June 5 (Reuters) – UK’s FTSE indexes rose on Monday to more than one-week highs, boosted by energy stocks after top oil exporter Saudi Arabia pledged to cut supplies, while ASOS looked set to post its best day in nearly five months following a takeover offer.
The resources-heavy FTSE 100 (.FTSE) climbed 0.6%, hitting its highest since May 24. Energy stocks (.FTNMX601010) jumped 1.2% as oil prices advanced on Saudi Arabia’s plan to deepen output cuts from July.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) rose 0.7% to hit its highest since May 23, aided by a 13.2% surge in ASOS PLC (ASOS.L) after a report said Alibaba- (9988.HK) backed Turkish retailer Trendyol made a 1 billion pound ($1.24 bln) takeover bid for the company. ASOS also helped the broader retail sector (.FTNMX404010) climb 0.6%.
“If you look at the market cap of ASOS, it stands at less than 500 million pounds, and the deal values ASOS more than double its current price,” said Christopher Peters, trading floor manager at Accendo Markets.
“From an investor point of view, if the bid is as big as it seems, it is exciting,” said Peters, adding that the deal was speculation at the moment.
UK-listed shares of Indivior Plc (INDV.L) surged 9.8% after the U.S. drugmaker said it had agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing it of illegally suppressing generic competition for its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone.
Following a disappointing end to May, UK equities have slowly recovered as investors look past uncertainties surrounding the U.S. debt deal and remain hopeful that central banks around the globe could hit pause on monetary tightening starting with the Federal Reserve.
AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) added 0.4% after trial data showed its therapy Tagrisso cut the risk of death by more than half in patients with a type of lung cancer.
The broader telecommunications sector (.FTUB1510) rose 2.5%, rebounding from its May low after a report said Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) was negotiating to get the low-cost wireless services for its Prime members.
Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu
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