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FTSE 100: Shares rise in London despite poor performance from supermarkets

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London’s top shares eked out another small gain, helping the FTSE end the week on 7,643 points.

The gains were led by some of the UK’s biggest energy companies, which managed to outweigh some of the pressure put on supermarkets stocks, apart from Ocado which soared.

By the end of the day, the FTSE 100 had risen 0.2 per cent, or 14.46 points, to 7642.72. Its European cousins fared even better with Germany’s Dax up 0.5 per cent while France’s Cac 40 rose 1.5 per cent.

On Wall Street, both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones were trading flat a short while after markets in Europe shut.

“European markets have ended the week on a positive note as expectations of more stimulus from China, and the belief that the current cycle of rate increases is close to coming to an end, has seen the Dax push up to another new record high,” said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson.

“The FTSE100 has also enjoyed its best weekly performance since April with this week’s winners being the likes of Glencore and Ocado, while concern over higher interest rates has acted as a drag on house builders, with Barratt and Taylor Wimpey underperforming.”

During the day Tesco was one of the losers, with its shares closing down by close to 1 per cent.

It came despite the supermarket revealing that like-for-like sales grew by 9 per cent in the first quarter in the UK and flagging that it is seeing signs that inflation is starting to ease.

Sainsbury’s joined its rival in the red, dropping 1.2 per cent.

Elsewhere, Travis Perkins was also heavily in the red, with the business’s shares closing down 6.3 per cent.

The company downgraded its profit outlook for the financial year on Friday. It now expects to make around £240 million, around £32 million less than previously guided.

“The downgrade is also hitting the likes of B&Q owner Kingfisher as well as Wickes shares which are down heavily,” Mr Hewson said.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Ocado, up 31.9p to 461.9p, Centrica, up 3.25p to 118.85p, CRH, up 107p to 4,193p, British Land, up 8.3p to 343p, and Frasers, up 13p to 697p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Airtel Africa, down 4.6p to 124.8p, Hargreaves Lansdown, down 14.6p to 821.8p, M&G, down 3.45p to 197.25p, Glencore, down 8p to 467p, and Admiral Group, down 36p to 2,175p.

Oil prices have steadied on Friday, with both major benchmarks on course for a modest weekly gain after a sustained slump from waning global demand. 

Press Association – August Graham