Good morning, this is the market report this Tuesday December 7th, you’re with me Katie Pilbeam.
The FTSE is gaining ground this morning boosted by a jump in China’s imports in November - helping to ease concerns about the global economy, lifting stocks with mining giants -Anglo American and Rio Tinto, some of the biggest gainers today. The London bourse is now only slightly below its levels before Omicron sent markets plunging on 26th November.
Meanwhile, UK house prices grew at the fastest pace in 15 years over the past three months. According to Halifax, the average home is now valued at £20,000 more than this time last year.
Grocery sales fell back in the last quarter compared to the same period last year, which was hit by lockdown restrictions which meant more people cooked and ate at home rather than going out.
It’s all change for the travel industry today with people travelling to the UK now needing to take a pre-departure Covid test.
Small caps news today is coming from Cloudbreak Discovery PLC (LSE:CDL) (Cloudbreak Discovery PLC (LSE:CDL)) and Alianza Minerals Ltd (TSX:ANZ), signing an option agreement with Allied Copper Corp to develop the Klondike project in Colorado, US.
AI neuroimaging company IXICO has reported a 34% increase in underlying annual profits and said its analytical offering will be enhanced further during the next 12 months as a new algorithm platform is launched.
Figures from Kantar showed the price of a typical Christmas meal with all the trimmings for four people will cost £27.48 this year - that’s up of 3.4 per cent from last.
The price rise was driven by a 7 per cent increase in the cost of a frozen turkey while Brussels sprouts are up five per cent and the price of parsnips increased by six per cent.