19th Dec 2025 12:13
(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were mixed at midday on Friday, as housebuilders weighed on the FTSE 100 index as investors mulled Thursday's Bank of England rate cut.
The FTSE 100 index was up 8.64 points, 0.1%, at 9,846.41. The FTSE 250 was down 69.28 points, 0.3%, at 22,256.31, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.96 points, 0.1%, at 757.32.
The Cboe UK 100 was slightly up at 987.13, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.4% at 19,351.47, and the Cboe Small Companies was marginally higher at 17,306.37.
In European equities on Friday, the CAC 40 in Paris was down 0.1%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was slightly lower.
"The FTSE 100 ticked higher in early trading after lower-than-expected inflation in the US helped lift shares on Wall Street and across Asia overnight," said AJ Bell analyst Danni Hewson.
"The knife-edge nature of yesterday's rate decision by the Bank of England is keeping UK stocks in check and stalled the FTSE 100's push towards the 10,000 mark. Investors have responded to the reality that we could be approaching the end of the current rate-cutting cycle."
Hewson added: "This saw housebuilders lose momentum as hopes for a significant drop in mortgage costs in the coming months begin to fade away. An unexpected drop in retail sales only added to the gloom around the consumer backdrop in the UK."
Shares in Barratt Redrow fell 3.0%, Persimmon was down 2.3% and Berkeley Group lost 1.8%. The trio had all risen after the BoE's rate cut on Thursday.
UK retail sales were weaker than expected in November, declining on-month and registering tamer on-year growth than forecast.
The Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes shrunk 0.1% in November from October on a seasonally-adjusted basis, shy of an FXStreet cited forecast for a 0.4% rise.
Sterling was at USD1.3372 at midday on Friday, down from USD1.3387 at the London equities close on Thursday. The euro was lower at USD1.1711 from USD1.1730. Against the yen, the dollar was higher at JPY157.32 versus JPY155.46.
Stocks in New York were called to open mostly higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was called flat, the S&P 500 index up 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite was called 0.3% higher.
The yield on the 10-year US Treasury widened to 4.15% at midday on Friday from 4.11% at Thursday's close. The yield on the 30-year grew to 4.84% from 4.79%.
In London, DCC led the way on the FTSE 100 and climbed 2.0%.
The Dublin-based provider of sales, marketing and distribution services to the energy sector said its GBP600 million tender offer to return cash from the sale of its Healthcare arm is fully subscribed.
As a result, DCC will buy back 11.6 million shares, about 12% of its total, at the tender offer price of GBP51.70 on Friday.
DCC completed the GBP1.05 billion sale of DCC Healthcare in September and at the time said it will return GBP800 million to shareholders. DCC started a GBP100 million share buyback in May. The remaining GBP100 million will be paid out in about two years, once DCC has received the final deferred payment from the health unit disposal.
On the FTSE 250 index, Chrysalis Investments climbed 2.7% as it hailed a year of progress and said it is set to propose revisions to its investment policy that sees capital returns to shareholders and a pause of new investments.
The London-based investor in UK and European firms reported a net asset value per share of 171.65 pence at September 30, its financial year-end, up 22% from 141.26p a year earlier.
The company tied this advancement to a combination of the upward valuation of the portfolio and NAV per share accretion from its buyback. The buybacks delivered an accretion of around 9p per share, said the company, "contributing approximately 7 percentage points to the rise in NAV per share".
Chrysalis said it is working towards proposing an amended investment policy to be approved by way of a vote at an extraordinary general meeting in February.
Shares in WH Smith slumped 5.3% as it said the UK financial watchdog has launched an investigation into the company following an accounting error within its US business, as it reported its delayed annual results and cut its annual dividend.
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has commenced an investigation into the company following a review by Deloitte in November, which led to Chief Executive Carl Cowling's resignation.
Deloitte's probe had found that the accounting treatment for supplier income adopted by the US division was not consistent with the group's accounting policy and the requirements of the relevant accounting standards.
WH Smith's adjusted pretax profit fell 3.8% to GBP102 million for the year ended August 31 from GBP106 million the year before.
Meanwhile, pretax profit from continuing operations slumped 97% to GP2 million from GBP65 million a year prior.
This was despite revenue improving 5.4% to GBP1.55 billion from GBP1.47 billion.
"It has been a difficult end to the year for the group. The board and I are acutely aware that we have much to do to rebuild confidence in WHSmith and deliver stronger returns as we move forward," said Andrew Harrison, the interim group chief executive.
"We are acting at pace progressing our remediation plan and are committed to ensuring that we strengthen our financial controls and governance as we move forward."
Harrison added: "Following the sale of our UK High Street business and Funky Pigeon during the year, we are now a pure-play global travel retailer. Travel retail is a high growth market, and we have attractive market positions in the UK, North America and our international markets from which we are well-positioned to grow."
On the AIM market, Strix climbed 16%. It has struck a deal to sell its Billi business for GBP110.0 million.
The supplier of kettle safety controls and other devices for water heating and temperature control, steam management, and water filtration said Billi includes Strix Australia and each regional subsidiary.
The buyer is Birmingham Bidco, an Australian firm incorporated by Crescent Capital Partners, the manager of the private equity fund known as Crescent Capital Partners VII. Crescent Capital Partners is a Sydney-based private equity and alternative asset management firm.
Gold was down at USD4,325.60 an ounce at midday on Friday from USD4,370.61 late Thursday. Brent oil was trading lower at USD59.98 a barrel from USD60.23.
Still to come on Friday's economic calendar are US existing home sales figures.
By Michael Hennessey, Alliance News reporter
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Related Shares:
Barratt RedrowPersimmonBerkeley GroupDCCChrysalis InvesWh SmithStrix