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The FTSE 100 index opened steadily this morning, down fractionally, as traders await the publication of data on retail sales, which have been recovering steadily since plunging more than 8% in January.
At 0826, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 7.82 points, or 0.1%, at 7,011.97.
Pharma giant AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria had been granted special approval for emergency use in Japan for active immunisation of individuals aged 18 years and older. Its share price fell 14 points to £81.17 per share.
Real estate investment trust SERGO plc has announced an 8 year, €500 million (£431 million) senior unsecured green bond issue for the SERGO European Logistics Partnership (SELP) joint venture. It opened slightly down this morning at £10.31p per share.
Merchant banking group Close Brothers said it continued to perform strongly in the third quarter amid growth in its lending and asset management business. It opened up six points, climbing to £15.84. Property company LondonMetric Property said it had acquired two vacant warehouse assets in Brent Cross and Streatham in London for a combined £13.5 million. It saw positive movement this morning, rising slightly to 228.8p per share.
Schroder Asia Pacific has reported strong returns for the six month period ended 31 March 2021. The company's net asset value and share price produced total returns of 19.7% and 25.1%, respectively, both significantly outperforming the benchmark's total return of 14.1%. It opened down over three points to 601.5p per share.
Wealth manager Investec said it expected earnings to improve in fiscal 2022 after reporting a fall in annual profit as lower interest rates and pandemic-related weakness weighed on performance. It opened up over half a percentage point, climbing to 294.4p per share.
Gold producer Pan African has upped its estimate for yearly production, exceeding initial estimates. Its share price fell slightly to 19.75p per share.
Shield Therapeutics, a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company with a focus on addressing iron deficiency, remains 'on track' to launch Accrufer in the US by end of June 2021. Its share price is up over two percent, to 59.1p per share.
Tracsis, a leading provider of software, hardware, data analytics/GIS and services for the rail, traffic data and wider transport industries, has welcomed the long-awaited Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in the UK. It continued its rise, up over 3% this morning to £8.40p per share.