U.K. Stocks Gain Ground; Inflation Data on Deck

U.K. stocks rose Tuesday, with gains for Prudential PLC and British Land Co. PLC following trading updates.

The FTSE 100 index UKX, +0.29% rose 0.2% to 6,688, adding to Monday’s rise of 0.3%, when the market turned higher on the prospect of further monetary stimulus for the eurozone from the European Central Bank.

Prudential PRU, +0.24% shares climbed 1.7% after the insurer said profit from new business rose 17% in the third quarter and that it’s confident about its prospects for the rest of the year.

British Land BLND, +0.73% shares gained 0.9% as the property developer said first-half profit rose on strong demand for commercial real estate in London. Underlying profit before tax rose 6.2% to 155 million pounds ($242.7 million).

Meanwhile, EasyJet PLC EZJ, -2.01% said full-year profit rose 22%, aided in part by strikes at rival carriers, but shares were trading lower by 0.9%.

Investors will look for the release of U.K. inflation data at 9:30 a.m. London time.

Will you be in London on Dec. 3? Then you’re invited to our MarketWatch Investing Insights event, “The worse Europe gets, the more you should invest.”

Governments are in trouble, reform efforts have stalled, unemployment is climbing. the news from the eurozone is bleak. And investors are fleeing. But that’s a mistake: The worse the economic data from Europe get, the more you should be buying. Why? Because actions by the ECB will boost asset prices and the stock market in particular. And, big exporters can grow sales. Lower costs and steady sales translate into higher profits and dividends. Join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation to explore these opportunities.

Our panel will be led by MarketWatch Columnist Matthew Lynn, a renowned financial journalist based in London and the author of “Bust: Greece, the euro and the Sovereign Debt Crisis.” He’ll be joined by Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch columnist and editor of the Hulbert Financial Digest.

Source: MarketWatch

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