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LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 rallies as oil eases and BoE holds rates
- FTSE 100 rose 1.6% to 10,378.82, FTSE 250 gained 1.2% to 22,465.15, and AIM All-Share increased 0.7% to 794.09.
- Bank of England held interest rates at 3.75% with an 8-1 vote; Chief Economist Huw Pill advocated for a 0.25% increase.
- BoE outlined three economic scenarios amid Middle East crisis and energy price shock, with near-term inflation higher than February projections.
- Brent crude for June delivery traded at USD114.38 per barrel, down from USD117.20 the previous day.
- European equities: CAC 40 up 0.5%, DAX 40 up 1.4%; ECB kept rates unchanged but hinted at potential June hike.
- U.S. markets higher: Dow Jones +1.3%, S&P 500 +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.1%; Meta Platforms fell 9.0%, Alphabet rose 6.7%.
- Pound strengthened to USD1.3588 and EUR1.1578; Euro rose to USD1.1731.
- United Utilities led FTSE 100 gainers (+11%) after strong annual results and GBP800 million equity raise.
- Rolls-Royce up 7.6% on positive year-start and Middle East crisis mitigation plans; DCC fell 5.8% after rejecting takeover bid.
- Whitbread down 6.3% on job cut announcement; gold traded higher at USD4,616.72 per ounce.
- Friday's calendar includes manufacturing PMI reports, UK mortgage approval data, and results from NatWest and Pearson.
LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Shares up as BoE leaves rates unchanged
- London stock prices rose sharply at midday on April 30, 2026, as investors welcomed the Bank of England's decision to hold interest rates steady at 3.75%.
- The FTSE 100 gained 1.3%, the FTSE 250 rose 0.8%, and the AIM all-share increased by 0.6%.
- The Bank of England warned that inflation has risen to 3.3% and is expected to climb further due to energy market disruption linked to the Middle East conflict.
- The pound strengthened against the USD and EUR, while Brent crude prices remained stable at around USD116.63 per barrel.
- Diplomatic efforts in the Middle East continued, with Pakistan expected to receive a revised peace proposal from Iran and Trump-Putin discussions on Iran's uranium stockpiles.
- European equities were mixed, with the CAC 40 down 1.1% and the DAX 40 up 0.4%, ahead of the ECB's rate decision.
- United Utilities led the FTSE 100 with an 11% surge after reporting higher profits and announcing a GBP800 million equity raise.
- Whitbread fell 3.5% after reporting lower profits and announcing a restructuring plan expected to result in 3,800 job losses.
- Weir Group and DCC were among the bottom performers, down 8.7% and 4.4% respectively.
- U.S. stocks were called mixed ahead of the open, with gold prices rising to USD4,635.04 an ounce amid geopolitical uncertainty.
LONDON BROKER RATINGS: UBS, Goldman and Citi say 'buy' Lloyds Banking
- Peel Hunt raises Antofagasta to 'hold' (reduce) - price target 3,305 (3,155) pence
- Goldman Sachs cuts Haleon price target to 450 (460) pence - 'buy'
- Deutsche Bank Research cuts Haleon price target to 325 (350) pence - 'sell'
- Goldman Sachs raises Standard Chartered price target to 2,260 (2,165) pence - 'buy'
- Deutsche Bank Research raises St James's Place price target to 2,000 (1,900) pence - 'buy'
- JPMorgan cuts St James's Place price target to 1,663 (1,686) pence - 'overweight'
- UBS raises Lloyds Banking to 'buy' (neutral) - price target 115 (110) pence
- Goldman Sachs raises Lloyds Banking price target to 129 (122) pence - 'buy'
- Citigroup raises Lloyds Banking price target to 123 (114) pence - 'buy'
- Citigroup cuts Schroders to 'neutral' ('buy') - target 590 (460) pence
- Goldman Sachs cuts GSK price target to 1,870 (1,920) pence - 'neutral'
- Barclays cuts GSK price target to 1,800 (1,900) pence - 'underweight'
- DZ Bank cuts fair value for GSK to 2,100 (2,200) pence - 'hold'
- RBC cuts DCC to 'sector perform' (outperform) - price target 6,500 (5,400) pence
- DZ Bank raises AstraZeneca to 'buy' (hold) - price target 16,400 (15,100) pence
- BofA cuts Next price target to 14,400 (15,100) pence - 'neutral'
- Deutsche Bank Research cuts Breedon price target to 475 (520) pence - 'buy'
- Goldman Sachs cuts Taylor Wimpey price target to 95 (107) pence - 'neutral'
- Citigroup cuts Derwent London price target to 2,642 (2,767) pence - 'buy'
- Berenberg raises Glanbia price target to 22.60 (20.50) EUR - 'buy'
- Deutsche Bank Research raises Glanbia price target to 21.50 (18.50) EUR - 'buy'
- Deutsche Bank Research cuts Jet2 to 'hold' (buy)
- RBC cuts Jet2 price target to 1,800 (2,000) pence - 'outperform'
- BofA raises Ferguson price target to 24,000 (21,000) pence - 'buy'
LONDON MARKET OPEN: Utilities lift FTSE 100 ahead of BoE rate call
- London stock prices opened higher on Thursday, led by gains in utilities, despite broader caution ahead of central bank decisions in the UK and eurozone.
- FTSE 100 up 0.3% at 10,238.83, FTSE 250 marginally higher, and AIM all-share up 0.3%.
- Focus on central banks: Bank of England and European Central Bank expected to keep interest rates unchanged.
- European equities subdued: CAC 40 down 1.1%, DAX 40 down 0.3%.
- Brent crude oil surged to USD121.91 per barrel due to geopolitical tensions.
- Diplomatic developments: Pakistan may receive Iran's revised peace proposal; Trump and Putin discussed Iran ceasefire.
- Pound slightly lower against USD, higher against EUR; euro down against USD.
- Utilities led FTSE 100 gains: United Utilities surged 11% on strong results; Severn Trent up 6.1%.
- Weir Group down 7.4% on CEO change; Whitbread down 5.1% on business review and share buyback pause.
- Asian markets closed lower; Wall Street mixed on Wednesday.
- France's GDP stalled in Q1 2026; industrial producer prices rebounded sharply in March.
- Gold rose to USD4,620.617 an ounce on safe-haven demand.
- Upcoming economic data: Eurozone GDP, CPI, unemployment; US GDP and jobless claims.
LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: FTSE seen flat ahead of BoE rate call
- London stocks expected to open flat ahead of Bank of England interest rate decision.
- FTSE 100 futures indicate a marginal decline of 2.4 points to 10,210.71.
- US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%, with growing divisions among officials.
- Brent oil rose to USD113.60 per barrel, sterling dipped to USD1.3467, and the euro fell to USD1.1663.
- Asian markets mixed: Nikkei 225 down 1.3%, Shanghai Composite marginally higher, Hang Seng down 1.2%.
- China's manufacturing PMI rose to 52.2, but official data showed mixed results with non-manufacturing PMI slipping.
- US markets ended mixed; Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon rose in after-hours trading, while Meta fell 7.0%.
- Gold rose to USD4,555.72 per ounce.
- Busy corporate calendar in London with Unilever, Beazley, and Endeavour Mining reporting results.
- Eurozone GDP, CPI, and unemployment data, along with US GDP and jobless claims, due Thursday.
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