– The FTSE 100 closed the day at 6,555.28, an increase of 50.15 points.
– The FTSE 250 rose by 120.33 points to finish at 17,387.89.
– The FTSE All Share grew by 25.56 points to 3,580.04.
– The FTSE AIM All Share finished 1.39 points higher at 749.16.
The UK Economy grew by 0.7% in the three months ended 30th June, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. This is a major improvement from the 0.4% reported for the first quarter, but a deceleration in manufacturing does offer cause for concern. The ONS also said that GDP per capita was now roughly equal to its pre-crash (i.e. 2008) levels. Part of the blame for manufacturing’s woes has been laid at the feet of Sterling, after a strong showing in recent months.
Informa (INF) shares rose by 6.27% to 576.5p as the company announced that revenues in the first half had grown by 8.6%. Profits before tax rocketed up by more than £20 million to £99.8 million, boosted by the disposal of some business units following a strategic review. Numis reiterated its view that Informa is a key stock for 2015 and that it was very comfortable with the first-half results.
Fast food delivery chain Domino’s Pizza (DOM) increased system sales by 14% to £426.7 million during the 26 weeks ended 28th June, with a 10% rise in like-for-like terms. The UK market remained key and saw strong growth in online and mobile sales, but cost reductions in Germany helped improve earnings there. Numis raised its target price to 1,000p and reiterated its “buy” rating with analysts saying that the profits before tax of £32 million exceeded expectations. The shares shot up by 84p to 887.5p.
Financial services provider Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) upped its revenues by 6% to £591.6 million during the six months ended 30th June, but organic growth of 2% disappointed. This was blamed on orders being shifted into the second half of the year. In further bad news, profits before tax took a 10% hit and dropped to £96.3 million due to the cost of its US expansion. Shares in Jardine Lloyd Thompson rose by 1p to 1,017p.
Tomorrow’s news today
Sky (SKY) will release final results, while Barclays (BARC) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.) are among the firms that will publish interim results tomorrow.
Quote of the day
“The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.”
– George S. Patton