Ftse 100 ceos

By Helen Reid LONDON (Reuters) - Energy and mining stocks helped the FTSE 100 recover some of its losses on Tuesday, in a half-hearted bounce which left the index near its lowest in a month as Brexit negotiations and Italy's budget deficit continued to sap investors' appetite for risk. Britain's top stock index <.FTSE> hovered up 0.05 percent by 0838 GMT. A selloff in the previous session had taken the FTSE down to its lowest intraday level since September, and weakest close since April. Overall analysts have been downgrading earnings estimates for the FTSE 100 as third-quarter results season approaches and Brexit negotiations drag on. "Even if you did know the Brexit outcome it's still not entirely clear what that means for the performance of UK equities," said Mike Bell, global market strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management. "We think it's quite hard for UK equities to outperform in either scenario," he added, noting a "soft" Brexit would boost sterling and likely weigh on … [Read more...] about FTSE 100 stalls as cyclicals strength fails to lift Brexit cloud

By James Davey and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Marks & Spencer <MKS.L> is expected to report a second straight fall in annual profit next week, and with the retailer’s shares down nearly a quarter over the last year it is in danger of soon being booted out of the FTSE 100 index. The 134-year-old M&S has been a member of the blue-chip index <.FTSE> since its inception in 1984. Relegation would be a totemic moment for a British institution that has fallen out of fashion over the last decade. M&S faces unrelenting competition both in clothing and food on the high street and online, while efforts to revitalise its business are being hampered by an ongoing squeeze on consumers’ spending power. Thomson Reuters data ranks M&S at 102nd by market value in the FTSE 350 of large and mid-cap companies based on Thursday’s closing prices. The FTSE 100 is not simply the 100 biggest companies in Britain that meet free-float and … [Read more...] about M&S teetering on the brink of FTSE 100 relegation

By Helen Reid LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s leading stock index was on track for its eighth straight week of gains despite dipping slightly on Friday as investor enthusiasm waned after the previous day’s record close. The FTSE 100 <.FTSE> was down 0.2 percent by 0831 GMT, in line with the FTSE 250 <.FTMC> which also hit a record high on Thursday. The index remained on track for an eight-week winning streak, which would be its longest in 13 years, marking a strong comeback for British stocks. Commodities, a key part of the UK stock market, have driven much of the recent climb in the FTSE 100, which has also benefited from a string of brokers recommending investors buy back into the region. The index made a full recovery from its February losses. On Friday, weak results from Astrazeneca <AZN.L> sent the shares down 2.6 percent, weighing on the healthcare sector – the biggest drag on the overall index. The drugmaker’s first-quarter profit … [Read more...] about Commodities put FTSE on track for eight-week winning streak