UK Stocks-Factors to watch on April 21 (updated)

Associated British Foods

21/04/2026 08:10

Corrects to remove extraneous link in bullet 4

April 21 (Reuters) -
Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index opened slightly higher on Tuesday.

* CREST NICHOLSON: Crest Nicholson CRST.L said it was in the
early stages
 of seeking a relaxation of its banking commitments as the housing market is under stress due to the Iran war.

* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L said its rare blood disorder drug Ultomiris has met the
main goal
 of a late-stage trial, showing a reduction in protein found in the urine of patients.

* ABF: Associated British Foods ABF.L has decided to
separate
 its Primark fashion chain from its food businesses through a demerger following a review of the group’s structure, it said.

* THG: THG THG.L
reported
 its strongest first-quarter revenue growth since 2021, supported by growth in its beauty and nutrition divisions.

* BRITISH LAND: British Land Company BLND.L
raised
 its earnings outlook for fiscal 2026 and 2027 as artificial intelligence and technology companies drive robust rental growth in its London office campuses.

* JUPITER FUND MANAGEMENT: Jupiter Fund Management JUP.L
posted
 first-quarter net inflows of 1.5 billion pounds ($2.03 billion) on robust client demand and favourable market performance.

* RIO TINTO:  Rio Tinto RIO.L, RIO.AX warned of limited visibility on the effects of the Middle East war on its supply chains in the second half.

* LABOUR MARKET: Britain's labour market
cooled only slightly
 in three months to February with earnings growth easing by less than forecast and the jobless rate falling unexpectedly.

* ENERGY: Britain set out
plans
 to weaken the link between its cost of electricity and volatile gas prices, saying it would seek to force older renewable energy generators onto fixed contracts in a bid to bring down consumer bills.

* COMMODITIES:
Oil
 prices fell, while
gold
 prices fell too, and
copper
 dipped.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/

TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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> Other business headlines PRESS/GB

 (Compiled by Roshni Srivastava in Bengaluru)

 ((roshni.srivastava@thomsonreuters.com))