The FTSE 100 opened 23.57 points higher at 10,693 as softer-than-expected US employment data eased Federal Reserve rate-hike expectations. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures rose 0.61% to $72.34 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 0.47% to $69.01 a barrel.
On the upside, Fresnillo rose 2.54% to £2,952, while SSE advanced 2.44% to £2,520. Metlen Energy & Metals gained 1.77% to €42.60, and Weir Group moved higher by 1.72% to £2,486. Anglo American added 1.47% to £3,796, while Aberdeen Group climbed 1.42% to £257.20.
On the downside, Whitbread declined 0.96% to £2,376, while Games Workshop slipped 0.75% to £21,320. Next fell 0.55% to £14,585, and Coca-Cola HBC moved lower by 0.49% to £5,115. AstraZeneca eased 0.29% to £14,496, while London Stock Exchange Group edged down 0.26% to £8,586.
Healthcare software company Craneware has declined 20% in early trade. It follows the business’ full-year trading update where it warned its financial performance would be “below market expectations”.
The company said its pricing revenue would be between $205 million and $208 million for the year after it was hit with a “deferral of a small number of significant enterprise contracts,” which it now expects to come to fruition in the next financial year.
“Naturally, we are disappointed not to have delivered the growth that we expected in full-year 2026. While the short-term complexity in the pharmacy market has impacted the year, the long-term opportunity remains intact,” said Craneware’s chief executive Keith Neilson.
Investment firm EIG has sold its entire stake in London-listed oil and gas company Harbour Energy for £112 million.
The energy company said this morning that Potomac, an investment vehicle controlled by EIG, had successfully offloaded its 3.5% stake in the company via an accelerated bookbuild. Barclays coordinated the transaction.
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The US economy added 57,000 nonfarm jobs in June, roughly half the 113,000 forecast, with April and May figures revised lower.
The unemployment rate dipped to 4.2%, driven by a fall in labour force participation rather than genuine job creation; wage growth was in line with forecasts.
In the US, stocks ended on a mixed note ahead of the Independence Day weekend. The Dow Jones added 1% to close at a fresh record high, while Nasdaq fell 0.8% as a semiconductor sell-off offset gains and S&P 500 slipped 0.1%.
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi rose 5.76% to 8,088.34. Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 1.47% to 69,744.07 points. Taiwan’s TAIEX gained 0.08%. India’s Nifty 50 and Sensex both rose 0.71% and 0.56%, respectively.