Three cheers for a sustained rebound!

UK markets got off to a positive start Monday, inflating hopes that a floor could have been found

Holly Cook | 16-03-09 | E-mail Article

London’s markets got off to a distinctly positive start this week, with both the blue-chip and mid-cap indices gaining an extra 100 points each during the Monday session. Fears the FTSE 100 index could fall foul of profit-takers after last week’s 7% rise turned out to be unfounded as the bulls won the battle against the bears in early deals and the index enjoyed a strong trading session from start to finish.

Following assurances from Bank of America, Citigroup, and JP Morgan last week that all three have been profitable over the first two months of the year, Barclays this morning added its name to the list as it announced it has had a strong start to 2009. The British bank’s comments came alongside news it has had talks with a number of parties regarding the potential sale of its ETF business iShares. Analysts believe a sale could raise as much as £5 billion for the bank, which would help it in its bid to join the government’s asset protection scheme as Barclays would reportedly prefer to pay cash to participate rather than give up a stake to the government.

Barclays shares jumped 22.7% to close at 90.9p on Monday. Comments from US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke also gave the sector a boost after he appeared on US television late Sunday saying an economic recovery will start in 2009 if the government’s moves are successful. In London, HSBC added 7.4% to 442p and Royal Bank of Scotland rose 4.6% to 22.8p, but peer Lloyds Banking Group underperformed—climbing just 0.9% to 47.2p—after UK shareholders launched an action group challenging the group’s decision to go ahead with its HBOS acquisition. RBS also looks set for a rocky road after two council pension funds hired Cherie Blair to lead legal action against the bank in the US.

All eyes will be on Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley later in the week as the two are expected to update the market on their own progress.

The widespread rally saw the insurance, property and pharmaceuticals sectors all extended last week’s gains today with Prudential climbing 7.2% higher to 279.5p, British Land up 9.4% to 365.5p and AstraZeneca firming 6.1% to 2,453p. Together, these industries helped push the FTSE 100 index 2.9% ahead, up 110.3 points to 3,863.99, while the FTSE 250 index added 1.8% o0r 107.8 points to 6,270.3. Gains of 2% each on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 acted to confirm investors’ optimism.

A number of upbeat broker comments sent shares rallying, with Rexam jumping 10.7% to 264.75p on the back of recommendation upgrades from Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs, Marks & Spencer Group up 5.4% at 259.5p thanks to a bullish note from JP Morgan and National Grid taking on 5.0% to 581.5p after Morgan Stanley made upbeat noises.

Not all was rosy on Monday, however. A few commodities plays featured among the handful of stocks trading in the red following OPEC’s decision over the weekend not to cut supply, which sent oil prices sliding lower today. Oil services group AMEC lost 1.8% to 536.5p and Kazakhmys slippped 0.8% to 321p in a lacklustre mining sector. “OPEC’s decision…will help the wider economy, but the impact of lowering oil prices may hurt the oil- and commodity-laden FTSE, albeit helping the industrial-dominated exchanges,” Chris Hossain, senior sales manager at ODL Securities said this morning.

Finally, among those reporting results today, mid-cap travel operator Stagecoach Group ticked up 5.4% on the FTSE 250 index—taking with it top-tier peer FirstGroup, up 6.2% to 27.25p—after its trading update pleased the market. Meanwhile, second liner BRIT Insurance fell back 5.3% to 184.75p, hit by reports it has decided to drop a planned rights issue.

Holly Cook is Site Editor of Morningstar.co.uk and Hemscott.com. She would like to hear from you but cannot give financial advice.  You can contact the author via this feedback form.
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