Archived article
Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
UK stocks opened lower on Monday following the release of weak French economic data and amid lingering concerns over the state of US-China trade relations.
At 0854, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 28.24 points, or 0.4%, at 7.316.68.
Struggling travel company Thomas Cook slumped another 23% to 3.45p after it went into liquidation on Monday morning and said its customers abroad would have to be repatriated.
Another big player in the field, TUI, climbed 6.4% to 894.6p, as investors welcomed the removal of its archrival from the market.
Smaller rival On the Beach fell added 3.2% to 392.2p, even as it announced that it expected to take a one-off charge related to Thomas Cook's collapse.
Clothing and food retailer Marks & Spencer fell 2.9% to 190.15p on announcing that chief financial officer Humphrey Singer had decided to stand down, at a date that had yet to be determined.
Sports Direct edged back 0.1% to 279.4p after it confirmed that it had approached small-sided football group Goals Soccer Centres with a possibe offer of 5p per share.
The sportswear retailer already owns about 18.9% of Goals, which is currently suspended from trading after the discovery of accounting errors in its books.
Pharmaceuticals company AstraZeneca climbed 0.7% to 7,215p after a diabetes treatment was recommended for marketing authorisation in the EU.
Light commercial vehicle hire company Northgate rose 2.8% to 311p on announcing that it had launched a strategic review under recently-appointed chairman Avril Palmer-Baunack.
The company also said that it was trading in line with expectations, but added that it remained cautious on its outlook, given Brexit-related uncertainty in the UK.
People-screening technology provider Thruvision gained 2.6% to 27.6p as it won a $3m contract from US Customs and Border Protection.
Leisure group Brighton Pier added 5.1% to 52p after it posted a 17% rise in first-half profit and said good weather during the August bank holiday had gotten its new financial year off to a bright start.