U.K. stocks were little changed on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined plans to end all restrictions put in place to combat the Covid-19 virus in two weeks.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was marginally lower at 7,160 after rising 0.6 percent the previous day.
Underlying sentiment remained supported somewhat after a survey showed U.K. construction industry recorded its fastest growth in 24 years last month, helped by a jump in demand for new homes and commercial property.
Travel- related stocks rose after Germany announced plans to lift travel restrictions on fully vaccinated travelers from the U.K., and Portugal. IAG jumped 3.4 percent and EasyJet gained 1.9 percent.
Oil major BP Plc rose 0.7 percent and Royal Dutch Shell climbed 1.1 percent as crude prices hit their highest levels since 2018.
Online supermarket Ocado Group rallied 2.4 percent. The company said its loss before tax for the 26 weeks ended 30 May 2021 narrowed to 23.6 million pounds from 40.6 million pounds in the prior year.
J Sainsbury was up 0.8 percent after reporting first-quarter sales ahead of expectations.
Market Analysis
FTSE 100 Little Changed As Restrictions Ease
2021-07-06 09:17:45
