London pre-open: Stocks seen lower as investors mull confidence survey

London stocks were set to fall at the open on Friday following a mostly downbeat session in Asia, as investors mull the latest consumer confidence survey.

The FTSE 100 was called to open down around 15 points at 7,469.

Investors will be digesting a survey from GfK, which showed that consumer confidence rebounded in November as people started to look towards the festive season.

The Consumer Confidence Barometer from GfK was -24, a six-point increase following October’s surprise nine-point slump to -30.

Within that, all sub-measures improved as well. The gauge for the personal financial situation for the next 12 months rose five points to -3, while expectations for the economic situation in the coming year improved six points to -26.

The main purchase index also rose, by 10 points to -24.

Joe Staton, client strategy director at GfK, said: "Recent ups and downs in confidence have underlined the nation’s topsy-turvy economic mood, as encouraging news about falling inflation and wage growth is offset by high personal taxation, alongside costly fuel and energy bills.

"The dramatic 10-point jump in our major purchase sub-measure, reversing some of the worrying 14-point drop we saw last month, will be good news for retailers looking to benefit from Black Friday and Christmas.

"Despite the acute cost of living pressures, many would still like to loosen their purse strings just a little so they can enjoy that feel-good factor we all associate with the festive season."

Corporate news was thin on the ground but insurer and asset manager Legal & General said it has agreed to a full buy-in of the Boots Pension Scheme for £4.8bn.

The buy-in secures the benefits of all 53,000 retirees and deferred members of the scheme, making it the UK's largest single transaction of its kind by premium size and, for L&G, the largest single transaction by number of members.

JTC announced plans to buy Blackheath, a UK-based boutique asset management firm specialising in investment fund services and regulatory oversight.

It said the acquisition would enable it to offer comprehensive services for UK alternative investment funds, with Blackheath contributing around £0.7m in revenue for the financial year ending June 2023.

It’s expected to enhance earnings in the first full year of ownership.