The FTSE 100 pushed on from yesterday’s two-month highs as investors again piled into miners and oil companies and ignored more Covid concerns in China. BP and Glencore were the biggest gainers as the index moved close to 7,500 points.
The National Grid has denied a power blackout was planned for 7pm tonight after it issued and withdrew a tight supply notice. A drop in temperatures and less wind generation sparked the alert but there is enough power said the grid operator.
Some Manchester United fans will be punching the air today as its owners, the Glazer family, confirmed they had put the football club up for sale. Shares rose 14% overnight in New York on the prospect.
Bike and car part retailer Halfords warned that its full-year profits will be at the lower end of expectations, adding the headwinds will remain for some time.
There are some fresh yuletide train strikes, with RMT union members now set to take industrial action over four 48-hour periods on 13-14 and 16-17 December, and 3-4 and 6-7 January.
In small caps, components specialist discoverIE Group raised its interim dividend by 6% after interim underlying profits jumped by two-fifths.
And Mkango Resources was up 10% as it said an associate had been awarded grants worth €3.7mln to develop Germany's first rare earth magnet recycling plant. The grants equal roughly 60% of the project’s funding.