industry

FTSE LIVE: UK shares face triple digit loss as markets react to new China clamp down


Fears of an international trade war heightened on Monday morning, as Donald Trump vowed to respond to Beijing’s plans to clamp down on Hong Kong following an uprising there. Concerns about an increase in the rate of new coronavirus infections in Hong Kong have also worried markets. The US also made it harder for Chinese firms to list shares on the stock exchange, which is impacting global markets. The FTSE-100 fell 112 points to 5,903.05, extending its recent poor showing.

READ MORE: China abandons 2020 GDP target as global economic uncertainty over COVID-19 pandemic soars

James Hughes of Scope Markets said: “Washington has continually blamed China for the Coronavirus pandemic, and last week blocked any chip supplies from the US to Chinese tech giant Huawei as well as passed legislation to make it harder for any Chinese firms to list shares on exchanges in the US.”

He added: “It was yet another sign that the US will continue to ramp up its overall offensive on China.”

Beijing also said it would not be setting a GDP growth target for the first time in 30 years, due to the unprecedented economic decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In the UK, Asia-focused Prudential fell 5.8 percent amid worries over the health of the world’s second-largest economy.

The miners, led by Anglo American also plunged 5.2 percent in response to the news from China.

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11am update: FTSE 100 update

The FTSE-100 index at 10:45am was down 77.20 at 5938.05.

10.33am update: FTSE 100 lags behind Europe

European shares fell on Friday as a deterioration in US-China ties compounded fears of a slower recovery from the economic damage wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 1.4 percent, with Asia-exposed stocks such as HSBC Holdings Plc tumbling five percent and Prudential Plc sliding 8.3 percent.

UK’s FTSE 100 lagged its European peers with a 1.8 percent drop.

9.45am update: FTSE 100 update

The FTSE-100 index at 9:45am was down 89.10 at 5926.15.

8.50am update: FTSE 100 update

The FTSE-100 index at 8:15am was down 111.47 at 5903.78.

8.21am update: Retail sales collapse by 18.1% in April

Retail sales dropped a whopping 18.1 percent in April, marking yet another record decline for the sector – who had already seen a huge drop in sales the month before.

The main area hit was clothing, according to the Office for National Statistics, which has taken a 50.2 percent hit.

8.10am update: Government’s deficit rose by £62billion last month

The Government borrowed a record amount last month, adding £62.1billion to the country’s budget deficit.

This figure almost matched the amount borrowed in the whole of the 2019/20 financial year, which totalled £62.7billion.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Government borrowing was £51.1billion higher in April than the same month last year.

The amount borrowed by the Government is significantly higher than first forecast, with most economists predicting £30.7billion for the month.

7.50am update: FTSE 100 opens

The FTSE-100 index at 7:44am was unchanged at 6015.25.

7.10am update: Dollar edges up on Friday

The dollar gained against major peers on Friday as worries about rising diplomatic tensions between the United States and China supported safe-haven demand for the greenback.

The dollar rose 0.24 percent to $1.0925 per euro on Friday, following a 0.3 precent increase in the previous session.

The dollar bought 0.9715 Swiss franc after posting its biggest gain in more than two weeks on Thursday.

Sterling held steady at $1.2216 before data later on Friday expected to show a plunge in British retail sales.

6.16am update: Hong Kong leads Asian shares lower as Beijing readies new security law

Hong Kong shares tumbled on Friday after Beijing moved to impose a new security law on the city after last year’s pro-democracy unrest, risking fresh protests and further straining fast-deteriorating US-China ties.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 3.7 percent to a seven-week low, helping to pull down MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS 1.2 percent.

Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.25 percent, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.7 percent.

China is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong, a Chinese official said on Thursday.

The decision drew a warning from President Donald Trump that Washington would react “very strongly” against the attempt to gain more control over the former British colony.



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