LONDON MARKET OPEN: US-Mexico Stand-Down, China Data Lift Share Prices

LONDON (Alliance News) - Stock prices in London opened higher on Monday after US President Donald Trump suspended plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, while miners benefited from positive Chinese trade figures. The FTSE 100 was up 26.13 points, or 0.4% at 7,357.60. The FTSE 250 was up 51.26 points, or 0.3%, at 19,283.65. The AIM All-Share was up 2.39 points, or 0.3%, at 940.82.The Cboe UK 100 index was up 0.4% at 12,483.90. The Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 17,252.55, and the Cboe UK Small Companies was flat at 11,734.25.In European equities, the CAC 40 in Paris and the DAX 30 in Frankfurt were up 0.8% and 0.6% respectively. On Friday, Trump said he will not impose the 5% tariff on Mexican imports as he had threatened, saying a deal had been reached on stemming flows of migrants from Central America.As part of the immigration deal, asylum seekers will be returned to Mexico to await their hearings in US courts. Mexico also has pledged to beef up security on its own southern border.On the London Stock Exchange, miners were among the blue chip risers amid better-than-expected trade data from China. Antofagasta was up 2.1%, Anglo American up 1.3%, Rio Tinto up 1.1% and Glencore up 1.0%.China's exports grew 1.1% in May after falling 2.7% in April, according to customs data. Analysts had expected a 3.8% decline.Imports, however, plummeted 8.5% after rising 4.0% in April given softening external conditions. The trade surplus last month came in at USD41.65 billion, above analysts' expectations.At the other end of the large-cap index, Ferguson was the worst performer, down 3.3% despite announcing a share buyback programme and saying that it will deliver annual results in line with market expectations. The plumbing and heating products supplier reported revenue for the three months to the end of April of USD5.27 billion, up 6.2% from USD4.97 billion reported for the same period a year prior. On an organic basis, revenue climbed by 2.3%.Trading profit, which excludes exceptional items and amortisation of acquired intangible assets, rose 2.3% to USD359 million from USD351 million year-on-year.Geographically, in the US, revenue improved by 3.3% on an organic basis. In the UK, like-for-like revenue growth was 2.8% in the quarter. In Canada, organic revenue declined 2.9% with residential markets slowing as a result of rising interest rates and government initiatives to restrict mortgage credit.Looking ahead, Ferguson expects to generate trading profit for the year to the end of July in line with current analyst consensus forecasts, it said. Analysts' consensus for financial 2019 trading profit on the company's website is USD1.59 billion, up from USD1.51 billion in financial 2018.Elsewhere, Thomas Cook Group was up 21% after the venerable but troubled travel company confirmed it is in discussions with Fosun International over a potential offer for the Thomas Cook tour operator business.Fosun, a Hong Kong-listed company and Thomas Cook's largest shareholder with an 18% stake, has made a "preliminary approach".Sky News reported on the possible acquisition on Saturday, with Sky's sources noting that a formal bid was not guaranteed and discussions were still at an early stage. It said it is working with bankers at JPMorgan on the potential offer.MJ Gleeson was down 9.5% following the immediate departure of Chief Executive Jolyon Harrison, who joined the urban housing regeneration and strategic land trading firm in July 2012. MJ Gleeson said Harrison stepped down due to a dispute over pay and succession.The Japanese Nikkei 225 closed up 1.2% on Monday. In China, the Shanghai Composite closed up 0.9%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong is up 2.1%. Financial markets in China and Hong Kong reopened after being closed for the Dragon Boat Festival on Friday.Japan's economy grew at an annual rate of 2.2% in the January-to-March period, marking the second straight quarter of expansion, despite sluggish consumer spending, a government report showed.The reading was in line with the 2.2% growth forecast by analysts surveyed by the Nikkei Business Daily, and slightly revised up from an initial estimate of 2.1%, the Cabinet Office said.In the US on Friday, Wall Street ended higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.0%, S&P 500 up 1.1% and Nasdaq Composite up 1.7%.US stocks rose sharply on Friday as weak jobs data added to expectations that the Federal Reserve may cut US interest rates as soon as July.The pound was quoted at USD1.2707 on Monday, lower than USD1.2760 late Friday.UK retail footfall shrunk in May, hitting the lowest level on record in over six years, with declines experienced in every region and category, the latest BRC/Springboard Retail Footfall Monitor showed Monday.Figures covering the four weeks to May 25, showed a 3.5% drop in total retail footfall on the year before. In the same period a year before, footfall had slipped by just 0.4% on an annual basis.On a three-month basis, footfall decreased 0.7% on a year before, with the six and twelve-month averages both down 1.3% and 1.4% respectively.In the economic events calendar on Monday, there are UK industrial and manufacturing production data at 0930 BST.