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Stock prices were mixed on Thursday morning in London, while Capricorn Energy shares jumped as it agreed to be bought by Genel Energy; meanwhile investors await unemployment data from the eurozone. The FTSE 100 index opened up 25.49 points, 0.2%, at 10,503.83. The FTSE 250 was down 131.63 points, 0.6%, at 23,198.44, and the AIM all-share was down 2.18 points, 0.3%, at 773.87. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 1,041.90, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.4% at 19,976.97, and the Cboe small companies was down 0.6% at 18,215.11. In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.7%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was 0.2% higher. Sterling was at $1.3330 on Thursday morning, up from $1.3273 at the London equities close on Wednesday. Against the euro, sterling advanced to €1.1685 from €1.1657. The euro was up at $1.1402 from $1.1383. Against the yen, the dollar was slightly lower at JP¥161.55 from JP¥162.43. The next indirect US-Iran talks will come after the late Iranian supreme leader’s funeral, mediators said, as talks inched towards ending the Middle East war. Following the indirect discussions in Doha on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump as well as mediators Qatar and Pakistan offered signs that diplomacy was holding, despite exchanges of fire this week. ‘Qatari and Pakistani mediators concluded separate meetings with the US and Iranian negotiators in Doha [Wednesday], with positive progress made,’ Pakistan said Thursday. Islamabad added the sides agreed to keep talking, ‘with the next meeting to be set at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader.’ Ali Khamenei’s public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings. His burial will take place on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Brent crude was trading lower at $71.08 a barrel on Thursday morning from $71.85 on Wednesday. In Asia on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo was down 2.5%. In China, the Shanghai Composite was 2.0% lower, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong gained 0.6% as it reopened after Wednesday’s closure. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney edged higher. In the US on Wednesday, Wall Street ended lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down slightly, while the S&P 500 ended 0.2% lower and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.7%. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.49% on Thursday morning, widened from 4.47% on Wednesday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury gained slightly to 4.98% from 4.97%. Back in London, shares for grocery firms were higher, as Tesco led the index and climbed 2.3%, J Sainsbury was up 1.9% and Marks & Spencer rose 1.6%. JD Sports Fashion shares were 1.7% lower, after JPMorgan reinitiated coverage on the stock with a ’neutral’ rating. The sports retailer was also trading ex-dividend on Thursday, meaning new investors do not qualify for its latest 0.87p dividend. On the FTSE 250 index, Baltic Classifieds shares sank 9.8%. The online classified ads portal provider said pretax profit increased to €58.6 million in the 12 months to the end of April from €51.1 million a year earlier. Revenue increased to €88.5 million from €82.8 million. It proposed to pay a final dividend of 28 euro cents plus a 0.3 cent special dividend. This took the total dividend, including the special payment, to 4.4 cents compared to 3.8 cents. Looking ahead, it forecasts 10% revenue growth in financial 2027, below market consensus of 14% cited by broker Panmure Liberum, with slower growth in the first half and faster in the second. Baltic Classifieds expects the margin to be in line with the previous medium-term guidance of mid-70s. Currys was 1.2% lower despite reporting higher full-year earnings and doubling its dividend. The London-based electrical and telecommunications retailer said pretax profit rose 23% to £153 million in the 12 months to May 2 from £124 million a year earlier. Adjusted pretax profit increased 18% to £191 million from £162 million. Revenue climbed 6.3% to £9.25 billion from £8.71 billion. Currys proposed a final dividend of 2.25 pence, bringing the full-year dividend to 3.00p, doubled from 1.50p for the previous year. The firm said a share buyback programme for up to £50 million will start on Thursday and end by the start of May 2027. Among small caps, shares in Capricorn Energy jumped 19% after it accepted a $360 million offer from London-based oil and gas firm Genel Energy. Capricorn, the oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in Egypt, said the cash offer from Genel values each share at $4.74, or 357 pence. This comprises $3.75 in cash and an intended special dividend of $0.99. Genel Energy has irrevocable undertakings for just over 39% of Capricorn shares. Genel said it sees the acquisition of Capricorn’s Egyptian Western Desert portfolio as an ‘attractive strategic pillar’ to its business. Shares in Genel Energy climbed 3.1%. On Wednesday, Capricorn agreed to a further extension to the offer deadline for Alamadiyaf al-Masiyyah, a member of the Cafani Group, after it received ‘multiple unsolicited non-binding proposals’. Capricorn Energy first disclosed Alamadiyaf al-Masiyyah’s interest in March, and there have been multiple extensions to the offer deadline since then. On Wednesday, Capricorn said Alamadiyaf al-Masiyyah ‘continues to progress its funding arrangements’, as the deadline was extended to July 29. Gold was lower at $4,068.17 an ounce early on Thursday from $4,080.66 late Wednesday. Still to come on Thursday’s economic calendar is the US jobs report and eurozone unemployment figures. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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