The Market Report with Katie Pilbeam.
FTSE 100 opened lower, losing 64 points to 7,553. A mixed bag of employment data, which saw the unemployment rate decrease but economic inactivity increase was likely the reason.
Real wages sank by 1% between December and February as pay rises lagged behind soaring inflation levels. It’s the biggest fall since 2013 despite record job vacancies between January and March.
UK retail sales growth declined in March by the sharpest amount since the 2008 financial recession. They rose by 3.1% compared with 6.7% the month before.
EasyJet claims to be making a “strong recovery” despite a £3mln daily loss for the six months ended March. This comes as Britain’s largest airline cancelled another 32 flights on Tuesday amid Covid-related staff absences.
i3 Energy reported £87mln of net revenues and £49mln of net operating income for 2021, after the acquisition of producing assets in Canada transformed the business. The performance highlights “very significant growth” according to the chief executive.
Cambridge Cognition moved into profit in 2021 on the back of sharply increased revenues. The company enjoyed a record sales order intake of over £15mln, with revenues rising 50%.
Feedback PLC (AIM:FDBK) said it won two 12-month contracts to provide its flagship Bleepa product across two NHS trusts, for a total of £200,000. Bleepa is an app that enables medical professionals to communicate and share patient documents safely and securely.