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Coronavirus effects knock easyJet and Carnival out of FTSE 100 in reshuffle

Last updated: 20:26 03 Jun 2020 BST, First published: 09:26 03 Jun 2020 BST

easyJet plc -
Kingfisher crept into an automatic promotion place

EasyJet PLC (LON:EZJ), Meggitt PLC (LON:MGGT), Centrica PLC (LON:CNA) and Carnival PLC (LON:CCL) will drop out of the FTSE 100 later this month as part of the index’s quarterly rejig.

The quartet’s shares have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges in recent months, which has seen their market valuations fall far outside the hundred largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. 

Index organiser FTSE Russell, which reviews and rebalances the index every three months, confirmed the changes on Wednesday, based on closing share prices from the day before. 

Four demotions from the blue-chip benchmark are likely to result in promotion for cybersecurity group Avast PLC (LON:AVST), Ladbrokes owner GVC Holdings PLC (LON:GVC), DIY retailer Kingfisher PLC (LON:KGF) and home repairs insurance provider Homeserve PLC (LON:HSV).

There will be nine companies dropping out of the FTSE 250, with no relegation less surprising than for events group Hyve (LON:HYVE) as its shares have fallen more than 95% since the start of March as the pandemic laid waste to its trade shows business and triggered a rights issue.

Likewise, Senior (LON:SNR), Stagecoach Group (LON:SGC), McCarthy & Stone (LON:MCS), Marston’s (LON:MARS), Elementis (LON:ELM), JPMorgan Indian Investment Trust (LON:JII), Forterra (LON:FORT) and Bakkavor Group (LON:BAKK) were all demoted to the small caps. 

The nine replacements are 888 Holdings PLC (LON:888), AO World PLC (LON:AO.), BB Healthcare Trust PLC (LON:BBH), Calisen PLC (LON:CLSN), Civitas Social Housing PLC (LON:CSH), JLEN Environmental Assets Group (LON:JLEN), Liontrust Asset Management (LON:LIO), Oxford BioMedica (LON:OXB) and Scottish American Investment Co PLC (LON:SAIN).

All changes will be effective on Monday, June 22.

There was no promotion for US oil producer Diversified Gas & Oil PLC (LON:DGOC) as it only just stepped up from AIM to London’s main market in April.

“This FTSE reshuffle is highly reflective of the current crisis environment; out go stocks from sectors that have taken a beating and questions arise as to how and whether some of these can manage this crisis,” said Helal Miah, research analyst at The Share Centre. 

“Carnival, Meggitt and easyJet all head lower as the travel sector has taken a pounding, while Centrica, a long standing member of the index and owner of British Gas, also heads for the mid-cap index – something un-imaginable when retail investors piled into national industries that were being privatised under Margaret Thatcher.

“Replacing them are some businesses that were already doing well before this crisis hit but that have also either benefitted to some degree or have managed to mitigate the crisis well.”

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