FTSE Lower as Apple's Jobs Loss Hits Tech Stocks

M&A developments helped to offset weaker financials and miners on Monday but tech stocks were hard hit by Apple's Jobs loss

Holly Cook 17 January, 2011 | 6:37PM
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A public holiday in the US and concern that China’s central bank could hike rates again next month led to lacklustre trading in Europe, with miners weighing and investors awaiting Wall Street’s response to news from Apple.

The FTSE 100 index closed 16 points or 0.3% weaker at 5,986 but the FTSE 250 index, which more closely represents the British economy, shed only a fraction of a point so closed virtually unchanged at 11,742.

European indices took their lead from Asian markets after China’s central bank, in an effort to cool its economy, raised banks’ reserve requirement ratio for the seventh time last week. Trade was muted, however, as the United States markets remained closed Monday for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Resource plays were amongst the hardest hit in London, under pressure from concerns around China’s demand outlook following the reserve-ratio hike. Fresnillo, African Barrick Gold and Kazakhmys eased between 1.5% and 3.6% lower as commodity prices wilted.

Financials were also out of favour, trading lower across Europe, with Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland off by 0.9%-2.2% each.

But the most substantial losses came from software company Autonomy, which dropped 5.1% as investors digested news that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is to take “medical leave” to focus on his health and awaited the Nasdaq’s likely negative response on Tuesday. City Index Market Strategist Joshua Raymond noted that whilst Jobs’ absence is unlikely to fundamentally affect Apple’s operations it’s still a big loss to the tech innovator. However, he also pointed to a silver lining: “Shareholders may however get a fantastic reminder of just how profitable the firm is under Steve Jobs’ leadership tomorrow when the company announces its quarterly earnings.” Shares in chip-maker ARM Holdings were also down in the dumps, 3.0% lower on Monday.

In the pharma space, GlaxoSmithKline saw 1.6% shaved off its market value after the pharmaceuticals giant took a £2.2 billion hit in liability costs related to its diabetes drug Avandia in the fourth quarter.

On a more positive note, Smith Group closed a robust 7.7% higher, having rallied as much as 11% earlier in the session, after the company announced late Friday that it had received—and rejected—a £2.5 billion bid for its Smiths Medical unit from buyout firm Apax Partners. Speculation was rife Monday morning of a potential break up of the Smiths Group.

There was bid news elsewhere as well, with Smith & Nephew climbing 3.5% on the back of weekend press reports that Johnson & Johnson is mulling a fresh takeover approach for the orthopaedics manufacturer. The Sunday Times said a revised bid could be worth at least 800 pence a share, valuing the company at just over £7 billion. S&N shares closed at 709p on Monday. Read Morningstar’s reaction to rumours of a deal earlier this month in S&N Shareholders Could Hold Out for a Better Deal.

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Holly Cook

Holly Cook  is Manager, Morningstar EMEA Websites

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