UPDATE 1-Global risk-off mood hits FTSE 100, Schroders jumps on buyout
The UK's FTSE 100 closed lower on Thursday, as a risk-off mood in global markets offset a nearly 30% surge in shares of money manager Schroders after it agreed to a takeover by U.S. firm Nuveen. The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed down 0.7%, slipping off the record high it hit earlier in the day.
The UK's FTSE 100 closed lower on Thursday, as a risk-off mood in global markets offset a nearly 30% surge in shares of money manager Schroders after it agreed to a takeover by U.S. firm Nuveen.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed down 0.7%, slipping off the record high it hit earlier in the day. The FTSE 250 mid-cap index was down 0.4%. Wall Street was a hit by a renewed selloff on AI concerns, with the main indexes falling more than 1%. Schroders' shares jumped as much as 28.5% to their highest in more than four years after U.S. asset manager Nuveen agreed to buy the company for 9.9 billion pounds ($13.5 billion) in one of Europe's largest fund management deals. Broader macro signals were also in focus as Britain's GDP showed the economy grew just 0.1% in the fourth quarter, matching the previous quarter's pace and partly reflecting uncertainty in the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves' November budget.
Thursday's figures, which showed a sharp downward revision to monthly GDP and a nearly 3% drop in business investment driven by volatile transport outlays, underscored why investors see the Bank of England as more likely than not to cut rates again in March. Among other movers, British American Tobacco dropped 0.4% after announcing job cuts and full-year results. Shares of pest-control firm Rentokil Initial fell 6.8% as U.S. peer Rollins missed Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter revenue and earnings.
ALSO READ
-
Germany's Merz says no to European protectionism but EU needs to defend itself
-
CORRECTED-UPDATE 2-European shares retreat from record highs as financials, industrials tumble
-
European corporate outlook improves, but earnings forecast to fall
-
UPDATE 2-European shares retreat from record highs as financials, industrials tumble
-
Gang held for duping man with fake Europe tour offer after car purchase in Kochi