SMP.L Share News (SMP)

The FTSE 100 looks set for a positive start to the week following another increase in Chinese manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) and as investors look ahead to the European Central Bank (ECB) policy decision later this week. The top tier index is predicted to open around 20 points higher than Friday's close of 6,844.51.In response to the news that the official Chinese manufacturing PMI climbed from 50.4 to 50.8 in May, Capital Economics said: "A third successive pick-up in the official PMI provides further evidence that conditions in manufacturing are improving, thanks to warming foreign demand and a rebound in infrastructure investment. "With further measures to support small firms announced last Friday, including targeted RRR cuts, the outlook for the sector no longer looks as downbeat as it did earlier this year. That said, we still expect the ailing property sector to be a drag on broader economic growth for the quarters ahead." CMC Market Analyst Jasper Lawler said the data helped to "set the stage" for Thursday's ECB meeting. "The wait [for action to be taken to combat low inflation] is now apparently over and ECB has built up a big expectation of monetary easing at its June meeting this Thursday," Lawler explained. "With central bank action at the forefront, the lacklustre European economic recovery takes on less significance but PMIs in the [euro-zone] this week will offer some ideas on what to expect out of the second quarter." Back in the UK, in this morning's company news mining giant Rio Tinto annnounced it has completed the $1.02bn sale of its majority interest in the Clermont Mine in Australia, leaving buyer Glencore in charge. The disposal of the 50.1% stake, announced last October, "delivers good value for Rio Tinto's shareholders", the company said in a statement this morning.Property regeneration specialist St. Modwen Properties said strong momentum has continued since its last update at the end of March, with a growing pipeline of development opportunities, and profits and cash flows in line with company expectations. The outlook for the full-year us unchanged, with pre-tax profit in the first half of the year expected to be significantly ahead of the first half results for 2013, reflecting the ongoing improvement in the residential and commercial property markets across the UK.Civil engineer Balfour Beatty is selling its 50% interest in the University Hospital of North Durham PPP project and its 100% interest in the Knowsley Building Schools for the Future project for £97m.NR