London Stocks Seen Higher After Fed; BOE Up Next

London Stocks Seen Opening Higher After Fed, Before BOE

0750 GMT - The FTSE 100 is expected to open up 30.5 points, according to IG, having closed Wednesday at 7248.49, after a rally in U.S. stocks overnight after the Federal Reserve's announcement that it will taper asset purchases. "The buying of bonds should come to an end sometime by mid-2022, but until that day, the Fed will continue expanding its balance sheet to record levels, and that will continue backing the inflation pressures, and the stock markets," Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyst at Swissquote, says. Attention now turns to a Bank of England decision at 1200 GMT, which analysts expect will result either in a rate increase or hints of a rate increase to come in December. Telecoms group BT, grocer Sainsbury's, Smith & Nephew and Hikma Pharmaceuticals are among individual stocks in focus after earnings updates. ([e-mail])

 
Companies News: 

BT 1H Pretax Profit Fell, Brings Forward Savings Target

BT Group PLC said Thursday that pretax profit for the first half of fiscal 2022 fell slightly together with revenue, but maintained its outlook and brought forward its cost-savings target.

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Hikma Pharmaceuticals Says Performance Continues to be Strong; Backs 2021 Guidance

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC said Thursday that its performance continues to be strong and backed its 2021 guidance.

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Sainsbury Swung to 1H Pretax Profit on Lower Costs

J Sainsbury PLC on Thursday reported a swing to a pretax profit for the first half of fiscal 2022 as a reflection of lower restructuring and impairment costs.

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Superdry 1H Revenue Fell Slightly on Lower Sales

Superdry PLC said Thursday that revenue declined slightly in the first half of fiscal 2022, marked by significantly higher in-store sales and lower online sales.

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Tate & Lyle 1H 2022 Pretax Profit Halved

Tate & Lyle PLC on Thursday reported a more-than-halved pretax profit for the first half of fiscal 2022, as stronger profit growth in its food-and-beverage-solutions and sucralose segments offset lower profits from its primary-products business.

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JD Sports Required to Sell Footasylum by UK Regulator

A U.K. regulator said Thursday that it will require sports-goods retailer JD Sports Fashion PLC to sell off its Footasylum business, after an investigation found competition concerns.

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Smith & Nephew 3Q Revenue Rose

Smith & Nephew PLC said Thursday that revenue for the third quarter of its fiscal year rose, and that it is on track to deliver at the lower end of guidance for the year due to the pandemic.

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Alien Metals to Raise GBP3.5 Mln via Share Placing to Fund Work Program

Alien Metals Ltd. said Thursday that it plans to raise 3.5 million pounds ($4.8 million) via a share placing which will be used toward its work program over the next year.

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Sainsbury Swung to 1H Pretax Profit, Says It Is Well Placed for Christmas -- Update

J Sainsbury PLC on Thursday reported a swing to a pretax profit for the first half of fiscal 2022 as a reflection of lower restructuring and impairment costs, and said that it is prepared for Christmas despite supply-chain challenges.

 
Market Talk: 

Miners Continue to Hold Purse Strings Pretty Tightly

0356 GMT - Miners are making more money than ever before, but are spending little of it on mines. While some are planning to spend more annually in the next few years than they have in half a decade, the capex outlook for the world's "Big 4" miners for 2023 is only about half of the 2013 peak, Liberum says. "Many management teams of the big miners have neither the mandate from shareholders nor the confidence in the long-term commodity demand growth outlook to engage greenfield investments," Liberum says. Memories of the last commodities bust are also "still very raw and real" for company executives and directors, it says. ([e-mail]; @RhiannonHoyle)

Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires; Dow Jones Newswires; [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-04-21 0411ET