Deliveroo shares hit record low amid fears of EU economic crackdown

[ad_1]

good morning.

The FTSE 100 is expected to open higher this morning even as the Omicron strain of coronavirus keeps traders in a cautious mood.

Investors are bracing for another week of volatility after concerns about a new alternative led to the worst month for the blue-chip index in more than a year.

It lost more than 2% in November, with airline stocks taking a hit. This morning the FTSE is expected to open 48 points, or about 0.7 percent higher, at 7,170.

Traders will also watch a speech by Ben Broadbent, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, for hints on whether a rate hike is on the table this month.

5 things to start your day

1) Bank of England prepares to ease mortgage lending rules Officials look to ease affordability checks as critics warn it risks a housing bubble.

2) Recruiters struggle to recruit recruits amid ‘big resignation’: Headhunters expand their search for staff amid widespread shortages

3) The crackdown on crypto companies needed to “destroy” ransomware, says former GCHQ chief: Robert Hannigan said that “greater regulation of cryptocurrency” was needed to make hacking a “weak business model.”

4) No progress in closing the gender pay gap in 25 years, warns IFS: Results suggest little progress in the wage gap when accounting for “rapid improvement” in women’s education.

5) Lack of automation for UK electric car ambitions, Havefords chief warns: Graham Stapleton said he was “deeply concerned” that not enough steps had been taken to address the “skills gap”.

What happened overnight

Asian markets were broadly lower in morning trading on Monday, tracking uncertainty over the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as well as disappointing US jobs data and the future of Chinese tech companies on Wall Street. Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Australia fell in morning trading.

Upcoming companies: Paragon, Renew Holdings, CareTech (full-year results) Babcock, Supreme, Mercia Asset Management (Interims) Ashtead, BAT and Ferguson (trading update) Economy: Kantar supermarket sales (UK), ONS M&A (UK) , Consumer Credit (USA).

[ad_2]