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UK stocks opened stronger on Monday and were continuing to hover just under multi-year highs touched in January, as investors shrug off inflation fears and focus on global recovery hopes.
At 0813, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 41.26 points, or 0.6%, at 7,557.66.
Home builder Taylor Wimpey fell 0.4% to 148.7p following news that it had appointed Jennie Daly as its new chief executive.
Daly was currently the company's operations director. She would replace outgoing CEO Pete Redfern from 26 April.
Pet products and veterinary services group Pets at Home gained 0.6% to 410.14p on news that it had appointed Lyssa McGowan as its incoming chief executive.
McGowan was the outgoing chief consumer officer for media group Sky UK. She would succeed Peter Pritchard, who last November announced his intention to resign, on 1 June.
Leak detection group Water Intelligence surged 3.4% to 909.5p having upgraded its annual profit guidance amid 'rapid' growth in demand for its products.
Water Intelligence said it had exceeded expectations in the year through December for revenue and profit, with the former to grow 36% year-on-year to $6.9 million and the latter 44% to $54.5 million.
Energy efficiency investor SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust climbed 0.9% to 115.5p after it agreed to acquire 80% of a biomass cogeneration plant in Mangualde, Portugal from Capwatt for about €22 million.
SDCL Energy Efficiency also announced that it had acquired the interest of a minority shareholder of the Puente Genil projects in Oliva Spanish Cogeneration for €12 million.
Storage group Lok'nStore shed 0.3% to £10.10 even as it reported that its self-storage revenue was up 34% in the first half, driven by improvements in both occupancy and pricing.
Price per square foot of occupied space was up 18.5% and unit occupancy was up 6.0% over 12 months.
Television content producer Zinc Media firmed 3.6% to 84.92p on announcing that it expected to post forecast-beating earnings in the second half and that the new year had started positively.
Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the six months through December were expected to be in the region of £0.5 million, ahead of management's forecasts, Zinc Media said.
Fryer management services group Filta rallied 6.9% to 140p on reporting that revenue recovered strongly in 2021 and was now ahead of pre-pandemic levels, led by 'strong' recovery in North America. The record-setting third and fourth quarters helped the group to finish the year with revenues of £23.6 million, up from £16.4 million.