Investment accounts
Adult accounts
Child accounts
Choosing Fidelity
Choosing Fidelity
Why invest with us Current offers Fees and charges Open an account Transfer investments
Financial advice & support
Fidelity’s Services
Fidelity’s Services
Financial advice Retirement Wealth Management Investor Centre (London) Bereavement
Guidance and tools
Guidance and tools
Choosing investments Choosing accounts ISA calculator Retirement calculators
Share dealing
Choose your shares
Tools and information
Tools and information
Share prices and markets Chart and compare shares Stock market news Shareholder perks
Pensions & retirement
Pensions, tax & tools
Saving for retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Speak to a specialist Creating a retirement plan Taking tax-free cash Pension drawdown Annuities Investing in retirement Investment Pathways
London pre-open: Stocks seen down as Barclays reports
(Sharecast News) - London stocks were set to fall at the open on Tuesday following losses on Wall Street, with Barclays results in focus. The FTSE 100 was called to open around 10 points lower.
Investors will be mulling the latest policy announcement from China, where the PBoC kept the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) unchanged at 3.45%, as expected. However, it surprised markets by cutting the five-year LPR by 25 basis points to 3.95%. This marked the first time the five-year rate was cut since May 2023.
ING said: "The cut to the 5-year LPR is likely aimed at supporting the recovery of the property market, and could improve affordability for buyers by lowering the mortgage rates.
"However, banks were already facing record low net interest margins as of the third quarter of 2023, and have been tasked with extending loans to support troubled property developers. The 5-year LPR cut could add further pressure to Chinese bank margins."
In UK corporate news, Barclays Bank reported a fall in annual earnings after fourth-quarter profits dropped by 92%.
Pre-tax profit for the year to the end of December 2023 came in at £6.55bn, down 6%. Fourth-quarter earnings were £110m compared with £1.3bn a year ago.
It added that it planned to return at least £10bn of capital to shareholders between 2024 and 2026, through dividends and share buybacks, "with a continued preference for buybacks".
InterContinental Hotels Group reported strong full-year trading in its final results for 2023, with global revenue per available room (RevPAR) up 16.1% year-on-year and 10.9% compared to 2019.
The company recorded notable growth in the Americas, EMEAA, and Greater China regions, with significant increases in average daily rate and occupancy. Total gross revenue came in at $31.6bn, up 23%, while it swung to a reported operating profit of $1.07bn from a loss of $105m.
IHG said it was aiming for high single-digit percentage growth in fee revenue going forward amid continued investment in the business, sustainable growth in dividends, and ongoing share buybacks to achieve a 12% to 15% adjusted earnings per share compound annual growth rate.
Share this article
Related Sharecast Articles
Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Award-winning online share dealing
Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.
Expert insights into investing your money
Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.
Policies and important information
Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statement | Cookie policy | Diversity and Inclusion | Doing Business with Fidelity | Fidelity gender pay report | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Security | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing policy
Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about the fund.
This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.
