Antofagasta, WHSmith and Johnston Press

“The FTSE100 opened on the front foot as traders continued to assess the implications of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling which said parliamentary approval was required to trigger Article 50, which would begin a two-year countdown for the UK leaving the EU,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Antofagasta topped the blue-chip board in early trading after copper and gold output rose in 2016 with production figures buoyed by a strong performance in the final quarter. Investors will be encouraged by Antofagasta’s belief that the industry has now passed the low point in this commodity cycle while also heeding its warning that uncertainty persists and that the group needs to build carefully on the solid foundations of its existing operations. Antofagasta’s shares were up by over 6%.

“WH Smith led the FTSE250 list after it forecast that full-year profits would be slightly ahead of plan with travel revenues up 10% in the 21 weeks to 21 January. This has been driven by ongoing investment in the business and continued growth in passenger numbers, particularly in at the group’s airport stores over the Christmas holiday period. WHSmith’s shares were up by more than 7% in early trading.

“Johnston Press’s shares rose after it scooped a five-year contract to print the Monday to Saturday issues of the Daily Mail for the entire South West at the company's Portsmouth Web facility in Hampshire. This latest business comes on top of October’s contract to print Metro and adds to a portfolio which includes printing copies of the Daily/Sunday Express, the Daily/Sunday Star, The Guardian and Observer in Ireland, some Trinity Mirror regional titles and some Tindle Newspaper titles. Johnston Press’s shares were up by more than 4.5%.”

These articles are for information purposes only and are not a personal recommendation or advice.