Market Commentary April 2019
01 May 2019
The main UK FTSE 100 market delivered another positive month, finishing April at 7,418.22. This represented a gain of 1.91% on last months close.
The index did breach the 7,500 level during the month but lost some ground towards the end.
Top 5 FTSE 100 rising stock were:
- NMC Group PLC +20%
- TUI AG PLC +16%
- Schroders PLC +15%
- WPP Group PLC +13%
- Hargreaves Lansdown PLC +13%
NMC Group followed up being March’s top faller by being April’s top riser. Positive comment from Goldman Sachs after the March price fall fuelled the rebound in share price.
Top 5 FTSE 100 falling stock were:
- Fresnillo PLC -15%
- Just Eat PLC -13%
- Whitbread PLC – 11%
- Bunzl PLC – 10%
- Direct Line PLC – 10%
Shares in miner Fresnillo PLC retreated following share price downgrades from brokers Barclays Capital and UBS.
Information flow was lighter than usual with the Easter holidays during the period. In the currency markets, Sterling was flat against both the US dollar and the Euro. The US-China trade deal talks continue but with no sign of an agreement thus far. Mick Mulvaney, President Trump’s acting chief of staff indicated that the talks can’t go on forever by saying ‘at some point in any negotiation, you go’ Will the US walk away similar to recent failed negotiations with North Korea?
The price of oil increased again, with political uncertainty in Venezuela casting a cloud over the country’s oil output.
Gold remained relatively flat on the back of stable equity markets.
| 30 April 2019 | 1 month | 6 months | 12 months | |
| FTSE 100 | 7,418.22 | 1.91% | 4.07% | -1.36% |
| GBP/USD | 1.3032 | -0.06% | 2.08% | -4.28% |
| GBP/EUR | 1.1621 | 0.01% | 3.11% | 2.37% |
| Brent Crude (US$) | 72.06 | 6.63% | -4.52% | -1.46% |
| Gold (US$ per oz) | 1,283.53 | -0.68% | 5.66% | -1.56% |
This newsletter is intended to provide a general review of certain topics and its purpose is to inform but NOT to recommend or support any specific investment or course of action.Past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future. You may not get back the full amount of your investment.
