Television, oil and cruises

Monday 21 December 2015 

Indices were virtually flat at the start of a very quiet week with blue-chips proving resilient in the wake of Friday’s 2% fall in the Dow and a shaky opening in Asian markets.

“The focus at ITV (LSE:ITV) in the run up to Christmas is usually on how its schedules stack up against the BBC’s,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“But investors were ignoring the TV guides today and concentrating on reports that US giant Comcast is mulling an £11bn bid for the broadcaster. A move could see Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSK) going head to head with Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) which is currently ITV’s biggest shareholder.

“Oil giant BP (LSE:BP) remained resilient despite oil prices falling below the lows hit during the financial crisis but Shell (LSE:RDSB) was down after giving a progress report on its deal for BG (LSE:BG). Shell and BG shareholder meetings to approve the recommended combination are expected to be held in late January.

“Cruise shipping giant Carnival’s (LSE:CCL) shares opened strongly following Friday’s 40% increase in full year earnings. Investors are encouraged by advance bookings for the first three quarters of 2016 which are well ahead of last time at slightly higher constant currency prices.”

These articles are for information purposes only and are not a personal recommendation or advice.