FTSE 100

This helped boost Asian-focused stocks which were amongst those on the rise in London with Rolls Royce Holdings Plc topping the risers, up 5.25% on hopes the ...

regarding the sale of its cinema assets, as it warned that any transaction would result in a “very significant dilution of existing equity interests.” Things are quiet on the economic calendar today, but tomorrow will give us mortgage data on both sides of the Atlantic. “We had some exceptionally warm weather in the south of England. This also gave a lift to Both prices were even lower earlier in the day. The EY ITEM Club agreed. However, corporate news is likely to be thin on the ground but there will be a number of PMI releases for investors to digest after releases in the past couple of days showed further falls in manufacturing activity in China in Germany. [the UK will experience ](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1002271/global-recession-will-hit-uk-harder-and-longer-than-other-g7-economies-survey-reveals-1002271.html)one of the worst recessions and poorest recoveries among the G7 countries in the upcoming year. [SSE PLC (LSE:SSE)](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/LON:SSE/SSE-PLC/) fell 0.7% as Jefferies downgraded to hold while [GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK)](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/LON:GSK/GSK-PLC/) was another on a small list of fallers, down 0.4%, as JP Morgan lowered the pharma giant to underperform with a 1,350p price target. [Bank of England](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/PRIVATE-UK:BOE/Bank-of-England/) is close to the end of its rate rising cycle, with Bank Rate likely to peak at 4%” it said. The mild weather has reduced demand for heating in the UK and the rest of Europe and conditions are expected to remain mild for the next two weeks. Manufacturing firms in the US indicated a solid decline in the health of the sector during December, according to the latest PMI data from S&P Global.