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Stocks in London achieved solid, though unspectacular gains by Monday afternoon, in a quiet start to another holiday-shortened week, ahead of US data and Federal Reserve minutes. The FTSE 100 index was up 11.01 points, 0.1%, at 9,881.69. The FTSE 250 was up 63.21 points, 0.3%, at 22,377.71, and the AIM All-Share added 1.33 points, 0.2%, at 761.56. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 990.92, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 19,472.77, and the Cboe Small Companies was up 0.8% at 17,518.25. Over in Paris, the CAC 40 up 0.2%. The DAX 40 in Frankfurt was flat. Against the dollar, sterling faded to $1.3499 midday Monday, from $1.3510, where it stood at the time of the early London equities close on Wednesday. The euro declined to $1.1766 from $1.1790. Against the yen, the dollar rose to JP¥156.39 from JP¥155.92. Late Friday, around the time of the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange, the pound traded at $1.3504, the euro at $1.1780, and the dollar bought JP¥156.50. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury narrowed to 4.12% midday Monday from 4.16% on Wednesday. The 30-year yield eased to 4.80% from 4.82%. The yields were at 4.13% and 4.81% late Friday. In New York on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is called to open flat, the S&P 500 down 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite down 0.4%. Financial markets in London close early on Wednesday, before the New Year’s Day holiday on Thursday. The market reopens on Friday for a full trading day. This week’s global economic calendar has minutes from the December Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Tuesday, before a raft of manufacturing PMI prints on Friday. Elsewhere, US initial jobless claims data are released on Wednesday. According to consensus cited by FXStreet, a pickup in new claims to 220,000 is expected, from 214,000 in the prior week. A barrel of Brent declined to $61.45 midday Monday, from the $62.58 it fetched at the time of the early London equities close on Wednesday. However, it was up from $60.32 at the time of the New York equities close on Friday. Gold bought $4,447.86 an ounce midday Monday, down from $4,492.58 on Wednesday and from $4,528.06 on Friday. Gold had hit a record high above $4,549 an ounce on Friday. Pepperstone analyst Ahmad Assiri commented: ‘Silver, meanwhile, continues to trade within a structurally tight supply setup. After briefly pushing well above the $80 mark, prices have since retreated below that threshold, but the broader trend remains constructive for speculation flows. The drivers for both gold and silver remain largely unchanged, rooted in steady geopolitical and policy related risks that are underpinning demand for metals. On the macro front, expectations for a softer US dollar continue to provide support. ‘Markets are increasingly comfortable with the view that the Federal Reserve may continue the easing cycle later in the new year, particularly if further cooling emerges in the US labour market. A lower rate environment, combined with a weaker dollar bias, naturally enhances the relative appeal of assets such as gold and silver. Additionally, US China relations remain outwardly calm, yet tensions around critical minerals persist beneath the surface. This unresolved structural fault lines continues to support metals demand without attracting excessive political attention as for now.’ Precious metal miner Fresnillo was among the best FTSE 100 performers, up 1.9%. Defence stocks struggled as investors kept an eye on developments between Ukraine and Russia. In Frankfurt, Rheinmetall fell 2.4%, while in London, Babcock was the worst blue-chip performer, down 2.4%. The US is offering Ukraine security guarantees for 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian president said he would prefer a commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbour’s land by force. US President Donald Trump hosted Zelensky at his Florida resort on Sunday and claimed Ukraine and Russia were ‘closer than ever before’ to a peace settlement. Negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, including whose forces withdraw from where and the fate of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the 10 biggest in the world. Trump noted that the months-long US-led negotiations could still collapse. Elsewhere on the geopolitical front, China made a warning against ‘external forces’ backing Taiwan on Monday after launching live-fire drills around the island that it said would simulate a blockade of its key ports. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has refused to rule out using military action to seize the island democracy. Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news conference that any attempts to stop China’s unification of Taiwan with the mainland were ‘doomed to fail’. Back on the London Stock Exchange, International Personal Finance added 5.9%. It has agreed a £543 million all-cash takeover by BasePoint Capital, with the acquisition expected to complete in the third quarter of 2026. Under the terms of the offer, IPF shareholders will receive 235 pence in cash for each share, valuing the provider of credit products and insurance services at around £543 million. Everyman Media shares were marginally lower. The stock is down around 48% year-to-date. Chief Executive Alex Scrimgeour has left the post with immediate effect, the picture house operator said. Non-Executive Director Farah Golant takes on the CEO role on an interim basis, ‘until a permanent replacement has been found’. ‘An external search process for a successor has begun and the board will provide an update as soon as practicable,’ Everyman added. Golant has ‘experience across the global creative, entertainment, and media industries’, the firm said. AJ Bell analyst Dan Coatsworth commented: ‘’Once a unique proposition, offering posh seats and fancy food to lure in the punters, Everyman’s rivals have since copied many of its winning elements and left it for dust. The leading chains Vue and Odeon have installed reclining seats, bringing comfort to the mass market, while they also rolled out bars inside their cinemas. ‘It’s fair to say that 2025 wasn’t a golden year for new film releases, making matters worse for Everyman. Its recent profit warning was blamed on a weak fourth quarter film state, and the release schedule for the next few months doesn’t instil much optimism. Everyman has now lost both its chief executive and its finance director over the past fortnight; the latter having resigned on 15 December. That’s unfortunate timing and means the pressure is on to find a new leadership team fast.’ Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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