FTSE 100 Seen Opening Higher as Bank Fears Continue to Wane

0648 GMT - The FTSE 100 is seen opening higher after closing Wednesday higher for the third consecutive day as worries over banking-sector stress continue to wane. IG futures data show London's premier stock index opening 27 points higher after closing up 80 points on Wednesday. "If you look at the equity markets today, you could hardly guess that there is still a bank stress going on underneath, which threatens credit availability and calls for a potential recession," Swissquote Bank analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya writes. However, sentiment remains fragile after a shaky month for banks with commercial bank deposits trending lower as higher-yielding savings alternatives like treasury bills and money market funds amass decent inflows, she says. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)


 
Companies News: 

Moonpig Backs FY 2023 Revenue, Earnings View on 2H Resilience

Moonpig Group PLC said Thursday that its performance has been resilient in the second half to date as it booked its largest ever week of sales in the U.K. ahead of Mother's Day, and backed its expectations for revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for fiscal 2023.

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SSE Raises FY 2023 Adjusted EPS Guidance Again

SSE PLC on Thursday raised its adjusted earnings per share expectations to more than 160 pence ($1.97) in fiscal 2023, up from the updated 150 pence guidance and backed some of the other targets it issued in January.

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Shoe Zone Launches GBP3 Mln Share Buyback Program

Shoe Zone PLC said Thursday that it is launching a share buyback program to purchase 3.0 million pounds ($3.7 million) worth of shares.

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Arbuthnot Banking 2022 Pretax Profit Rose on BoE's Rate Increases

Arbuthnot Banking Group PLC said Thursday that its pretax profit and net interest income rose significantly in 2022 thanks to the Bank of England's rate increases, which are expected to further boost revenue in 2023.

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Tasty Swung to FY 2022 Pretax Loss on Higher Costs

Tasty PLC reported on Thursday a swing to pretax loss on the back of increased costs despite higher revenue.

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Secure Trust Bank 2022 Pretax Profit Fell, Says Chairman to Retire

Secure Trust Bank PLC on Thursday said is confident it will deliver a strong performance in 2023 and announced the planned retirement of its chairman, as it posted a lower 2022 pretax profit.

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John Lewis of Hungerford 1H Pretax Loss Widened; FY 2023 Pretax Profit Seen Up on Year

John Lewis of Hungerford PLC said Thursday that its pretax loss widened for the first half of fiscal 2023 after booking higher costs, but that the board believed pretax profit for the year will be ahead of fiscal 2022.

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Dillistone Secures Potential Major Contract, Sees Revenue Rise From 2024 Onward

Dillistone Group PLC said Thursday that it has secured a potentially significant contract win with an undisclosed leading U.K.-based contingency recruiter company, without providing financial details on the deal.

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Gresham House 2022 Assets Under Management Rose On Fundraising, Investment Performance

Gresham House PLC said Thursday that its assets under management grew 20% in 2022, driven mainly by strong fundraising and investment performance, while net income increased.


 
Market Talk: 

Consumer Inflation Expectations Remain High, Raising Chance of Further Interest-Rate Hikes

0628 GMT - Consumer inflation expectations in the U.S., the eurozone and the U.K. are showing some signs of easing, but are still elevated, which means it is too soon for central banks to ease policy outside of a full-on recession scenario, economists at JPMorgan say in a note. "With realized inflation and wage growth remaining elevated, we continue to flag the risk that the salience of this environment could lead to wage- and price-setting behavior settling at paces inconsistent with central banks' inflation targets," they say. Recent banking turmoil means that the odds of such an outcome are lower in the event of a significant tightening of credit conditions, but central banks are likely to stay focused on keeping its inflation-fighting credibility, JPM says. (xavier.fontdegloria@wsj.com)


Contact: London NewsPlus; paul.larkins@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-30-23 0304ET