Stay updated with breaking news from Bnzl l. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
21 April 2021 | 12:01pm StockMarketWire.com - The FTSE 100 made a modest recovery on Wednesday after Tuesday s big sell-off gaining 0.5% to 6,894.47 with big oil companies helping to support the index. The UK consumer price index rose 0.7% in March from 0.4% in February, indicating the economy was on the mend though the market had expected an even stronger reading, of 0.8%. BHP gained 1.3% to £21.945 after it upgraded its annual copper production guidance, though it also downgraded its guidance for both metallurgical and energy coal. The world s biggest mining company kept its guidance for petroleum and iron-ore intact, with output of the latter rising 4% in the nine months through March. ....
1 March 2021 | 08:39am StockMarketWire.com - UK stocks opened substantially higher on Monday after Johnson & Johnson s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use in the US. At 0823, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 104.78 points, or 1.6%, at 6,588.21. The Johnson & Johnson shot, expected to be distributed this week, will be the first single-dose vaccine anywhere on the market. Sentiment also was being buoyed by optimism US lawmakers will soon push through a huge stimulus package. In local news, distribution and services group Bunzl fell 2.0% to 321.93p, even as it reported a rise in profit driven by sales of higher priced Covid-19-related products. ....
1 March 2021 | 11:54am StockMarketWire.com - The FTSE 100 was up 1% to 6,550.74 by midday after the big recent sell-off in the bond market eased. US futures pointed to a rebound on Wall Street too. Other positive drivers for the FTSE included the launch of a new Covid vaccine and progress towards passing a big US stimulus package. The Johnson & Johnson shot, expected to be distributed this week, will be the first single-dose vaccine anywhere on the market. Halfords, a motoring and cycling products and services provider, upgraded its outlook on profit, citing a strong-than-expected performance during its fiscal fourth quarter of the year. The shares surged 11.7% to 323.5p. ....
1 March 2021 | 07:21am StockMarketWire.com - Distribution and services group Bunzl reported a rise in profit on an uptick in profit and margin amid increased sales of higher priced Covid-19 related products. For the year ended 31 December 2020, pre-tax profit rose 22.6% to £555.7 million year-on-year as revenue increased 8.4% to £10.11 billion. Revenue growth was driven by a strong increase in demand for Covid-19 related products offset by a decline in other product sales, particularly in the retail and foodservice sectors. Operating margin rose to 6.8% from 6.3%, principally due to mix benefits from Covid-19 related products, the company said. Overall in 2021 we expect robust revenue growth over the prior year at constant exchange rates, after excluding larger Covid-19 related orders which we do not expect to repeat, the company said. ....