FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

UK Shares Close Lower; EasyJet Gains on Apollo's Takeover Offer

By

London's FTSE 100 closed 0.14% lower on Thursday as investors assessed a fresh batch of corporate earnings and monitored signs of progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

In the latest development, Iran said it had reached an agreement with Oman on a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, with a joint statement in the final drafting stage. Officials added that the arrangement would be temporary and would not constitute a full reopening of the waterway.

In corporate news, Persimmon plc (PSN.L) jumped 3.21% after first-half profit attributable to equity holders jumped year over year to 119.8 million pounds sterling from 100 million pounds. The homebuilder's total revenue increased to 1.73 billion pounds from 1.50 billion pounds.

"A solid set of interim results from Persimmon, with volume growth of 13% and underlying operating profit up 10% demonstrating that its proactive self-help strategy continues to deliver in a challenging market," RBC Capital Markets said. "With FY volume guidance narrowed to the upper end of previous guidance at c.12,500, end and full-year [pretax profit] guidance in line with consensus, we expect the shares to perform well today given the H1 beat and proactive approach to cost control."

On the contrary, Tritax Big Box REIT (BBOX.L) slumped 3.90% to become one of the worst performers on the blue-chip index after interim results, published after market close on Wednesday, missed consensus expectations. "EPRA [Net Tangible Assets] of 185.9p (-1% versus FY25) is 3.4% below consensus of 192.4p (December 2025: 187.8p), affected by a decline in property values and impairment in land options in the period. Adjusted EPS (excluding DMA income) of 4.41p increased by 7% yoy and is 4.6% below consensus of 4.6p," Berenberg said.

EasyJet (EZJ.L) agreed to Apollo Global Management's 5.7 billion-pound-sterling takeover bid, while Castlelake said it does not intend to make an offer for the British budget airline after careful consideration. The scheme of arrangement is set to take effect by the end of the first calendar quarter of 2027. EasyJet gained 2.82% at close.

On the economic front, Britain's construction sector remained in a downturn in July amid declines in residential and civil engineering activity levels. The UK Construction PMI came in at 44.7, up from 38.4 in the prior month and the consensus estimate of 40.

"July data suggests that the performance of UK construction sector has started to stabilise after a sharp downturn throughout the second quarter of 2026. Business activity levels continued to decline in all three main categories, but in each case the rate of contraction was much slower than in June," S&P Global Market Intelligence Economics Director Tim Moore said. "Survey respondents commented on signs of a turnaround in client demand and a revival in new tender opportunities in some cases, despite subdued underlying market conditions."

Related Articles

Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Mega-Cap Communication Services, Tech Names Weigh, Strait of Hormuz Safe Route Emerges

(Updates with index/price moves and macroeconomic data from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed amid declines in heavyweight communication services and technology names, while reports emerged that Iran and Oman have agreed on a proposed route through the Strait of Hormuz in bilateral talks.The Nasdaq Composite slid 0.8% to 26,363.44, and the S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 7,723.55 at close Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% to 54,349.12. Communication services, energy and utilities led decliners. Materials and healthcare topped gainers.SpaceX (SPCX) reported Q2 capital expenditures of $18.37 billion, up from $2.83 billion a year ago, taking the shine off a narrower-than-expected loss and above-consensus revenue growth. Shares slumped more than 13%, the worst performer on the Nasdaq.Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google announced new roles for DeepMind Chief Executive Demis Hassabis as part of a reshuffle amid the departure of Chief Scientist Jeff Dean. Hassabis will become chairman of Google DeepMind and assume the role of chief scientist at Alphabet, per memos Wednesday from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Hassabis. Shares of the search giant dropped 4.2%, among the worst performers on the Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq.Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) dropped 7%, one of the steepest decliners on the Nasdaq, after analysts, in a post-earnings conference call late Tuesday, raised questions about the chipmaker's gross margin trajectory. The company reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue above market expectations, and Q3 sales guidance beat consensus.The pace of data center AI ramp is "very important because, from [a] revenue opportunity perspective, we see [a] large incremental revenue opportunity from data center AI," AMD Chief Financial Officer Jean Hu said on the call, according to a FactSet transcript. "Once it ramps, not only [will] it add tremendous revenue for the company, but also gross profit, even though the gross margin is slightly below corporate average."Among stocks with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, seven out of the bottom 10 names were from either communication services or technology sectors, according to data compiled by Finviz. The three worst performers in this category of mega-caps were SpaceX, Advanced Micro Devices and Alphabet.Meanwhile, Iran said it has reached a deal with Oman on a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, a potential step toward a reopening of the waterway for energy supplies, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.A joint statement from the two countries is in the final drafting stage, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was cited as saying Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. Talks between Iran and Oman are "forward-moving," and an agreement would be struck "if certain third parties do not obstruct this process," Baghaei was cited as saying, according to the report.A proposed deal between Iran and Oman to help end five months of war between Iran and the United States would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters, one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 1% to $75.03 a barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent was little changed at $79.34 a barrel.US Treasury yields slipped, with the 10-year yield down 1.6 basis points to 4.61%.Gold futures surged 3.6% to $4,308.1, and silver futures advanced 3.4% to $62.28.In economic news, the Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to 54.1 in July from 54.0 in June, compared with expectations for 54.5 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.The S&P Global US services index was revised upwards to 54.6 in July from the 53.6 flash reading, compared with expectations for no revision in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The July index is above the 51.2 reading in June and is the highest for nine months.ADP's monthly measure of private payrolls showed a 44,000 increase in July, below expectations in a Bloomberg-compiled poll for a gain of 65,000. The July increase followed a downwardly revised 95,000 jobs increase in June.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMD$GOOG$GOOGL$SPCX
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as SpaceX Hits Nasdaq, Deal Reportedly Reached on Proposed Hormuz Route

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed as declines in SpaceX (SPCX) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) restrained the Nasdaq Composite amid reports that Iran and Oman have agreed on a proposed route through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas flows.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 26,454.2, and the S&P 500 was little changed at 7,737.4 after midday Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% to 54,523.5. Communication services, energy and utilities led decliners. Materials and healthcare topped gainers.SpaceX (SPCX) reported Q2 capital expenditures of $18.37 billion, up from $2.83 billion a year ago, taking the shine off a narrower-than-expected loss and above-consensus revenue growth. Shares slumped 11%, the worst performer on the Nasdaq.SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said on the company's first-ever earnings call that it will build AI services exclusively on Nvidia's (NVDA) systems. Shares of Nvidia jumped 4.3%, one of the top gainers on the Nasdaq and the Dow.Shares of Advanced Micro Devices dropped 6%, one of the steepest decliners on the Nasdaq, after analysts, in a post-earnings conference call late Tuesday, raised questions about the chipmaker's gross margin trajectory. The company reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue above market expectations, and Q3 sales guidance beat consensus.The pace of data center AI ramp is "very important because, from [a] revenue opportunity perspective, we see [a] large incremental revenue opportunity from data center AI," AMD Chief Financial Officer Jean Hu said on the call, according to a FactSet transcript. "Once it ramps, not only [will] it add tremendous revenue for the company, but also gross profit, even though the gross margin is slightly below corporate average."Meanwhile, Iran said it has reached a deal with Oman on a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, a potential step toward a reopening of the waterway for energy supplies, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.A joint statement from the two countries is in the final drafting stage, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was cited as saying Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. Talks between Iran and Oman are "forward-moving," and an agreement would be struck "if certain third parties do not obstruct this process," Baghaei was cited as saying, according to the report.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 1.5% to $74.65 a barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 0.7% to $78.79 a barrel.Gold futures surged 3.6% to $4,302.3, and silver futures advanced 3.3% to $62.23.In economic news, the Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to 54.1 in July from 54.0 in June, compared with expectations for 54.5 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The reading suggests faster expansion, in line with other measures but in contrast with the Richmond Fed print signaling contraction.The S&P Global US services index was revised upwards to 54.6 in July from the 53.6 flash reading, compared with expectations for no revision in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The July index is above the 51.2 reading in June and is the highest for nine months.ADP's monthly measure of private payrolls showed a 44,000 increase in July, below expectations in a Bloomberg-compiled poll for a gain of 65,000. The July increase followed a downwardly revised 95,000 jobs increase in June.US Treasury yields were little changed to mixed after midday Wednesday. The 10-year yield leaned less than one basis point lower to 4.62%, while the two-year was steady at 4.19%.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMD$NVDA$SPCX
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Mixed After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV were mixed after midday Wednesday, with the latter up 0.1%. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) lost 0.4%.US equity indexes traded mixed amid a sharp sell-off in communication services and reports that Iran and Oman have agreed on a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each lost 1.8%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 0.1%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) dropped 0.3% each.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) was down 2.3%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) fell 1.1%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) advanced 0.6%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), declined 0.7%.CommoditiesCrude oil declined 1.3%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) fell 1.2%. Natural gas gained 0.3%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) increased 0.3%.Gold on Comex added 3.6%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) rose 4%. Silver gained 3.5%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was up 4.3%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) declined 0.1%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) slipped 0.3%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) shed 0.2%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) rose 0.2%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) dipped 0.2%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) declined 0.6%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) gained 1% each, while Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) added 0.8%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 0.8%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) rose 0.2%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was up 0.1% and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) was 0.2% higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) added 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) rose 0.6%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was up 0.7%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was fractionally higher.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH