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☆ UK house prices fall by most since 2009 as rate rises bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Halifax said house prices were 4.6% lower last month than in August 2022, when they were close to their peak. "House prices have proven more resilient than expected so far this year.... The Bank of England has raised interest rates 14 times since December 2021, taking rates to 5.25% in August. Rival mortgage lender Nationwide reported last week that house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier. Imogen Pattison, assistant economist at Capital Economics, said the bigger-than-expected fall in Halifax house prices supported the consultancy's forecast that house prices would drop a total of 10.5% by mid 2024.

Persons: Phil Noble, Halifax, Kim Kinnaird, Andrew Bailey, Imogen Pattison, David Milliken, Paul Sandle, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of England, Nationwide, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, Halifax

☆ UK's Lloyds in talks with Barclay family, Carlyle over Very Group - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 1 (Reuters) - Britain's Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) is in talks with the Barclay family and U.S. private equity firm Carlyle (CG.O) over Very Group, an online retailer and financial services provider, the Financial Times reported on Friday. "The Very Group continues to perform well and is operating as normal with robust liquidity," a Very Group spokesperson said in an e-mail. Lloyds and Carlyle did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The Barclay family could not be immediately reached. Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka and Saikeerthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Barclay, Carlyle, Pushkala Aripaka, Shailesh Kuber, Maju Samuel Organizations: Lloyds Bank, REUTERS, Lloyds Banking Group, Financial Times, Telegraph, Lloyds, Thomson Locations: Saikeerthi, Bengaluru

☆ UK business optimism at 18-month high on hopes for rate hike pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Workers walk through the Canary Wharf financial district, ahead of a Bank of England decision on interest rate changes, in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. Contrasting with signs of an economic slowdown in other recent surveys, the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer measure of confidence jumped by 10 points in August to 41%, its highest since February 2022. "The bounce in economic optimism this month is the stand-out point," Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds Bank, said. The BoE raised rates for the 14th time in a row this month to counter an inflation rate running at almost 7%. Investors mostly expect the Bank Rate to peak this year at 5.75%, up from its current level of 5.25%.

Persons: Toby Melville, " Hann, Ju Ho, BoE, William Schomberg, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Bank of England, Lloyds Bank, Lloyds, Thomson Locations: Bank of England, London, Britain, Ukraine

☆ Barclays names the global stocks benefitting from falling inflation — and gives two 60% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Barclays identified several European stocks that it says could benefit from an environment of falling inflation. As interest rates remain elevated, inflation is expected to fall further toward the European Central Bank's 2% target in the coming months. The below table highlights 10 "disinflation winners" from Barclays with the biggest upside: Delivery Hero Among the stocks highlighted, shares of food delivery company Delivery Hero had the biggest upside potential. Lloyds Banking Group Barclays expects shares of U.K.-based lender Lloyds Banking Group to rise 64% over the next 12 months to £0.70 ($0.89). Together with falling provision risks we expect higher profits to drive outsized capital returns," said Barclays' analysts led by Aman Rakka in a note to clients on July 27.

Persons: Emmanuel Cau, Andrew Ross, Aman Rakka, Larissa van Deventer Organizations: Barclays, Central, Lloyds Banking Group Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyds, Legal, General Barclays Locations: U.S

☆ Stingy UK bank saving rates may become a non-issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Banks are keeping the fruits of higher interest rates for themselves. Between January 2022 and May 2023, the Bank of England hiked rates by 4.25 percentage points. The nine largest UK banks boosted the interest on easy-access savings accounts by 1.18 percentage points, the FCA found. The upshot is that they’ll have to bid more aggressively for funding in the future, for example by raising interest rates on savings accounts. Second-quarter results suggest it too is paying more for funding: interest expense almost doubled between the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023.

Persons: juicier, BoE, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Authority, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of, FCA, Monday, Reuters Graphics Reuters, NatWest, Barclays ’, Lloyds, Banco Santander, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, European Central Bank, Bank of England, ECB, Spanish, Financial, HSBC, Santander UK, Nationwide Building Society, TSB Bank, Virgin Money, Bank, Thomson Locations: Britain, Spain, Bank of England, Italy, Hungary

LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) reported a higher charge for troubled loans and missed first-half profit expectations as Britain's economic chills weighed on its finances and upped pressure on management to do more to help struggling savers. Lloyds shares fell 5% in early trading against a flat FTSE 100 index (.FTSE). Lloyds shares fell 5% in early trading on Wednesday, against a flat FTSE 100 index (.FTSE). The bank said it expected this to fall more slowly than previously forecast, dipping to 3.10% this year instead of 3.05%. ($1 = 0.7754 pounds)Reporting by Iain Withers and Lawrence White; editing by Sinead Cruise and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zoe Gillespie, we’ve, Fran Boait, Charlie Nunn, Nunn, Alison Rose, Nigel Farage, Coutts, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Sinead Cruise, Jason Neely Organizations: Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyds, . Banking, JPMorgan, Bank of, RBC Brewin Dolphin, NatWest, Thomson

☆ Government’s NatWest meddling crosses risky line
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Meddling ministers crossed a line, and may struggle to retreat back onto the right side of it. Its shares fell a modest 3% on Wednesday morning – compared with 1% on average for Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), Barclays (BARC.L) and Virgin Money UK (VMUK.L). Rose’s strategy of cutting costs, continuing to scale back risky trading and focusing on core UK retail banking was working. Britain’s Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith said on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that “it is right that the NatWest CEO has resigned”. Domestic rivals Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Virgin Money UK were down 2% on average.

Persons: Alison Rose, Rose, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Nigel Farage, Andrew Griffith, Coutts, aren’t, Nigel Farage's, Paul Thwaite, George Hay, Pranav Kiran, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Economic, NatWest, BBC, Royal Bank of Scotland’s, UK Government Investments, . Mortgage, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Virgin Money, Lloyds, Domestic, Thomson Locations: NatWest’s

Higher interest rates helped UniCredit (CRDI.MI) strongly beat earnings expectations in the second quarter. Germany's financial regulator BaFin has been calling on banks to raise the amount of money they set aside for bad loans. Deutsche Bank on Wednesday said provisions for bad loans nearly doubled in the second quarter from a year earlier to 401 million euros. Santander's financial chief said bad loans in Brazil may have already peaked. This sent the bank's shares up around 2% on Wednesday, with Jefferies saying that it sees upside potential to net interest income.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Lloyd's, Andrea Orcel, BaFin, James von Moltke, UniCredit, Jefferies, Tom Sims, Jane Merriman Organizations: Germany's Deutsche Bank, REUTERS, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyds, JPMorgan, Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, Union, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, MILAN, MADRID, Europe, Spain, Santander, Brazil

☆ UK's FTSE 100 slips on dour earnings; NatWest falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) lost 0.2%, while the more domestically focussed FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) was flat. UK earnings season picked up pace with Lloyds Banking Group(LLOY.L), Britain's biggest mortgage lender, posting a pre-tax first-half profit below analysts' forecast compiled by the bank. The lender fell 2.7%, while the UK banks index (.FTNMX301010) slipped 0.9%. Rolls-Royce (RR.L) soared 19.3%, to hit its highest level in over three years after the aero-engineering company raised its full-year operating profit forecast. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; editing by Eileen Soreng and Sohini GoswamiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Royce, Aston Martin, Alison Rose, Nigel Farage, Georgina Cooper, Aston, Shashwat Chauhan, Eileen Soreng, Sohini Organizations: HY, U.S, Fed, Lloyds, NatWest, NatWest Group, BBC, Lloyds Banking Group, BNY, Equity, Rio Tinto, Royce, Dunhill, Tobacco, Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings, U.S . Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Rio Tinto, London, Rio, Bengaluru

NatWest lifer Rose climbed up the ranks over more than three decades from graduate trainee to boardroom, becoming the first woman to run one of Britain's major banks. "You can be a hero one day, a zero the next, as Alison Rose has found out." Davies lamented the "sad moment" while Rose paid tribute to colleagues who had helped her build solid foundations for the bank, in a statement accompanying the news. RBS TO NATWESTRose succeeded Ross McEwan as CEO of NatWest in 2019, becoming the lender's first female boss. But under Rose's supervision, the bank became one of Britain's biggest participants in government-designed loan schemes to keep ailing businesses afloat.

Persons: Alison Rose, Nigel Farage, NatWest lifer Rose, Coutts, Rishi Sunak, Rupert Younger, Rose, Howard Davies, Rose's, Davies, Charlie Nunn, Farage, impinging, NATWEST Rose, Ross McEwan, McEwan, Stephen Hester, Fred Goodwin, Lawrence White, Conor Humphries Organizations: NatWest's, Brexit Party, NatWest, Oxford University's, Lloyds Banking Group, Britain's, RBS, NATWEST, Royal Bank of Scotland, Thomson Locations: Europe, Westminster, Britain

☆ Goldman picks a raft of discounted global stocks — and gives two more than 100% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts at Goldman Sachs have picked a number of global stocks it says are trading at a discount — and said two of its picks could rise more than 100% over the next 12 months. The analysts picked telecommunications company BT Group , giving it an estimated 130% potential upside in the next year. Goldman also gave Lloyds Bank potential upside of 78%, and said South African technology group Naspers could rise by 71% over 12 months. 'Upside risks' The stocks all appear on Goldman's list called "value buys with earnings upside potential." The bank gave Intesta Sanpaolo a 58% potential upside to its 12-month price target.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, John Sawtell, Goldman, Andrew Lee, Sanpaolo, Chris Hallam, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Goldman, BT Group, BT, Natwest, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds Bank, Porsche Locations: African

☆ UK mortgage rates surge to 15-year high after surpassing 'mini-budget' peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The average two-year fixed residential mortgage rate climbed to 6.66%, narrowly exceeding the 6.65% touched on Oct. 20 and the highest since August 2008 when it stood at 6.94%, according to data provider Moneyfacts. Governor Andrew Bailey said last month there were signs of more persistent underlying inflation pressures after the BoE unexpectedly raised its Bank Rate to 5% in an effort to tame the highest inflation rate among the world's big rich economies. Swap rates, a key measure lenders use to determine the cost of mortgage borrowing, have also soared. The surge has prompted major mortgage lenders to repeatedly reprice home loan offerings. British homebuyers typically take out mortgages with an interest rate that is fixed for two or five years, and then remortgage on to a new fixed rate or accept a variable rate.

Persons: Liz Truss, Andrew Bailey, BoE, reprice, Andrew Asaam, Suban Adbulla, Sachin Ravikumar, William Schomberg, Kate Holton, Andy Bruce Organizations: Bank of England, Nationwide, Lloyds Bank, Santander, Tuesday, Treasury, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Locations: Britain's, British, Halifax

☆ UK house prices post biggest annual drop since 2011: Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

House prices dropped 2.6% year-on-year in June, after a 1.1% fall in May, Halifax said. On the month, prices fell 0.1% after a 0.2% monthly drop in May. "How deep or persistent the downturn in house prices will be remains hard to predict," Kinnaird said, adding that falling inflation could offer some support. Halifax said the drop in house prices was largest in the south east of England. In London, prices fell in annual terms by 2.6%, the biggest decline since October 2009.

Persons: Kim Kinnaird, Kinnaird, Andy Bruce, Kate Holton Organizations: Halifax, Bank of, Bank of England, Lloyds Bank, Thomson Locations: Halifax, London, May, Bank of England, England

☆ UK banks are appropriate airbag for mortgage crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last year this was 2.9% on average for Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays. Hunt may be able to get banks to hike their savings rates merely by veiled threats. After all, the government would only be getting banks to do what they should be doing anyway. “It is taking too long for the increase in interest rates to be passed on to savers, particularly with instant access accounts,” Hunt told parliament. Around 60% of household deposits are held in instant access accounts, the committee said.

Persons: Banks, Jeremy Hunt, shouldn’t, it’s, Hunt, ” Hunt, “, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Monday, Banking Group, NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds, JPMorgan, NatWest –, Alpha, Treasury, Bank of England, Labour Party, National Savings and Investments, of, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Barclays –, Thomson

☆ Britain is facing a mortgage crisis. There are no easy answers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Mortgage painThe announcement comes a day after the Bank of England raised interest rates by half a percentage point to help bring down stubborn inflation. More than 2 million UK mortgage holders paying a fixed interest rate are facing an increase of hundreds of pounds in monthly repayments when they are forced to refinance this year and next. Many borrowers bought their homes when mortgage rates were closer to 1% or 2%. That sets the country apart from other major economies, including the United States, where on both measures inflation has started to ease. After the latest rise in interest rates Thursday, Hunt said the government would “stick to [its] guns” on keeping rates high to tame high prices.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Coles, Hargreaves Lansdown, ”, Matt Hammerstein, David Duffy, Debbie Crosby, James Manning, ” Max Mosley, Jake Berry, Sunak, Liz Truss, Brexit, Mark Carney, Charlie Bean, Hunt, ” — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN, UK Treasury, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, BCS, CNN, Bank of England, National Institute of Economic, Social Research, Virgin Money, Conservative Party, Institute for Fiscal Studies, European Union, Bank of, Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Britain

☆ UK food production costs fall for first time since 2016: Lloyds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - British food manufacturers reported the first drop in their production costs since 2016 in May as lower commodity and energy prices and cheaper shipping outweighed a jump in wage bills, a Lloyds Bank report showed on Tuesday. "It will still take some time before we see the benefit in terms of shelf prices," said Annabel Finlay, a managing director at Lloyds Bank. Food price inflation, as measured by Britain's Office for National Statistics, hit its highest since 1977 in April at 19.1% and only eased fractionally in May. Last week Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket chain, said food price inflation had peaked and it and others have said they are cutting the prices of some foodstuffs and freezing others. The Lloyds Bank report is based on an analysis of S&P Purchasing Managers' Index data covering around 1,300 companies.

Persons: Annabel Finlay, Andrew Bailey, David Milliken, William Schomberg Organizations: Lloyds Bank, Manufacturers, United Nations, Britain's, National Statistics, Tesco, Bank of England, P, Thomson Locations: British

☆ Telegraph’s $750 million price implies vanity contest
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That’s the only way to explain a possible 600 million pound ($748 million) price tag for the Britain’s Telegraph Media Group (TMG). EBITDA hit 40 million pounds, up 5%, based on UK filings, while borrowings were minimal. Lloyds reckons the price tag could be as high as 600 million pounds, according to media reports. On that basis, TMG’s value including debt would be just over 100 million pounds. Japanese media group Nikkei bought the Financial Times in 2015 for 2.5 times the previous year’s revenue.

Persons: Liz Truss, Hannah McKay, Nick Hugh, EBITDA, Barclay, Sir Frederick Barclay, David, TMG, AlixPartners, Italy’s Agnelli, B.UK, Liam Proud, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Sunday Telegraph, British, Conservative Party, REUTERS, Reuters, Britain’s Telegraph Media, Spectator, Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyds, Daily, Nikkei, Financial Times, Economist Group, Telegraph Media, Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: Birmingham, Britain, Bermuda

☆ Telegraph’s $750 mln price implies vanity contest
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That’s the only way to explain a possible 600 million pound ($748 million) price tag for the Britain’s Telegraph Media Group (TMG). EBITDA hit 40 million pounds, up 5%, based on UK filings, while borrowings were minimal. Lloyds reckons the price tag could be as high as 600 million pounds, according to media reports. Japanese media group Nikkei bought the Financial Times in 2015 for 2.5 times the previous year’s revenue. Follow @pamela_msg on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSReceivers chosen by Lloyds Banking Group could put the Telegraph Media Group up for sale after its Bermuda-based parent company B.UK failed to repay bank loans.

Persons: Nick Hugh, EBITDA, Barclay, Sir Frederick Barclay, David, TMG, AlixPartners, Italy’s Agnelli, B.UK, Liam Proud, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Britain’s Telegraph Media, Sunday Telegraph, Spectator, Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyds, Daily, Nikkei, Financial Times, Economist Group, Conservative Party, Telegraph Media, Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: Bermuda

☆ UK house prices post first annual drop since 2012, says Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - British house prices dropped on an annual basis in May for the first time in 11 years, and pressure on prospective buyers from higher mortgage rates could deepen the downturn, mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday. Kim Kinnaird, director of mortgages at Halifax, said demand was weakening and higher interest rates were likely to increase pressure on house prices. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), on Tuesday said it would raise interest rates for its fixed home loans from Wednesday. The stronger-than-expected inflation data raised markets' bets interest rates will peak at 5.5% later this year. Nationwide, another lender, last week reported a steeper 0.5% month-on-month drop in house prices in April and a 3.4% annual decline - the biggest drop since 2009.

Persons: Kim Kinnaird, Liz Truss's, Kinnaird, Myron Jobson, Suban Abdulla, Andy Bruce, Paul Sandle, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Interactive Investor, Capital Economics, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: Halifax

☆ Telegraph faces sale after UK lender takes control of owners
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - The Telegraph group of newspapers could be sold after the Bank of Scotland appointed receivers for shares of the publisher's owners who failed to repay loans by the bank, restructuring group AlixPartners said on Wednesday. No operational changes are expected for the media businesses or their employees, and "neither the Telegraph Media Group (TMG) nor The Spectator are entering administration," AlixPartners added. The Barclay family owns shares of B.UK Ltd, a holding company within the Penultimate Investment Holdings Limited (PIHL) Group that indirectly owns Telegraph Media Group Limited (TMG) and The Spectator magazine. AlixPartners said the receivers may reach a resolution which could involve the Telegraph and Spectator businesses being sold. Sky News reported on Tuesday that Lloyds was set to launch a 600 million pound ($745.4 million) auction of the Telegraph newspapers and The Spectator magazine.

Persons: AlixPartners, Alastair Beveridge, Ben Browne, Barclay, Aidan Barclay, Howard Barclay, Philip Peters, Rigel Mowatt, Gokul Pisharody, Bharat Govind Gautam, Chiara Ellsei, Chris Reese, Richard Chang Organizations: Telegraph, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Telegraph Media, B.UK Ltd, Investment Holdings, Group, Telegraph Media Group, Spectator, The Spectator, Sky News, Lloyds, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Major UK lender Halifax pushes up mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Britain's largest mortgage provider Halifax will ramp up interest rates for new home loans on Wednesday, according to pricing provided to brokers, the latest major lender to do so in response to soaring funding costs. The decision by Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), comes after rivals like Nationwide Building Society announced hefty increases to mortgage rates. Two-year deals rather than five-year deals are currently popular among borrowers who hope that rates will fall again soon. "This latest increase by the biggest mortgage lender in the UK will spook buyers and sellers alike not to mention those due to re-mortgage in the next few months," Lewis Shaw from broker Shaw Financial Services said. Property website Rightmove said on Tuesday this was the first week since January that rates have averaged 5% or more across all LTV brackets.

Persons: Liz Truss, Lewis Shaw, Rightmove, Andy Bruce, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Bank of England, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, Shaw Financial Services, Thomson Locations: Halifax

Lenders wasted little time in charging more for loans when interest rates rapidly rose from an almost 15-year slumber around zero last year, but most have dragged their feet on boosting deposit rates paid to millions of their customers. Money market funds are proving popular among savers seeking bigger returns on their cash as high levels of inflation persist. Data from Refinitiv Lipper showed more than 34 billion euros ($37.6 billion) of net flows into European money market funds in March, the best-selling asset type that month. Fidelity International also reported an 8% year-on-year uplift in flows into money market funds on its investment platform between Jan. 1 and April 26. Some lawmakers have criticised banks for the mismatch between what they charge borrowers and the interest rates offered to savers.

While the Fed is widely expected to raise rates by 25 basis points at its policy rate announcement at 1800 GMT, the hopes of a pause in increases have grown after a banking crisis that has threatened to hurt economic growth. Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) edged down 0.8% despite beating quarterly profit estimates, as the bellwether lender echoed rivals in maintaining its full-year forecasts. However, energy stocks (.FTNMX601010) were a drag, down 1.2%, tracking weakness in crude prices. Haleon (HLN.L) lost 3.8% as the world's biggest standalone consumer health business reported first-quarter profit below analyst expectations. Luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda (AML.L) lost 2.2% after it reported a narrower quarterly pre-tax loss and maintained its 2023 outlook.

Bischoff died on Tuesday of natural causes, a close relative, who asked not to be named, told Reuters on Wednesday. A former chairman of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), Citigroup (C.N) and more recently JP Morgan Securities (JPM.N), Bischoff had also been CEO of Schroders (SDR.L). Robert Swannell, former chairman of Marks & Spencer, who worked with Bischoff for 33 years at Schroders and later Citi, said he would profoundly mourn his friend and colleague. The deal was hailed as a huge success for Bischoff's leadership team, having started with a business worth just a fraction of the 1.3 billion pounds price Citi later paid. He returned to JP Morgan as chairman of JP Morgan Securities the same year.

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