London opened flat on Thursday, but stronger-than-expected UK GDP growth in Q1 brought a brighter tone to the day’s economic headlines. Output rose 0.7%, well ahead of forecasts, driven by strength in services and production sectors. Meanwhile, Sage and National Grid posted upbeat earnings, and B&M named a new CEO.
In global markets, Wall Street’s tech rally continued as Nvidia and Super Micro soared on Saudi AI deals. Asia traded mixed, with declines in Japan and Hong Kong but modest gains in Australia.
Start your day with CityCast AM—your five-minute financial market primer.
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & FTSE opens flat after Wednesday’s decline
00:25 – UK GDP grows 0.7% in Q1, led by services and production
01:05 – B&M names retail veteran Tjeerd Jegen as CEO
01:25 – Sage H1 results: Revenues +9%, profits +16%, £200m buyback extension
02:10 – National Grid EPS beats, £60bn investment plan, 6–8% annual EPS growth outlook
02:55 – Asia-Pacific wrap:• Nikkei -1%• Hang Seng -1.1%• ASX +0.2%
03:30 – Wall Street overnight:• Nasdaq +0.7%, S&P +0.1%, Dow down• Nvidia +4%, AMD gains on export rule rollback• Super Micro +16% on $20bn Saudi AI deal
04:35 – Looking ahead: US jobless claims, PPI, and retail sales due today
05:00 – Wrap-up: Back at lunch with London updates and Asia close
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.