FTSE 100 edges close to parity by the close

Writer,

Archived article

Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.

Amid continuing Brexit-inspired weakness in sterling, the FTSE 100 recovered some of its earlier losses to trade broadly flat by the end of trading on Friday.

US stocks recovered from a slow start with the S&P 500 up 0.3% to 2,883.81 by around 4.30pm UK time.

Takeaways firm Just Eat slumped 7.9% as it emerged overnight that Amazon had been the major investor in rival Deliveroo's latest funding round. Embattled travel operator Thomas Cook fell a further 40% as Citigroup issued a research note with a 0p price target.

LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND FALLERS

Sports retailer Sports Direct ticked up 0.6% as it announced plans to sell and lease back its Shirebrook warehouse facility.

EasyJet gained 5.5% despite delivering a wider first-half loss, as it more-or-less stuck to its annual guidance amid a challenging time for travel companies.

Software company Sage gained 0.9% as it booked a slight fall in first-half adjusted earnings, after rising sales were offset by weaker margins.

Restaurant Group dipped 0.9% despite revenue jumping 57% in the year to date, owing to its recent acquisition of Wagamama, new site openings and a 2.8% improvement in like-for-like sales.

Metro Bank jumped 24.3% after it raised £375m from a discounted placing of its shares, exceeding its £350m target and helping to cool concerns about the challenger bank's financial health.

Investment firm IntegraFin dipped 0.9% despite declaring a maiden interim dividend as its first-half profits grew by nearly a fifth.

Cairn Energy shed gained 0.9% on reiterating its annual production guidance.

Publishing firm Future gained 19.5% as acquisitions helped it post a record set of first half numbers with revenue more than doubling to £108.7m.

SMALL CAP RISERS AND FALLERS

Recruitment and training company Staffline tumbled 60% as it warned on profits, blaming Brexit uncertainty and the delayed release of its annual results for hurting demand.

Online marketing minnow for the gambling sector Veltyco dropped 26.4% after it warned of a first-half loss.