London stocks opened mixed on Monday, with the FTSE 100 in front as traders positioned ahead of a packed week of economic and political events.
The FTSE 100 rose 0.4% to 9,127.35, while the FTSE 250 was flat at 21,962.51 and the AIM All-Share slipped 0.1% to 761.78.
Attention is firmly on Tuesday’s US consumer price index reading, seen as a pivotal summer event for global markets.
Also looming is Friday’s meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, with Washington pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump suggested any agreement could involve “some swapping of territories” in Donbas, an idea swiftly rejected by Kyiv and met with caution by European leaders.
In London trading, Marshalls dropped 2.2% after posting higher half-year revenue but a sharp fall in profit due to a less profitable product mix. Pretax profit fell 46% to £11.7 million despite a 4.2% rise in revenue to £319.5 million. The interim dividend was cut by 15% to 2.2p, with no improvement in market activity expected for the rest of the year.
S4 Capital surged 9.7% after confirming early-stage talks to acquire MSQ Partners, while Gemfields rose 4.8% after agreeing to sell luxury brand Fabergé to SMG Capital for $50 million, concluding its strategic review.