanna Petroff  is a financial journalist with Morningstar UK.

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