LONDON (Reuters) - Britons should be confident that the system to monitor COVID-19 vaccines is working following the change in advice on giving young people the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday. "People can be reassured that we have the high class safety system run by our world class regulator (...
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LONDON (Reuters) - British-based equity funds saw a record three billion pounds ($4.13 billion) in inflows in March as investors bet on an economic rebound, data from fund network Calastone showed on Thursday. Globally-focused equity funds attracted the most investment as vaccine roll-outs around the world boosted optimism. "New capital has flooded in from investors keen to capitalise on the post-COVID economic recovery," said Edward Glyn, head of global markets at Calastone. The inflows beat a previous record set in April 2020, following government and central bank stimulus in response to COVID-19. Environmental, social and...
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(Reuters) - European stocks hit record highs on Thursday on optimism around a global stimulus-led economic rebound after the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to keep monetary policy loose. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.5% by 0720 GMT, adding to gains made earlier this week when the index erased all of its pandemic-driven losses. Miners, automakers and retailers led gains on the index - up between 0.7% and 1% in early trading. Fed officials remain wary about the ongoing risks of the coronavirus pandemic and are committed to bolstering the economy until its recovery is more...
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Investing.com – Japan equities were lower at the close on Thursday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Railway & Bus and Real Estate sectors propelled shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 0.07%. The biggest gainers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (T:9107), which rose 4.14% or 111.0 points to trade at 2790.0 at the close. Hino Motors, Ltd. (T:7205) added 2.61% or 24.0 points to end at 942.0 and Konami Corp. (T:9766) was up 2.26% or 150.0 points...
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(Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 climbed on Wednesday supported by gains in heavyweight mining and banking stocks, while investors awaited March construction industry activity data later in the day. The blue-chip index rose 0.4% to its highest since February last year, with Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT) jumping 3.4% after the chemicals maker said it had started a strategic review of its health business. Mining stocks rose with Anglo American (LON:AAL) gaining 2.5%, as the company said it would spin off its thermal coal assets in South Africa. The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250...
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(Reuters) -Auto retailer Lookers on Thursday forecast 2021 underlying profit before tax to be ahead of analysts' estimates, after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly sales boosted by its digital channels. Lookers' shares rose about 9% in early trade on Thursday. The company said first-quarter sales were underpinned by "click-and-drive" sales, through which customers could order vehicles online and pick it up from the dealerships. Dealerships remained closed for sales due to pandemic-related restrictions. The company said it had sold over 44,000 new and used vehicles in the three months ending March 31, compared with 49,000 vehicles...
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BERLIN (Reuters) - German industrial orders rose for the second month in a row in February driven by strong domestic demand, data showed on Thursday in a further sign that manufacturers are set to cushion a pandemic-related drop in overall output in the first quarter. The data published by the Federal Statistics Offices showed orders for industrial goods increased on the month by 1.2% in seasonally adjusted terms. This was in line with a Reuters forecast. The increase came after a downwardly revised rise of 0.8% in January. Domestic orders jumped by 4% on the...
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LONDON (Reuters) - British online fashion retailer ASOS (LON:ASOS) on Thursday reported a 275% increase in first half profit, driven by the popularity of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic. ASOS, which sells fashion aimed at 20-somethings, made an adjusted pretax profit of 112.9 million pounds ($155.3 million)for the six months to Feb. 28, up from 30.1 million pounds in the first half of its 2019-20 year. The group said the profit outcome included a net COVID-19 benefit of 48.5 million pounds. Total sales rose 25% at constant exchange rates to 1.98 billion pounds. ASOS said its...
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(Reuters) - Britain's energy regulator said on Thursday the country's National Grid (LON:NG) Electricity System Operator had agreed to pay 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) to the watchdog for a breach of electricity demand forecasts in 2017. Ofgem said the operators of the grid, run by National Grid, did not have "adequate controls" in place to provide accurate 7-day ahead electricity demand predictions. ($1 = 0.7265 pounds) ...
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(Reuters) - British homeware retailer Dunelm Group on Thursday forecast annual profit ahead of analysts' expectations, as it gears up to reopen its stores next week following an easing in coronavirus-led restrictions in England. The company, which sells furnishings ranging from cushions and bedding to kitchen equipment, also reported a 16.8% fall in revenue to 236.6 million pounds ($325 million) for the 13 weeks ended March 27, 2021. ...
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