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 On Monday, London’s FTSE 100 saw gains of nearly 1% even as investors approached the week with caution ahead of crucial inflation data in the United States. The market was impacted by a decline in oil and copper prices. The energy sector and industrial miners were particularly affected, with the former falling 0.3% in line with oil prices, and the latter slipping 0.7% due to concerns about subdued Chinese demand and its impact on copper prices. The Bank of England (BoE) maintained interest rates on Thursday, but there is growing anticipation of a rate cut in August following comments from policymakers. In the UK, a recent domestic inflation report revealed that headline inflation had dropped to the BoE’s target of 2%. In the U.S., investors are eagerly awaiting the personal consumption expenditure numbers (PCE) on Friday, hoping for signs of a slowdown in inflation. Additionally, the upcoming gross domestic product numbers in the UK will provide further insight into the state of the British economy, following positive retail sales data that tempered some optimism from the BoE’s statements.Prudential, a UK insurance group, experienced a 4.9% surge in its stock, reaching 741p. This makes it one of the top gainers on the FTSE 100 index. The company has announced a $2 billion share buyback program and intends to complete the capital return by mid-2026. Despite this, Prudential plans to maintain its dividend policy unchanged with hopes for growth.Britvic reached a record high in its stock price as talks with Carlsberg may be aided by a waiver of a crucial clause. The shares of Britvic surged by 10.3% to reach an all-time high of 1,207 pence. Carlsberg, who is interested in acquiring the British soft drinks maker, announced that PepsiCo has agreed to waive a change of control clause in its bottling agreements with Britvic. This development could potentially open the door for Carlsberg to increase its offer for Britvic, which has previously rejected two bids. A change in control clause is a contractual provision that provides added protection to a party in an agreement if the controlling shareholding of the other party is transferred. Britvic’s stock has risen by approximately 43% since the beginning of the year.THG Plc, a UK-based e-commerce firm, experienced a significant increase in its stock value, rising by 5.5% to 65.25 pence. The company has reached an agreement to sell its collection of luxury goods websites to Frasers Group for an undisclosed amount. Additionally, THG has reported positive developments in the first half of the year, aligning with its previous revenue guidance, and anticipates the third consecutive quarter of year-on-year revenue growth in Q2. Despite this positive news, THG’s stock has declined by 27.4% year-to-date as of the last trading day.Kore Potash, experienced a significant drop in its stock value by 28% to 1.15 pence. The company has indicated a delay in finalizing the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement with PowerChina for its Kola project in the Republic of Congo. Originally scheduled for the second quarter, the signing has been postponed due to important issues raised around the completion and performance guarantee tests. The next round of discussions with PowerChina is planned for early July, and the company anticipates receiving a draft operating proposal from PowerChina during that time. Kola project is the largest undertaking for Kore Potash. Despite this setback, the company’s stock has increased by approximately 167% year-to-date as of the last close.
 Technical & Trade ViewFTSE Bias: Bullish Above Bearish below 8300

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