The return of UK inflation, Ashtead Group (LON:AHT) and drugs giant Glaxo (LON:GSK) were topics trending in web world this morning as Footsie was on the slide.
May's data showed the UK's brief dalliance with negative inflation had ended, as CPI was up 0.1% compared to a year earlier.
It came mainly from an increase in air travel fares down to fuel prices.
However, UK inflation is still at bargain basement levels compared to the Bank of England's target of 2% so pressure to up interest rates is still on.
Shall I mention it? Yes, Greece is still in focus with fears of a default mounting by the hour and sending investors away from equities. Today, the prime minister Alexis Tsipras is due to meet with his MP's today in Athens.
Greece must repay more than €1.5bn of loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the end of June and promise further economic reforms to receive around €7bn of bailout cash
Tool hire group Ashtead (LON:AHT) probably succumbed to profit taking as its shares fell 3% despite it posting record annual profits.
It came as the housing and construction recovery in Europe and the US boosted demand for equipment.
The group unveiled a 35% rise in pre-tax profit to £490mln in the year to April 30, on a 24% increase in rental revenue to £1.8bn, against the same period a year ago.
GlaxoSmithKline (LON:GSK) is often in the news and today was no different. Today the theme was speculation- that it could be the latest target for a takeover.
According to press reports in the Daily Mail, the chatter is that it may be approached by Roche or US company Johnson & Johnson.
A big loser was Flowgroup (LON:FLOW), which dropped over 35%. It happened as Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Adam Forsythe put his recommendation for the boiler group under review after being a 'buy'.
An unfavourable European Court ruling meant its efficient boilers would have to carry VAT at 20% rather than 5%.
“The early incarnation of the Flow boiler made strong economic sense when VAT was 5% for larger households,” he said. “The VAT change is likely to reduce the set of suitable households and so today’s announcement is understandable if disappointing."
The biggest gainer on Footsie was British American Tobacco (LON: BATS), up 2.74%.