London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.1% at 7,269.15 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Online supermarket Ocado was the top performer on the index, having suffered heavy losses for two days in a row after it warned earlier in the week that it expected a fall in annual sales as customers start to tighten their belts amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Vodafone was up following a report that KKR & Co. and Global Infrastructure Partners are among private equity firms competing for a stake in the company’s wireless towers unit.
Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter as saying that Swedish investment firm EQT AB has also been exploring a potential investment in Frankfurt-listed Vantage Towers. It was understood that Vodafone has invited suitors to participate in an auction process.
Housebuilders Berkeley, Barratt and Taylor Wimpey were also on the rise. Figures released on Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics showed that house prices rose in the year to July at their highest annual rate since May 2003.
Average prices increased 15.5%, up from 7.8% in June. The ONS attributed the jump in annual inflation to a base effect from the falls in prices seen this time last year, as a result of changes in the stamp duty holiday.
FTSE 100 – Risers
Ocado Group (OCDO) 642.40p 3.08%
Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 3,572.00p 2.79%
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 47.37p 2.50%
Barratt Developments (BDEV) 416.50p 2.49%
Admiral Group (ADM) 2,248.00p 2.27%
Vodafone Group (VOD) 109.34p 2.07%
Glencore (GLEN) 503.70p 1.99%
Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH) 2,850.00p 1.79%
Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 105.45p 1.79%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 76.44p 1.70%
FTSE 100 – Fallers
Melrose Industries (MRO) 112.25p -3.85%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,730.00p -2.37%
Croda International (CRDA) 6,592.00p -2.28%
United Utilities Group (UU.) 1,016.00p -2.21%
Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 3,100.00p -2.21%
Severn Trent (SVT) 2,626.00p -2.16%
Howden Joinery Group (HWDN) 571.00p -2.06%
Haleon (HLN) 265.20p -1.89%
Intermediate Capital Group (ICP) 1,196.50p -1.77%
Bunzl (BNZL) 2,761.00p -1.74%
