UK equities moved lower in early dealings on Wednesday, with the pound also edging down against the US dollar, while stock markets across continental Europe showed a mixed picture.
By 08:21 GMT, London’s FTSE 100 was down around 0.3%. Sterling weakened by roughly 0.09% against the dollar, slipping below the 1.35 level. Elsewhere in Europe, Germany’s DAX rose about 0.5%, while France’s CAC 40 was marginally lower, down 0.09%.
UK market highlights
GSK (LSE:GSK) was in focus after reporting positive Phase III trial data for bepirovirsen, a potential first-in-class treatment for chronic hepatitis B. The investigational antisense oligonucleotide met its primary endpoints in both the B-Well 1 and B-Well 2 studies, delivering statistically significant and clinically meaningful functional cure rates compared with standard treatment alone. The company also noted stronger efficacy in patients with baseline hepatitis B surface antigen levels below 1,000 IU/ml.
In a separate announcement, Reckitt Benckiser Group (LSE:RKT) said it intends to return around £1.6 billion to shareholders via a special dividend, following the completion of the sale of its Essential Home business to Advent International. The group plans to pay a special dividend of 235 pence per existing ordinary share to shareholders on the register at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 30 January 2026. Payments are expected on 20 February 2026 for ordinary shareholders and on 27 February 2026 for ADR holders.
Meanwhile, Topps Tiles Plc (LSE:TPT) reported a solid start to its 2026 financial year. Revenue excluding CTD rose 3.7% year on year in the first quarter, while the core Topps Tiles brand delivered like-for-like growth of 2.0%, its fifth consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth. The performance was supported by strong demand from trade customers, with trade sales up 3.7% compared with the same period last year.
Leave a Reply