British stocks opened higher on Monday, starting the week on a positive note as European markets traded mixed, while the pound continued its losing streak, hovering near $1.31.
As of 0804 GMT, the blue-chip index FTSE 100 rose 0.2% and the British GBP/USD fell 0.2% against the dollar to above 1.31.
DAX index in Germany gained 0.3%, the CAC 40 in France fell 0.2%.
UK round up:
Ryanair Holdings PLC (LON:0RYA) reported a 42% increase in first-half profit to €2.54 billion on Monday, while cautioning about potential challenges in the second half of the year. The airline’s second-quarter profit after tax grew 20% to €1.72 billion, up from €1.43 billion in the same period last year. Revenue increased 13% to €9.82 billion as passenger traffic rose 3% to 119 million. The average fare climbed 13% to €58. Despite the strong performance, Ryanair warned that tougher year-over-year fare comparisons and geopolitical risks could impact results in the second half of the year. In other news, Optima Health PLC (LON:OPT) reported revenue of approximately £59 million for the first half of fiscal 2026, a 17% increase from £50.8 million in the same period last year. The company said it remains on track to meet consensus forecasts for fiscal 2026, with full-year revenue expectations of £125.4 million. Empiric Student Property PLC (LON:ESP) announced it has achieved 89% occupancy for the 2025/26 academic year, with like-for-like rental growth of 4.5%. The student accommodation provider noted a slowdown in reservations since September 9, making its target occupancy rate of 97% difficult to achieve. The company cited fewer Chinese students and supply-demand imbalances in Nottingham, Sheffield, and Glasgow as contributing factors. BP PLC (LON:BP) has agreed to sell non-controlling interests in its US onshore midstream assets to private investor Sixth Street for $1.5 billion. The transaction includes BP’s pipelines and facilities in the Eagle Ford and Permian basins, including four Permian central processing facilities: Grand Slam, Bingo, Checkmate and Crossroads. These assets connect wells to third-party pipeline systems that transport oil and gas to customers.
