FTSE 100 opened on the back foot due to concerns over the delta plus variant of coronavirus, the health of the Chinese economy and a warning over interest rates from the Bank of England governor.
London’s main index shed 11 points to 7,222 in early trading.
Playtech PLC (AIM:PTEC) was an exception and soared 67% after receiving a takeover offer from Australian gambling tech firm Aristocrat Leisure. It values the group at £2.1bn.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) (NASDAQ:FB) wants to set up its own metaverse, which is a virtual-reality space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. The social media giant will hire 10,000 people in the EU to build it.
Bitcoin is trading just below all-time highs ahead of an imminent launch of the first Bitcoin ETF approved by the US authorities. The ETF could start trading as early as Monday.
Ethernity Networks Ltd (AIM:ENET) (AIM:ENET) has received what it described as a “breakthrough” order worth roughly US$3mln with a Chinese teleco. It is the tech group’s largest order since it floated in June 2017.
CentralNic, the global internet platform, expects to trade comfortably at or above the upper end of market expectations in its current year. Organic growth had accelerated to 29% above a year ago, it added.
Benchmark, too, said its results would be significantly better than market forecasts. All three of the aquaculture biotechnology business’s divisions performed ahead of target in the year just ended.