Midday Market Snapshot

UK indices gain on economic data exceeding expectations and strong earning reports on both sides of the pond

Morningstar.co.uk Editors 21 October, 2010 | 1:16PM
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Market Snapshot
UK shares gained Thursday morning on the back of mining sector strength following better-than-expected data from China, while earnings reports on both sides of the Atlantic also pleased.

Shortly after midday, the FTSE 100 index had added 45 points or 0.8% to 5,775 points, and the FTSE 250 index was up 0.6% or 64 points to 10,896 points.

Data from around the world revealed mixed performances but for the large part topped economist forecasts. In China, third quarter GDP growth slowed to 9.6% from 10.3% in the second quarter, but this was still ahead of expectations. Meanwhile, Chinese inflation reached a two-year high.

In the eurozone, the flash reading of the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index beat expectations to reach a two-month high, though services PMI dropped to a 13-month low. In Germany, both manufacturing and services PMI exceeded expectations and reached two-month highs, but the readings indicated a slowing compared to the first half of the year.

In the UK, the value of retail sales rose at an annual rate of 2.4% in September, while volumes increased 0.5% year-on-year. On a monthly basis, however, sales values rose 0.3% but volumes fell 0.2%.

Futures point to a higher start on Wall Street ahead of jobless claims, leading indicators for last month and the October Philadelphia Fed index of factory activity.

Market Risers
Diageo (DGE), up 4.4%: French peers Pernod Ricard (RI) and Remy Cointreau (RCO) both beat revenue expectations.

BT Group (BT.A), up 4.3%: Court rules that Crown Guarantee can cover members who joined the BT Pension Scheme both before and after privatisation.

British Airways (BAY), up 3.0%: US peers Delta Air Lines (DAL), US Airways Group (LCC) and American Airlines parent AMR Corp (AMR) posted strong results.

Antofagasta (ANTO), Rio Tinto (RIO), Anglo American (AAL), up 2.0-2.6%: Miners buoyed by Chinese growth figures. Anglo American announces 11% jump in platinum output in an otherwise mixed output update.

Market Fallers
BP (BP.), Cairn Energy (CNE), Essar Energy (ESSR), down 0.7-1.5%: Oil and gas prices weigh.

Tullow Oil (TLW), down 3.2%: Company’s Onyina-1 well offshore Ghana encountered water instead of oil.

TUI Travel (TT.), down 10.2%: CFO quit after acknowledging accounting error. Company’s operating profit for the year ended September 30, 2009 has been corrected down to £401 million from £443 million.

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