London shares rise ahead of Hunt’s fiscal plans
London shares rose for a third consecutive session on Monday as investors awaited new finance minister Jeremy Hunt’s fiscal plans that would seek to restore market confidence in Prime Minister Liz Truss’s government.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index gained 0.5 percent, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index climbed 0.6 percent .
The pound jumped 0.8 percent and government bonds rallied ahead of Hunt’s announcement at 1000 GMT, which is expected to detail plans to raise taxes and spend lesser than previously planned.
“The markets have reacted positively to Hunt’s expedited timeline, which alleviates some of the fiscal uncertainty,” said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
“His aim is to reassure the markets and the electorate that he is focused on fiscal discipline and sustainable public finances by reversing some of his predecessor’s unfunded mini-budget announcements.”
The measures come two weeks ahead of schedule as Hunt seeks to calm investors spooked by the Truss government’s tax cut plans unveiled last month, that raised concerns about how they might be funded and sent borrowing costs sharply higher.
Truss on Friday reversed some of the tax cut measures, and replaced Kwasi Kwarteng with Hunt. Meanwhile, the Bank of England (BoE) on Friday concluded its emergency bond purchases aimed at supporting the gilts market. However, expectations still remain for a large BoE rate hike next month.
Among single stocks, Hargreaves Lansdown fell 4.7 percent after the investment platform said Chief Executive Officer Chris Hill would step down, a day after the company was hit by a multi-million pound lawsuit.
ITV gained 8.4 percent after the Financial Times reported the commercial broadcaster was reviewing the future of its production arm ITV studios, including whether to sell a stake.
ASOS tumbled 10.6 percent after the online fashion retailer said it was in talks with lenders to amend the terms of its 350 million pound ($391 million) borrowing facility.
