London open: Markets cautious ahead of policy decisions

4th Jul 2012 08:38

- Ex-div stocks provide a drag in London- Chinese economic data dampens the mood- US markets closed for national holidayUK stocks slipped in early trading on Wednesday with volumes expected to be light as US markets remain closed for Independence Day; investors are likely to be cautious ahead of policy decisions in Europe and the UK tomorrow.Dampening sentiment early on was the HSBC's China services purchasing managers' index (PMI) which fell from 54.7 to 52.3 in June, its slowest rate of expansion in 10 months. HSBC chief China economist Hongbin Qu said: "This, plus the ongoing slowdown of manufacturing sectors, points to growing pressures on the jobs market - the last thing Beijing policy makers want to see".Both the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) will report their policy decisions on Thursday. The ECB is widely expected to cut interest rates to a new record-low, although International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has said that an increase in quantitative easing my be a better option. Meanwhile, the BoE is predicted to ramp up its own asset purchase programme.FTSE 100: Financials weigh on the FootsieFinancials were under the weather early on with Standard Chartered, ICAP, Aviva, HSBC and Legal & General among the worst performers. Under-pressure banking group Barclays was in the red after Nomura downgraded its rating on the stock from 'hold' to 'reduce'. The broker said it sees "material uncertainties from the vacuum of top management as well as the shape and direction of the group under new leadership, potential for losses linked to LIBOR, weak capital market revenue, concern about the dividend at Barclays, driven by current uncertainties, and the ongoing problem of weak BarCap profitability."Heavyweight stocks British Land, Babcock and Burberry were falling heavily after going ex-dividend. From today, investors will not have the right to their latest dividends. Also providing some downward pressure on British luxury brand Burberry were reports that retail sales in Hong Kong grew at their weakest pace since 2009 in May, just 8.8%, with luxury spending particularly weak.Oil giant Tullow fell despite revealing that it revenues in the first half of 2012 would be a record $1.15bn, up from $1.06bn the year before.Supermarket peers Morrisons and Tesco were both in the red after ING downgraded its ratings on the stocks to 'hold' and 'sell', respectively.Tobacco giants Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco was in demand after Moody's Investors Service said that European tobacco companies will "continue to generate good cash flow thanks to the pricing inelasticity of tobacco products and growth in cigarette consumption in emerging markets." The ratings agency's outlook for the sector over the next 12-18 months is "positive".FTSE 250: Ex-div stocks provide a dragSecond-tier constituents Halfords, TalkTalk and Cranswick were lower after going ex-dividend.Fund manager Henderson was a heavy faller after Morgan Stanley downgraded its rating on the stock to 'equal weight'. Meanwhile, price comparison website firm Moneysupermarket.com was being lifted by an upgrade by UBS to 'buy'.Support services firm Carillion dropped after confirming predictions that its profits will be lower in the first half of the year.FTSE 100 - RisersGlencore International (GLEN) 308.75p +1.65%Xstrata (XTA) 818.10p +1.45%Tate & Lyle (TATE) 655.50p +0.77%Carnival (CCL) 2,213.00p +0.73%Vodafone Group (VOD) 180.75p +0.67%GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,478.00p +0.58%Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 2,579.00p +0.58%Diageo (DGE) 1,662.00p +0.54%Unilever (ULVR) 2,194.00p +0.50%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 6,015.00p +0.50%FTSE 100 - FallersICAP (IAP) 323.70p -3.32%Babcock International Group (BAB) 866.50p -1.98%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,501.00p -1.96%BP (BP.) 424.90p -1.85%Aviva (AV.) 281.80p -1.78%British Land Co (BLND) 512.50p -1.73%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 213.50p -1.39%Legal & General Group (LGEN) 127.80p -1.31%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,429.50p -1.24%Evraz (EVR) 264.70p -1.12%FTSE 250 - RisersPhoenix Group Holdings (DI) (PHNX) 487.90p +2.52%Daejan Holdings (DJAN) 2,763.00p +1.99%Close Brothers Group (CBG) 776.50p +1.90%Kentz Corporation Ltd. (KENZ) 388.10p +1.38%Ruspetro (RPO) 135.00p +1.12%Moneysupermarket.com Group (MONY) 131.30p +1.08%Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 123.20p +0.98%Electra Private Equity (ELTA) 1,688.00p +0.96%Dixons Retail (DXNS) 18.01p +0.90%William Hill (WMH) 290.00p +0.90%FTSE 250 - FallersHalfords Group (HFD) 210.00p -8.06%Man Group (EMG) 68.10p -3.88%Aquarius Platinum Ltd. (AQP) 49.14p -3.65%Carillion (CLLN) 272.10p -3.54%TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 187.60p -3.10%Essar Energy (ESSR) 118.60p -2.87%TR Property Inv Trust (TRY) 151.00p -2.58%Hunting (HTG) 747.50p -2.54%Henderson Group (HGG) 101.60p -2.50%Cranswick (CWK) 820.00p -2.38%BC