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 made strong gains in early trade on Monday as more countries continued to take tentative steps to emerge from Covid-19 lockdowns.
At 0819, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 133.63 points, or 2.3%, at 5.933.40.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair gained 3.9% to 8.78p after as it booked a 13% rise in profit for the financial year just completed.
Ryanair, however, said the current financial year would be 'difficult, while again warning of a loss in the first quarter.
Telecommunications giant Vodafone rose 0.8% to 121.96p, having signed a supply agreement with smartphone producer OPPO that it said would accelerate 5G adoption across international markets.
Pharma giant AstraZeneca climbed 2.1% to £88.56 on announcing that its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment had been approved in China.
AstraZeneca also said its non-small cell lung cancer treatment had been granted breakthrough therapy designation in the US.
Iron ore group Ferrexpo firmed 3.9% to 146.8p as it appointed operations head James North as acting chief executive.
Pub company Mitchells & Butlers rallied 8.4% to 156.12p after it secured an extension to a waiver on one of its lending conditions, following the forced closure of its sites due to UK lockdowns.
Pharmaceutical services company Open Orphan rallied 16% to 15p as it announced progress on an antibody testing venture for Covid-10 with partner Quotient.
Open Orphan said the MosaiQ Covid-19 antibody microarray machine was on site at subsidiary hVivo's laboratory in East London and was undergoing testing.
Energy asset investor SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust added 0.7% to 104.22p on announcing that it still planned to pay a final divided for the year just completed, and expected to declare its next interim dividend during May.
Professional services group Norman Broadbent rose 6.5% to 6.12p, having guided for a returned to profitability in 2019 after its sales rose by more than a fifth.
Norman Broadbent said it had made a 'positive' start to the new financial year and continued to grow fee income, even amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Industrial equipment supplier HC Slingsby jumped 7.7% to 70p as it swung to a full-year profit, but scrapped its dividend amid a slide in sales in the new year due to Covid-19.