LONDON MARKET OPEN: Stocks mixed while house prices hit record high

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London opened mostly lower on Friday, as Prime Minister Keir ...

Alliance News 6 December, 2024 | 8:54AM
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(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London opened mostly lower on Friday, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer attempts to sell his "plan for change".

Starmer made living standards a key target as he outlined his "next phase" on Thursday, saying he wanted to see real household disposable income rise by the next election.

But in an interview with BBC Breakfast, Starmer said: "I want people to feel better off straight away – feel better off in the sense of more money in their pocket, feel better off because they've got a secure job that they know is guaranteed to give them the money they need."

Also on Friday, Halifax reported that the average UK house price hit a new record high of GBP298,083 in November. Property values rose by 1.3% month-on-month, marking the fifth increase in a row, Halifax said.

On an annual basis, house prices increased by 4.8% in November, accelerating from 4.0% growth in October.

Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "Latest figures continue to show improving levels of demand for mortgages...However, despite these positive trends, many potential buyers and movers still face significant affordability challenges and buyer confidence may be tested against a changeable economic backdrop.

"As we move towards the end of the year and into 2025," she continued, "positive employment figures and anticipated decreases in interest rates are expected to continue supporting demand. This should underpin further house price growth, albeit at a modest pace as borrowing costs remain above the average of a few years ago."

The FTSE 100 index opened down 14.89 points, 0.2%, at 8,334.49. The FTSE 250 was up 13.63 points, 0.1%, at 21,014.69, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.22 points at 736.70.

The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 837.33, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 18,510.21, and the Cboe Small Companies was up 16,085.35.

The big news on Friday centres around Aviva, which was down 0.4% on the FTSE 100. On the FTSE 250, Direct Line Insurance rose 7.4%.

Direct Line has agreed to a takeover bid from Aviva worth 275 pence per share, consisting of 129.7p cash and 0.2867 of an Aviva share.

The proposal is a 73% premium to Direct Line's share price on November 27, and 16% above its closing price of 237.80p on Thursday. Aviva has until December 25 to make a firm offer.

J Sainsbury led the FTSE 100, rising 1.2%. The supermarket firm repurchased 947,888 shares at average 266.37p on Thursday. Spirax led the laggers, down 2.1% after JPMorgan cut it to 'neutral' with a price target of 7,800p, down from 9,300p.

Frasers was down 1.4%.

The retailer which owns Sports Direct and House of Fraser said it plans to make a voluntary offer for Norwegian sports retailer XXL ASA at NOK10.00 or around 71 pence per share. Frasers is currently XXL's second-largest shareholder.

The offer values XXL at NOK246.4 million, or about GBP17.4 million.

In European equities on Friday, the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.4%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was basically flat.

The pound was quoted at up USD1.2763 early on Friday in London, compared to USD1.2753 at the equities close on Thursday. The euro stood higher at USD1.0581, against USD1.0568. Against the yen, the dollar was trading higher at JPY150.33 compared to JPY150.17.

In Asia on Friday, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo was down 0.8%. In China, the Shanghai Composite was up 1.0%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was up 1.5%. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney closed down 0.6%.

In the US on Thursday, Wall Street ended lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.6%, the S&P 500 down 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite down 0.2%.

US data out today includes nonfarm payrolls and consumer sentiment.

Brent oil was quoted at USD71.99 a barrel early in London on Friday from USD72.22 late Thursday.

Gold was quoted at USD2,641.58 an ounce against USD2,635.39.

Still to come on Friday's economic calendar, eurozone GDP and unemployment readings are out later this morning.

By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2024 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Aviva PLC 470.00 GBX -1.30
Direct Line Insurance Group PLC 244.60 GBX -0.89
Frasers Group PLC 612.50 GBX -0.65 -
Sainsbury (J) PLC 276.40 GBX -1.29
Spirax Group PLC 7,140.00 GBX -0.76

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