FTSE 100 Expected to Track Wall Street Rally

0648 GMT - The FTSE 100 is seen starting the session higher after overnight gains in U.S. equities with spreadbetting firm IG expecting London's blue-chip index to jump 45 points. "It's still proving to be extremely difficult to define a direction, however due to last night's resilient U.S. performance, markets here in Europe look set to open slightly higher, with the FTSE 100 looking to open at its highest levels in over a month," CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson says. The rally on Wall Street came despite minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting that confirmed a growing consensus among officials to start tapering asset purchases and data showing U.S. inflation unexpectedly accelerated further in September. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)

Companies News: 

Dunelm Backs Profit Guidance on 1Q Sales Rise Despite Supply-Chain Disruption

Dunelm Group PLC on Thursday said sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2022 increased and that it expects full-year pretax profit to be in line with market expectations.

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Ashmore Group 1Q Assets Under Management Fell

Ashmore Group PLC said Thursday that assets under management for the first quarter of fiscal 2022 declined by $3.1 billion due to a negative investment performance of $2.1 billion and net outflows of $1.0 billion.

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Rank Group PLC Says 1Q Was in Line, Net Gaming Revenue Jumped

Rank Group PLC said Thursday that the first quarter was in line with its expectations, with a strong increase in like-for-like net gaming revenue, and that it expects full-year revenue to rise.

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Hays 1H Net Fees Rose 36%

Hays PLC said Thursday that its net fees grew 36% in the first quarter of the fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30.

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Rathbone Brothers Funds Under Management and Administration Rose 11% in 9-Mos

Rathbone Brothers PLC said Thursday that its funds under management and administration increased 11% in the first nine months of 2021, with positive net organic inflows in the third quarter.

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Grainger FY 2021 Rental Growth Rose, Occupancy Rate Recovers

Grainger PLC said Thursday that it recorded total like-for-like rental growth of 1.0% in fiscal 2021 and its occupancy rate has recovered to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.

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Domino's Pizza Group 3Q Comparable Sales Were Up 8.8%, Expects to Meet 2021 Views

Domino's Pizza Group PLC said Thursday that like-for-like sales for the third quarter of the year rose 8.8% and that it expects to meet full-year expectations.

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Braemar Shipping Raises FY 2022 Underlying Earnings Guidance

Braemar Shipping Services PLC said Thursday that it expects its underlying earnings for fiscal 2022 to be ahead of previous expectations after a strong first-half performance.

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Grainger Acquires London Build-To-Rent Plan for GBP141 Mln -- Deal Digest

ACQUIRER: Grainger PLC, a property-investment company.

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Charles Stanley Group Funds Under Management and Administration Edged Up 1.1% in 2Q

Charles Stanley Group PLC said Thursday that its funds under management and administration increased 1.1% in the second quarter of the fiscal year.

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DiscoverIE Says 1H Performance Was Better Than Expected

DiscoverIE Group PLC said Thursday that its performance for the first half of the financial year was ahead of internal expectations.

Market Talk: 

Johnson Matthey Stock Is Seen Underperforming Due to Weak Automotive-Catalyst Business

0614 GMT - Shares in Johnson Matthey will continue to underperform as its automotive-catalyst business remains weak, with earnings growth from battery cathode materials and hydrogen failing to compensate, Jefferies says. Shortages have pushed back the automotive-catalyst unit's recovery, likely to 2022-2023, giving the FTSE 100-listed chemical and sustainable technologies company one to two years of earnings momentum in an internal combustion engine business which accounts for around 60% of sales, Jefferies says. "Our concern surrounds a weaker overall recovery and loss of another year of earnings [and cash flow] generation from a business in ultimate decline," the bank says. Jefferies cuts its rating on the stock to underperform from buy, and lowers the target price to 2,300 pence from 4,200 pence. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)

Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires; Dow Jones Newswires; paul.larkins@wsj.com