What happened yesterday?
Global equities saw a mixed performance yesterday amid encouraging clinical data from Pfizer and BioNTech on the study of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.30% at 25,734.97, while the S&P 500 was 0.50% firmer at 3,115.86 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.95% stronger at 10,154.63.
In the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the session down 0.19% at 6,157.96, but the FTSE 250 closed in the green, rising 0.41% to 17,189.43.
In mainland Europe, the benchmark Stoxx 600 managed to reverse early losses and gained 0.24% to 361.19, but the German Dax finished 0.41% lower to end at 12,260.57 while the FTSE Mibtel dipped 0.23% to 19,330.88.
In company announcements:
Sainsbury’s reported an 8.2% increase in sales (excluding fuel) for the 16 weeks to June 27, noting that its sales performance had been supported by new stockpiling behaviours. There was a noted year-on-year decrease in fuel, as lockdown measures restricted travel. The grocer remained cautious regarding its future outlook, stating that it “remains impossible to predict the full nature, extent and duration of the impact of Covid-19.”
Rio Tinto announced the appointment of Peter Toth as group executive for strategy and development. The company reported that Toth will focus on Rio Tinto’s transformation efforts, including changes to its portfolio, addressing climate change and working closely with commercial partners as it operates in “an increasingly complex world”.