BUSINESS LIVE: Business confidence weakens; Entain hands activist board seat; FTSE 100 turns 40

The price of bitcoin hit its highest level for nearly two years as the world’s biggest cryptocurrency started 2024 with a bang.

The digital coin shot past $45,000 for the first time since April 2022 amid speculation US authorities are on the cusp of giving the industry a much-needed credibility boost.

Marks & Spencer made a bright start to the new year following a bumper 2023.

On the first day of trading of 2024, shares in the High Street stalwart rose 1.3 per cent, or 3.6p, to 276p following an upgrade by analysts at BNP Exane Paribas.

The price of oil swung wildly as mounting tensions in the Red Sea were overshadowed by concerns about the global economy.

On the first day of trading of the new year, Brent crude rose more than 2.5 per cent to as high as $79.03 having ended 2023 at around $77.

The surge came after Iran sent a warship into the Red Sea following the sinking of three Houthi boats by US Navy helicopters over the weekend.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, Hargreaves Lansdown:

‘Caution has returned, as investors have begun to re-assess the prospects for interest rates and just how resilient economies will be over the months to come.

‘There is also fresh nervousness about the prospects for conflict in the Middle East to escalate after a drone strike killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouni in Lebanon. Israel is bracing for retaliatory action from Hezbollah, another twist in an already highly complex and tragic situation in the Middle East.

‘The initial pulse of positivity on the first day of trading in Europe has largely disappeared, with stocks losing ground. A gloomier sentiment is taking hold, which doesn’t provide much cheer for the FTSE 100, which is marking its 40th birthday, amid what seems to be a bit of a confidence crisis.’

Ladbrokes-owner Entain has handed a board seat to the chief executive of activist investor Eminence Capital after the fund manager led shareholder dissent over the gambling giant’s flagging performance in core markets.

Ricky Sandler, who also serves as Eminence’s chief investment officer, will join Entain’s board as a non-executive director with immediate effect, the group told investors on Wednesday.

He will also become a member of Entain’s People & Governance and Capital Allocation committees.

Sandler will be given the chance to help pick an additional non-executive director ‘mutually agreeable to Eminence and the company’, Entain said.

Barry Gibson, chairman of entain, said: ‘Ricky has a deep knowledge of our business and a firm belief in the quality of our operations and substantial growth opportunities. We look forward to benefiting from his perspectives and expertise as we work to drive value for all Entain shareholders.’

Returning to the Square Mile after their festive break, the handful of men who gathered in a room at the Stock Exchange Tower in Old Broad Street 40 years ago today could not have imagined what they were about to set in train.

The low-key switch-on of a computer programme on January 3, 1984 heralded the birth of one of the UK’s most recognisable business brands and, more than two years before Margaret Thatcher’s momentous Big Bang deregulation, a notable City of London modernisation.

Business confidence weakened in December as executives turned more pessimistic about the outlook for the British economy in 2024, a closely-watched survey suggests.

Dr. Roger Barker, director of policy at the Institute of Directors, said:

‘Director sentiment ended the year in a relatively depressed place. According to our members, it has been more or less stuck in the doldrums since last Summer.

‘Although aspects of the business environment have improved in the last couple of months, particularly with regard to inflation, this is not yet exerting a meaningful impact on business decision-making. Business leaders remain extremely cautious about the outlook for the wider economy over the next 12 months, although they are more optimistic about the prospects for their own organisations.

‘In the coming months, the Bank of England will be considering its next step in term of interest rates. Based on the evidence of this survey, an early cut in interest rates would be justified in terms of helping to kick-start business confidence. With inflationary pressures abating, business is in dire need of a boost if it is help drive meaningful economic growth in 2024.’