FTSE 100 follows global markets higher, as 15m Brits get first jab
The FTSE 100 started the week on a high today as global markets were buoyed by hopes that the vaccine rollout in the UK could allow Covid-19 restrictions to be eased.
The main index was up 2.52 per cent to 6,756.11 by the close this evening, with Whitbread – the owner of Premier Inn – leading the risers.
The firm’s share price jumped 7.11 per cent on hopes that vaccinations could allow the hospitality industry to resume.
Retail companies and airlines’ share prices also increased following the news that the most vulnerable groups have all been offered a Covid vaccine, with 15m people in the UK having had their first dose.
British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines’ (IAG) share price rose by 6.76 per cent, JD Sports share price was up 5.1 per cent and Compass Group’s shares jumped 6.14 per cent.
Just Eat, the food delivery service, was leading the FTSE 100 fallers as markets closed with a share price drop of 1.16%.
It was closely followed by Astrazeneca, the pharmaceutical firm involved in Covid vaccine development, whose share price fell by 0.66 per cent.
Ferguson, Experian, and RSA Insurance also fell with share price drops of 0.22 per cent, 0.08 per cent and 0.06 per cent respectively.
European markets were a sea of green too today, while Japan’s Nikkei led the way, climbing 1.9 per cent to reclaim the 30,000-point level for the first time in more than three decades.
Oil joined equity markets in pushing higher, reaching its highest level since January 2020 on hopes US stimulus will boost the economy and fuel demand and after a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it intercepted an explosive-laden drone fired by the Iran-aligned Houthi group.