LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Higher call as Russia, Ukraine to hold talks

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London are seen opening higher on Monday ahead of further talks ...

Alliance News 14 March, 2022 | 6:57AM
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(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London are seen opening higher on Monday ahead of further talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators as Moscow's invading forces maintain their assault.

IG futures indicate the FTSE 100 index is to open 39.06 points higher at 7,194.70. The blue chip index closed up 56.55 points, or 0.8%, at 7,155.64 Friday.

Russia and Ukraine were set for a third round of talks Monday via videoconference, a Ukrainian presidential adviser and a Kremlin spokesman both said.

The discussions come as Russian troops edge closer to Kyiv and keep up their relentless bombardment of the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, where nearly 2,200 people have been killed in the onslaught, according to local officials.

According to Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, the talks will begin at 0820 GMT.

"And our goal is that in this struggle, in this difficult negotiating work, Ukraine will get the necessary result... for peace and for security," President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Monday, adding that both sides speak every day.

He said the aim was "to do everything to ensure a meeting of presidents. A meeting that I am sure people are waiting for."

"We see significant progress," Leonid Slutsky, a senior member of Russia's negotiating team, told state-run television network RT Sunday.

Talks between Kyiv and Moscow have yet to yield a ceasefire and Russian forces have shown no sign of easing their onslaught.

"European and US futures higher this morning as reports on Sunday said that both Russia and Ukraine were seeing some sort of progress in talks," said analysts at Danske Bank.

In the US on Friday, Wall Street ended lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.7%, S&P 500 down 1.3% and Nasdaq Composite down 2.2%.

In Asia on Monday, the Japanese Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.6%. In China, the Shanghai Composite was down 1.7%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 3.9%. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney closed up 1.2%.

Hong Kong stocks fell sharply as technology firms were hit by concerns over China's crackdown on the sector and as the country's tech hub Shenzhen was put into lockdown.

Major Apple supplier Foxconn suspended its operations in Shenzhen, the company said Monday, as the lockdown bit hard into economic activity across the factory hub.

The pound was quoted at USD1.3020 early Monday, down from USD1.3075 at the London equities close Friday.

The euro was priced at USD1.0920, down from USD1.0955. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JPY117.80, up from JPY117.05.

Brent oil was quoted at USD109.91 a barrel on Monday morning, down sharply from USD111.92 late Friday. Gold stood at USD1,974.88 an ounce, lower against USD1,982.75.

A light economic events calendar on Monday has Spain retail sales at 0800 GMT.

Ahead in the economic calendar this week, there are interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday, Bank of England on Thursday and Bank of Japan on Friday.

The UK corporate calendar on Monday has annual results from insurer Phoenix Group, pressing and coatings specialist Bodycote and TGI Fridays operator Hostmore.

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

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