FTSE 100 ends flat as crude prices rise, Sensex opens 200 points higher

High crude prices bring energy stocks down in Asia

London-listed share gain last week with homebuilders and miners up (PA)

London’s FTSE 100 ended last week’s session flat, weighed down by energy and banking stocks as rise in crude prices and concerns over the Delta variant of Covid-19 continued to worry investors.

However, the losses were capped by gains in mining and homebuilding stocks.

The blue-chip index ended just 1.8 points down at 7123, after gaining as much as 0.52 per cent in intra-day trading. The domestically focused mid-cap index added 0.6 per cent.

Banking stocks were the biggest draggers of the index, with Standard Chartered bank 2.4 per cent, Natwest 2.2 per cent, Barclays and Lloyds banking 1.7 per cent and HSBC 1.6 per cent down.

Energy stocks also fell 0.8 per cent with oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell down 1 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively, tracking weaker crude.

Miners jumped 0.9 per cent and were the top gainers, with Polymetal International gaining 2.3 per cent and Anglo American gaining 2 per cent.

Homebuilders gained 0.3 per cent and were among the biggest boosts on the index this week, up 1.94 per cent, as buyers rushed to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday which starts to taper from the start of July.

Jefferies maintained its upbeat stance on UK homebuilders on Friday, lifting Barratt Developments and Bellway to “buy” from “hold.”

“The housebuilding sector remains a firm favourite with investors, despite the stamp duty holiday in England and Northern Ireland starting to be tapered,” Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, told Reuters news agency.

“Fundamentally, there is still a major shortage of homes in the UK, so perhaps investors are taking the view that house builders will be able to easily sell every property they construct.”

Meanwhile, in the US, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit record highs on Friday again as strong monthly payrolls data bolstered confidence in a labour market recovery.

The S&P 500 closed 1.75 per cent higher, while the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite ended flat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.4 per cent up.

The Labor Department’s closely-watched employment report showed non-farm payrolls increased more than expected in June as companies raise wages and offered incentives to entice millions of unemployed Americans.

Unemployment rate rose to 5.9 per cent last month from 5.8 per cent in May.

On Monday, Asian markets rose in the opening following a positive US trading session last week, however, the rise in oil prices dragged indices down. Japan’s Nikkei traded 0.6 per cent lower. Hang Seng is 0.4 per cent down around noon, while Shanghai Composite is flat.

Indian indices opened higher on Monday following positive global cues. Sensex opens 200 points higher, Nifty above 15,750.

Additional reporting by Reuters