Around mid-morning, the FTSE 100 was ahead around ten points to 6,560.
Here are some of the biggest stories this morning.
1. China markets slump after crack down on margin trading
Chinese stocks notched up their biggest fall in six years after authorities cracked down on margin trading, a practice that involves investors borrowing money to buy shares.
The Shanghai Composite fell 7.7% to close at 3,115.09 after China’s securities regulator CSRC collared three top brokerages for allegedly illegal activities in their margin business, banning them from opening new margin accounts for three months. The brokerages are alleged to have extended margin trading contracts in violation of the rules.
The regulator believes that aggressive margin trading practices have been responsible for fuelling previous rallies. The Shanghai Composite has soared more nearly 70% over the last 12 months.
In a margin trade, investors use their own money for just a portion of their stock purchase, borrowing the rest from a broker. The loans are backed by the investors’ equity holdings, meaning that they may be forced to sell when prices fall to repay their debt.
CSRC collared three top brokerages outstanding margin loans standing as of Friday stood at Rmb767bn ($123bn), up from Rmb444bn at the end of October.
2. Opec looking to drive competitors out of business
Oil companies will be a bit worried by comments to BBC radio’s World Business Report from Mohammed Al-Sabban a former senior advisor to the Minister of Petroleum in Saudi Arabia. He says that oil prices needs to go “as low as possible” to force marginal producers out of the market. Saudi Arabia can handle oil prices at the current level “for at least eight years”, he added.
3. British Gas to cut gas prices
British Gas announced plans to cut gas prices by 5% beginning 27 February as it look to pass on recent falls in wholesale gas prices to customers. BG, UK’s biggest domestic energy supplier estimates the cut will a typical household’s annual energy bill by £37. Last week E.On reduced its standard gas prices by 3.5% last week.
Elsewhere on the corporate front infrastructure company John Laing announced this morning that it plans to list on the stock market, a move it hopes will raise £130m and value the company at around £1bn. Founded in 1848, its past projects include work on the M1 and the Sizewell B power station. The company was listed on the stock market originally in 1953, before being taken private in 2007.
Chocolate maker Thorntons saw its shares rise 1.8% to 80.45p after it posted a 6.4% decline in sales for the 14 weeks to 10 January. That, however, is better than the 11.9% drop it notched up over the previous quarter. In late December its shares dived 25% when it warned that annual profits would fall in the current financial year. Today’s result suggests the firm is recovering its poise.
4. Syriza shocker on the cards
Latest opinion polls suggest that Greece’s main opposition party, Syriza, will win next weekend’s general election. Markets are extremely nervous a Syriza victory could result in Greece leaving the eurozone. Some Greek banks have already asked for emergency funds from the European Central Bank in case there is a run on the banks after the election.