The FTSE 100 hit fresh eight-month highs in early trading, with BT and packaging giant Mondi the biggest gainers in percentage terms.
Here the UK there’s some news out this morning from the Halifax that UK house prices continued to fall in December. The high street lender said the average price fell by 1.5%, that’s a small fall than the 2.4% recorded in November but still enough to bring the annual growth rate down to just 2%.
Elsewhere, energy giant Shell said it expects an additional US$2bn bill in the fourth quarter, following the windfall taxes imposed in the UK and the EU.
BioNTech has agreed to a landmark deal with the UK government which will see some 10,000 patients take part in advanced cancer treatment trials. The company will open a facility in Cambridge as well as a London office to aid the testing of its new vaccines.
And in small caps, shipping services group Clarkson’s share price rose this morning after it announced it expects to beat market forecasts, following strong trading in the final quarter of last year.