Johnson Matthey, up 1.0%, announced that it will re-join the FTSE 100 as part of index adjustments following the acquisition of home repair company, Homeserve PLC by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners.
UK markets closed mostly lower last week, amid worries about economic slowdown and ongoing geo-political tensions. On the macro front, UK’s Nationwide house price index fell for a fourth straight month in December, amid higher mortgage rates. The FTSE 100 index declined 0.3% to settle at 7,451.7, while the FTSE AIM 100 index fell 0.3% to close at 3,966.7. Meanwhile, the FTSE techMARK 100 index gained 0.3% to end at 6,328.3.
US markets ended mixed in the previous week. On the data front, the US pending home sales dropped for a sixth consecutive month in November, amid higher borrowing costs and uncertainty over economic outlook. Additionally, the US Dallas Fed manufacturing business index fell in December, while US initial jobless claims advanced in the week ended 23 December 2022. On the contrary, the US goods trade deficit narrowed to its lowest level in nearly two years in November. Moreover, the Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Index climbed in December, while the nation’s Richmond Fed manufacturing index rebounded in the same month. The DJIA index fell 0.3% to end at 33,147.3, while the NASDAQ index gained 1.1% to close at 10,466.5.
