Sector movers: Interest rate-sensitive issues pace gains

The safest and highest dividend-paying stocks paced gains on the market at the end of the week, as a weaker-than-expected US jobs report for August reaffirmed some economists´ view that the US central bank was unlikely to hike interest rates come September.

Thus, it was the likes of Unilever, Imperial Brands which paced gains in the Personal Goods and Tobacco sectors, with utility stocks tagging along for the ride.

Shares in oil and gas producers also bounded higher as crude oil futures bounced back on the heels of supportve remarks from Russian president Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Putin called for an agreement between OPEC and non-OPEC members to freeze their output at current levels, with a special exemption to be granted to Iran.

“From the viewpoint of economic sense and logic, then it would be correct to find some sort of compromise,” Putin said from Vladivostok.

“I am confident that everyone understands that. We believe that this is the right decision for world energy.”

Real estate shares trailed the rest of the pack after retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone reported a rise in revenue in the year to the end of August but said there has been evidence of some weakness in the secondary housing market since its update at the end of June, sending its shares sharply lower.

Worth noting perhaps, Berkeley Group´s abrupt decision to halt work on a luxury development in London may point to rough seas ahead for the sector in the wake of the referendum vote.

The luxury homebuilder halted construction at the £20m Barnes Village project in southwest London but declined to provide a reason, Reuters reported.

Top performing sectors so far today
Personal Goods 31,549.09 +3.56%
Tobacco 57,302.57 +3.54%
Health Care Equipment & Services 7,827.94 +2.86%
Oil & Gas Producers 7,099.61 +2.83%
Gas, Water & Multiutilities 6,620.91 +2.77%

Bottom performing sectors so far today
Real Estate Investment Trusts 3,027.45 -0.48%
Real Estate Investment & Services 2,496.43 -0.32%
Alternative Energy 0.00 0.00%