Market Report - Close

London close: Stocks finish September with solid gains
Pound strength held back London's top-flight index at the end of the month, despite news that the US was not contemplating limits on Chinese companies ability to list on US exchanges.

London close: Shares buoyed by rate cut talk
London's top flight index finished at a two-month high on Friday, helped by 'dovish' comments from one of the Bank of England's most hawkish rate-setters, Michael Saunders, and end of quarter window-dressing.

London close: Stocks finish higher on renewed trade optimism
London stocks remained positive by the close on Thursday, as trade deal optimism overshadowed a raft of disappointing corporate updates.

London close: City remains subdued amid Trump, Johnson concerns
London stocks clawed back some of their earlier losses in afternoon trade on Wednesday, but remained in the red at the close, as political woes on both sides of the pond dented sentiment.

London close: Footsie slips further as sterling basks in Supreme Court strength
London stocks slid further into the red by the close on Tuesday, while sterling enjoyed some time in the green after the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's five week suspension of parliament was unlawful.

London close: Stocks finish red as trade, eurozone concerns linger
London stocks remained in the red at the close on Monday, amid ongoing concerns over Sino-US trade relations and signs that the eurozone economy was stalling, although holiday firm TUI bucked the trend after rival Thomas Cook collapsed.

London close: Stocks finish week on a low note amid Brexit and US-China talks
Big chip stocks finished the session and the weekly a tad lower as trading on Wall Street got off to a slightly volatile start, while the more domestic oriented shares on London's second-tier index managed to put in modest gains despite the mixed messages about the progress being made in Brexit negotiations.

London close: Stocks edge up as BoE stays put and Fed cuts
London stocks made small gains on Thursday as the Bank of England stood pat on interest rates and the US Federal Reserve cut them further.

London close: Stocks flat ahead of US Fed
London stocks were little changed on Wednesday as investors mulled UK inflation data while they waited for the latest policy announcement from the US Federal Reserve.

London close: Stocks in holding pattern amid geopolitical worries
London stocks finished Tuesday's session much as they had started it and with investors cautious amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, even as they monitored the day's proceedings at the UK Supreme Court and prepared for a key policy decision by the Federal Reserve.

London close: Risk rally interrupted by surge in Mideast tensions
London stocks finished lower on Monday following an attack on key Saudi Arabian oil installations at the weekend that cut the Kingdom's crude oil output by half, dealing a blow to the previous week's incipient recovery in risk appetite in financial markets on the back of an apparent easing in US-China trade tensions.

London close: Stocks higher despite pound strength amid optimism on UK politics
London equity markets continued to push higher, even as investors pushed sterling to its best level since late July amid speculation that a deal between Westminster and Brussels could be in the works, with lenders' shares pacing gains as the UK government bond yield curve disinverted.

London close: UK stocks underperform despite dovish ECB and positive trade news
London stocks underperformed despite another round of monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank - albeit accompanied this time by a very explicit call for fiscal stimulus in the euro area - and apparent signs that trade tensions between the US and China were easing.

London close: Footsie outperforms on fresh M&A news
London stocks extended their gains on Wednesday, outperforming their peers on the Continent as worries about Sino-US trade relations eased further and with deal news providing an additional boost.

London close: Stocks edge up despite mixed employment data
London stocks reversed early losses to finish higher thanks to a strong showing from the banking sector, even as investors digested weak Chinese data and a mixed reading on the UK labour market.

London close: Footsie ends lower as pound gains ground
London stocks finished lower on Monday as sterling got a lift from better-than-expected growth figures and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would "overwhelmingly" prefer a Brexit deal with the EU.

London close: Stocks rise a little as investors mull US jobs data
London stocks ended a little higher on Friday as investors mulled over the US jobs report and the latest goings-on in Westminster.

London close: Stocks drop as sterling gains on Johnson defeats
London stocks underperformed their European counterparts on Thursday, weighed down by a stronger pound as the risk of a no-deal Brexit receded.

London close: Stocks rise as HK worries recede; sterling gains on Brexit delay hopes
London stocks rose on Wednesday, with Asia-focused Prudential and Standard Chartered lending support as worries about unrest in Hong Kong receded, while sterling rallied amid hopes that a no-deal Brexit can be avoided.

London close: Stocks dip ahead of key vote in Parliament
London stocks dipped on Tuesday even as the pound continued to languish near its post-referendum lows ahead of a key vote scheduled for later in the session in Parliament to try and force the government to ensure that it would not risk a 'no deal' Brexit.