The FTSE 100 made a slow start as investors took stock after the rollercoaster ride of the past three days. London’s blue-chip index opened eight points lower at 6,989.
Iceland boss Richard Walker played down reports that shops are running out of food and other products due to the ‘pingdemic’ and shortage of HGV drivers. Walker flagged up the issue of staff shortages earlier in the week but said today’s photographs of empty shelves in supermarkets were "isolated incidents.”
Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) (LON:ULVR) cut full-year profit guidance as underlying sales growth slowed in the second quarter and cost inflation and volatility increased. Underlying sales growth in the second quarter was 5.0%, down from 5.7% in the first.
Bitcoin jumped above $30,000 as Elon Musk changed his mind on the cryptocurrency yet again and said his Tesla car company would most likely start accepting it again as payment. In May, Tesla stopped accepting Bitcoin due to what Musk called ‘environmental concerns.’
On the subject of green bitcoin, Argo Blockchain PLC (LSE:ARB, OTCQX:ARBKF, FRA:0XP) (LON:ARB) said it has broken ground on its 200-megawatt (MW) Helios cryptocurrency mining facility located in Dickens County in Texas. The company said the facility that will be powered predominantly by renewable energy is expected to “transform” its mining capacity.
Greatland Gold PLC (AIM:GGP) (LON:GGP) said new drilling results continue to support the potential for resource expansion of the Havieron gold-copper project in Western Australia. Seven new drill holes, previously unreported, all intersected significant mineralisation.