FTSE 100 Live: Luxury Stocks Lead as FTSE 100 Opens Flat; Capita, Royal Mail & Entain in Focus

On Tuesday, October 15, the FTSE 100 opened 10 points higher, although early positive sentiment faded due to mixed corporate earnings and regulatory risks. The index hovered around 9,452.09, fueled by advances in luxury and real estate stocks while battered by weakness in mining and telecom shares. 

Top Gainers: Burberry, Pearson, and Ashtead Advance

Burberry Group topped the leaderboard, up 7%, or £80, to £1,241 after LVMH, the French luxury group, reported better than expected quarterly sales, which would signal a recovery in Chinese demand.

Pearson gained 2.82% to £1,095, while Ashtead Group added 2.21% to £5,262, backed by the strong demand for equipment rental in the US and the positive outlook for the industry.

Among property and advertising firms, Land Securities Group rose 2.46% to £625 on the back of a positive half-year trading update, and WPP advanced 2.32% to £347.9, driven by stable client spending. 

Mining company Endeavour Mining also gained 1.74% to £3,514, tracking higher gold prices.

Entain Declines Despite Steady Guidance

Shares of Entain, the parent company of Ladbrokes and Sportingbet, fell 2% to £824.8 after the firm reaffirmed its full-year earnings forecast despite weaker-than-expected third-quarter growth.

The group maintained its 2025 earnings guidance of £1.1-£1.15 billion, citing stable online growth of 7%. 

Its US joint venture, BetMGM, raised revenue expectations to $2.75 billion; however, its September sports GTV margins weighed down the sentiment.

Vet Stocks Jump on CMA Reform Plans

Veterinary service providers rallied after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) unveiled 21 measures to improve transparency and reduce consumer costs. The reforms include capped prescription fees at £16 and itemized treatment estimates above £500.

Pets at Home Group shares rose 4.3%, and CVS Group Plc climbed over 4%, as investors welcomed potential regulatory clarity in the highly consolidated vet industry.

Capita and Royal Mail Fined Over Compliance Failures

Capita fell after being fined £14 million by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for failing to protect personal data during a 2023 cyberattack that exposed 6.6 million individuals’ information.

Royal Mail was fined £21 million by Ofcom for missing delivery targets, having delivered only 77% of first-class and 92.5% of second-class mail on time, well below the regulator’s requirements.

Also Read: Stock Market Today: Sensex Rises 0.54%, Nifty Up 0.60% Led by Realty Stocks

Global Market Trends

Asian markets traded mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up 1.8% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up 1.4%. On Wall Street, futures turned cautious, with the S&P 500 slightly lower ahead of bank earnings.

In commodities, gold rose 1% to $4,188 an ounce, while Brent crude slipped to $62.21 per barrel, reflecting subdued energy demand and lingering geopolitical uncertainty.